The Pauline 2023-24

From the High Master

Sally-Anne Huang

I often feel that, if the Paulines have half as much fun being pupils at this school as I do being the High Master, then we must all be having a great time here!

This year’s edition of the Pauline is a summary of an academic year which has buzzed with activity and energy. You will read of theatre ranging from Shakespeare to Durrenmatt, and musicians who have performed virtuoso solo performances of Chopin while others have swung Sonny Rollins at jazz venues. Sport has been a particular highlight this year with extraordinary successes in rugby, football and cricket in addition to a record-breaking unbeaten season for the first VIII on the river.

What is more special still, however, is the Pauline passion for supporting and celebrating each other. I have never known a school where the presence of other pupils on the touch line or in the audience has been so strongly marked, or provided with such enthusiasm. Of course, in no context is this more true than in the house competitions. And I would like to say a particular thank you to Alex Stewart, who has co-ordinated this programme for the past two years, as well as all the Undermasters and House Captains who lead from the front every week, setting positive

examples and encouraging everyone to get involved. Both Sarah Field and Caroline Gill will be moving on from leading their houses this year and I would like to acknowledge their important contributions as part of that brilliant inaugural team from when we restructured the houses after the pandemic.

As you will know, the school’s culture is also about getting beyond our own bubble and looking outward. I was thrilled that we were awarded Independent Boys’ School of the Year in October, with specific emphasis on our work in character education and through the school’s values. This has also been the academic year where we have signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with St Paul’s Girls School, ensuring that we can continue to provide the ‘best of both worlds’ for pupils at both schools through meaningful collaboration; we have also grown our partnership work with Hammersmith Academy and Fulham Boys’ School, in addition to primary professors and the STEM summer schools.

All in all, is has been a tremendous year and I hope that you will enjoy reading about it as much as we have enjoyed living through it! ❚

SCHOOL LIFE

Captain’s Address

George Davies

What is a Pauline?

When people hear that I go to St Paul’s, they normally have a range of different reactions. Some ask for advice on how to get their children a place, some ask how much rugby is still played, and a surprising number go on to say that they went to St Paul’s themselves.

I think that people’s different reactions show that as well as recognising how lucky it is to be a Pauline, sometimes people have preconceptions as to what a ‘Pauline’ actually is.

So what actually is a ‘Pauline’? To me, a Pauline solely means someone who goes to St Paul’s School, and says absolutely nothing about who they are or what they are like as a person. John Colet opened the school with a basic statement of equality – his instruction was to educate pupils ‘from all nacions and countres indifferently’. This is him saying that someone’s education should be independent of their identity. Flipping this on its head suggests that someone’s identity should therefore be independent of their education. Being a Pauline has

nothing to do with your identity or who you are, but has a lot to do with the fact that you attend St Paul’s School on Lonsdale Road five days a week.

But maybe there is a better question to ask. What does it mean to attend St Paul’s? While the word may not mean much in itself, we are extremely lucky to be Paulines.

A quick look at the school website or a glance at the morning Tannoys shows how many opportunities this school offers and how privileged we are to attend it. We have access to 45 acres of playing fields in central London. We have access to both a large theatre and a large music hall. We have access to incredible teachers, a fully equipped engineering department and brand new buildings. We also have a responsibility to make the absolute most of these opportunities, because I think that is what being a Pauline means.

I believe that being a Pauline is not an identity – it’s an opportunity. At the end of the day, we’re all extremely lucky to be normal people at a not so normal school. ❚

I believe that being a Pauline is not an identity – it’s an opportunity.

Another great year has passed for the boarders at St Paul’s school.

Highlights of the year include a late summer trip to the waterpark, gokarting, a speedboat tour of the Thames and, of course, the weekly basketball games. A recent acquisition of a nintendo switch was quite a popular decision too, judging by the sheer number of Mario Kart tournaments held this year…

Boarding at St Paul’s brings together people of all ages, places and skills, from engineers and artists, to powerlifters and chess prodigies. We are a relatively small group, yet all united in our determination to succeed. Boarders look out for and help one another, whether it is snooker tips or maths homework.

This amazing year can of course be largely credited to our incredible boarding house staff team, composed of Dr Baxter, Dr Shammas, Dr Langley, Ms Brenner and our boarding house master Mr Passmore. We must also give special thanks to the catering team for their constant efforts to improve on the food at boarding, the Reverend Knox for taking charge of boarding gym sessions, and the U8 prefect team, who have taken great care to preserve the boarding house as the tightly knit community we are today. We will strive to keep up with their efforts as we move forward into the new academic year! ❚

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

Gideon Hammond, Pupil Lead for DEI

“One More Step”

In this section last year, commentary on DEI at St Paul’s paid careful comparison to the Plight of Sisyphus. The hopeful future laid out by Mr John, Head of DEI, spoke of the promise, bubbling excitement, and enormity of the work ahead. However, most importantly, he conveyed how it is one of indeterminable length with often immeasurable difference – because of both how imperceptible daily shifts in mindset are, whilst having significant importance to one’s sense of belonging.

Having joined the school in September as a jack of many trades (teaching Maths at SPJ and SPS, PSHE and coaching 2nd XV rugby) it was certainly a whirlwind affair. However, something that I could see clearly was just how open and welcoming this community was. Early on, I delivered my first assembly on Black History Month and was able to invite GB Powerlifter, Melina Irawo, to deliver a talk and lead a gym masterclass with the 1st XV rugby team. This was then followed by a number of other celebration weeks in our calendar, namely: International Women’s Week, LGBTQ+ History Month and Windrush Day. In the classroom, I have seized the opportunity to tell more stories in the curriculum and I can proudly say the Junior School pupils now actively engage in materials which think about the broad group of people who have contributed into shaping the mathematics we know today (e.g. Alan Turing, Hypatia, Al-Khwarizmi, Pythagoras).

Though this has been incredibly enjoyable, I don’t think there’s anything quite like seeing pupils engage with their own areas of interest through the Equality Societies. This has been a vehicle for delightful discussion and has welcomed pupils of all ages. New to our roster for Pupil Voice opportunities has been the launch of the Student and Staff Inclusion alliances at both SPJ and SPS. Their ideas and actions have already started to drive input throughout the school from the songs

GB Powerlifter, Melina Irawo

that we sing in chorus, the people/ events we choose to celebrate, and what our community would like to see in our classrooms and around school.

It’s of no surprise then that such great work has been recognised externally. At the end of June, St Paul’s was announced as the winner of the Developing Student Voice category by Education Choices Magazine. Winners were selected based on how effectively they embed DEI within their practice. To be specifically commended for our efforts in creating collaborative, pupil-led spaces such as the Inclusion Alliance, Equality Societies and Values Committee, and for strengthening our data on pupil experiences in relation to DEI through last year’s Inclusion Survey, shows how we have built on yesterday’s efforts to enjoy today’s results.

This year has certainly been an amazing year for DEI at St Paul’s and we have certainly gained some metres uphill. I look forward to seeing what the next steps bring as we push our boulder onwards. ❚

PrideSoc: From Magnus Hirschfeld to Eurovision

This year, PrideSoc continued to showcase the rich diversity of the LGBTQ+ community, with talks and events which explored ideas related to sexuality, gender identity, and community.

For example, some of the topics included Atom Lucenet discussing the presence of asexuality in society, LGBTQ+ identities in ancient cultures with Alex Kilsby, and Adam Seydo’s exploration of Eurovision’s connection with the LGBTQ+ community. As part of the society’s contribution to LGBTQ+ History Week at St Paul’s, Max Swinnerton spoke on Magnus Hirschfeld and the History of Trans Healthcare. ❚

REACHSoc:

Understanding Cultural Uniqueness

REACHSoc has enjoyed another stellar year as part of the three-way carousel in what makes up the “Equality Society”.

The essence of REACHSoc is to celebrate and recognise breadth of culture, as well as how challenges arise from these differences. This year’s roster of talks certainly delivered and stories from across the world were broached with the academic scholarship we enjoy at St Paul’s.

Titles of the talks were as follows:

• The relationship between sport-based activism and race

• Rohingya crisis and its implications on ethnic and religious discrimination

• Ethnic diversity in India: Conflict and solutions

• Preserving Swedish Sami Culture: A Case for Indigenous Rights, Cultural Heritage Conservation, and Gender Equality

• Ramadan: What is it and why it is important?

• Trail of tears: Thoughts on the displacement of the Native American Indians

• Struggles, oppression and triumphs of black women throughout history – as part of our Black History Month celebrations

Much thanks to Aidan Malhotra, Ahaan Thakur, Rohan George, Marco Benedetti, Senih Sutcu, Lucas Nahaal and Saadhyan Ragulan for their thoughtful contributions throughout the year. ❚

FemSoc: Exploring Feminism, Gender and Identity

FemSoc played host to a whole range of exciting activities this year, which aimed to explore the complex nature of feminism, gender and identity.

Our Wednesday afternoon sessions as part of Equality Society saw talks on various topics, including the relationship between Fandom and Feminism from Fred Websper, gender within Greek tragedy from Jacob Bethel, and conversations around the value of seen and unseen labour with Alex Hopkins and Ian Coates. Some highlights of the year were a visit from historian, Lizzie Broadbent, who took us on a journey through the history of women’s entrepreneurship as part of her research into Women Who Meant Business, and a joint talk with PolEcon Society as part of International Women’s Week, where the High Master spoke about Women who commit crimes, and the role that gender plays in our perceptions of criminality. ❚

Values Committee

The 2024 Values Committee has been hard at work this year, organising several events since the start of the spring term to promote a more inclusive school community.

The Joint Quiz at the end of January was a particular highlight, as around sixty Fifth Formers from SPS and SPGS attempted to navigate their way through Atom Lucenet’s notorious “guess the tube station” questions. In April, we organised a “study skills” session for Sixth Formers departing on study leave, doing our best to pass on our jaded wisdom to those sitting public exams for the first time. We were also fortunate to receive expert training from Bold Voices on gender equality, better enabling us to challenge sexism. Our efforts have also extended beyond the senior school. Values Committee members taught SPJ boys about masculinity, feminism and sexuality in a series of PSHE lessons. Work also continued behind the scenes, with the Committee making its annual adjustments to the PSHE curriculum. More recently, we established our position in the ongoing debate about smartphones in schools, with a nuanced argument led by Yusaf Hassan providing decision-makers with a better understanding of the student body’s concerns. ❚

EcoSoc

Over the course of the year, EcoSoc – the school’s environmental committee – has covered everything far and wide

During Eco Week, which was held in April after Earth Day, we hosted events every day of the week. These ranged from a carbon footprints quiz by Raphael Hibou and Jacob Lee based on the book “How Bad are Bananas?” to a talk by Aidan Wong and Archie Rowland on environmental economics. This year, we have also strengthened our ties with the Junior School’s EPT, holding a joint event every half-term as well as two litter picks to clean up the river path.

Lastly, we took a deeper look into the sustainability of the school itself. After meetings with the finance director, we were pleased to learn that the school does indeed divest its investments away from fossil fuel industries!

Looking forward, we are excited to launch a £2000 sustainability prize over the course of next year, which will involve tutor groups working together to raise awareness and create action. Also look out for the Eco Magazine which launched in September! ❚

Apposition

The tradition of Apposition dates back to the school’s founding in 1509 and was originally intended as the means by which the Mercers’ Company could assess the teaching staff and the High Master in particular. They had the right to dismiss or reappoint the staff as a result. This year apposition was held on Saturday 4th May 2024 in the Wathen Hall and was followed by a tea service

Dr Eve Poole was this year’s Apposer. A theologian, author and researcher into the craft of leadership, Eve taught at Ashridge Business School from 2002, was the first female Chairman of Gordonstoun School from 2015-2021 and also served as Third Church Estates Commissioner for England from 2018-2021. She was awarded an OBE in the 2023 New Year Honours List for services to education and gender equality. Although there have been female Apposers before, there has not

been one for over 25 years and this will be the first assessment of a female High Master by a female Apposer in the school’s history. Of course, Apposition is really about the pupils and our four Declaimers (Fergus Walsh, Freddie Katzenellenbogen, Jack Morris and Niko Dahl) will be speaking on the following topics respectively: Ethnic Conflict in Ethiopia, Fungi in Oncology, Treating Mental Disorders with Psychedelics and the Magic of Graphene.

Into Flatland: The Magic of Graphene and 2D Materials

Niko Dahl

Scientists have long thought about so-called “wonder materials”: materials with highly desirable properties. Bronze, iron, rubber, plastic, silicon – each has had revolutionary consequences for humanity, bringing immense power to those able to capitalise on them. So, what is the next “wonder material”?

In 2004, Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim used Scotch Tape to peel some material from a chunk of graphite and then pressed the tape onto a silicon wafer; there was clearly something there. When they tested the residue, they found something remarkable. This unassuming residue turned out to be the world’s best electrical and thermal conductor, transparent, able to generate electricity when in sunlight and highly elastic and flexible yet 200 times stronger than steel. If a single layer large enough was created, it could comfortably support a football. The subsequent paper is one of the most cited in any field, ever, and their work won them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. However, as amazing as graphene itself was, it was not the most important part of their discovery.

Scientists quickly realised that graphene was not the only 2D material: today over 100 different ones have been isolated and many more await discovery.

In 2022, fascinated by these new materials, I embarked on a project in our laboratory to find a cheap, simple way to synthesise graphene for experimentation in schools. Discounting the Scotch Tape method (as the

required graphite is expensive), I chose a method involving a simple reduction reaction. I emailed a few academics asking for guidance and Professor Novoselov kindly responded. Experimental science always involves adventure and we endured many setbacks and failures. However, after a couple of weeks, our Scanning Electron Microscope was able to confirm what were likely graphene flakes, albeit very small. This felt like a triumph, particularly as we had to improvise most of the equipment used. I repeated the process several times to optimise the results and, on one run, two small accidental adjustments to the apparatus led to an unusual small droplet with a film forming over it.

After discussing this structure with Professor Novoselov, he concluded that it was an “armoured droplet”. Certain combinations of factors can lead to flakes of graphene in the fluid to align themselves and so “armour” the droplet by creating a thin film over it. Intriguingly, this structure had not been seen outside of a complicated experimental setup in a professional laboratory, using sound waves to levitate small droplets. I switched to investigating these droplets at school and subsequently I was offered the chance to work further on the droplets with Professor Novoselov at the Institute for Functional Intelligent Materials (I-FIM), last summer. The experience opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of 2D materials for everything from keeping food fresh to building quantum computers to moving satellites after their fuel runs out.

As of writing, I am collaborating further with Professor Novoselov and I-FIM on the synthesis and analysis of armoured droplets. It is amazing to feel we are part of this incredible journey while still at school and I am very grateful to the physics and chemistry departments for their support. ❚

Ethnic Conflict in Modern Ethiopia

Fergus Walsh

In 1994 Ethiopia, under the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), promulgated ‘ethnic federalism’, whereby the country was divided into ethnically delineated states, as the basis for a new system of government, the seeming intention being to reduce conflict in the country and improve ethnic representation. Far from that, however, ethnic federalism has instead fostered division and encouraged violence between ethnic groups, culminating in the recent Tigray War.

Ethnic federalism arose out of the ‘ethnification’ of Ethiopian society that began in the 1970s, whereby militias and paramilitaries, or ‘ethnic liberation groups’ as they would later style themselves, artificially created ethnic grievances in order to bolster their own support among the local population. Although ‘ethnification’ enabled the overthrow of the Derg it led to increased partisanship within Ethiopia society along ethnic lines, and laid the groundwork for later ethnic conflict.

However, ethnic federalism was not merely a response to changing social pressures but the means by which the TPLF could guarantee its hold on power in a country nominally transitioning to democracy. By establishing affiliate parties amongst each other ethnic group and binding them together under the political alliance, the Ethiopian People’s Democratic Front (EPRDF), the TPLF was able to bolster a technical voteshare of 6.95% to an effective voteshare of 86.1%. This pattern continued to be repeated, not only

enabling two decades of unchallenged TPLF rule but stifling real ethnic representation, furthering inter-ethnic discontent.

The combination of these factors with a system that demands the division of a historically socially fluid nation into rigidly defined states has meant that ethnic conflict is now common in Ethiopia. Different groups compete to control land and realise irredentism claims, with violence often boiling over into ethnic cleansing and even genocide.

Two maps illustrating the overlap between ethnic distribution and the state system of Ethnic Federalism

Total EPRDF Voteshare

A Vegetable Garden and Cancer: Why Oncologists Need to Pay Closer Attention to Fungi

Freddie Katzenellenbogen

Eukaryotes are organisms with genetic information encapsulated in a membrane.

Why are fungi so understudied?

Fungi play a vital role in our understanding of how life works. Yet, with more than 90% of all fungi unknown to science, we seem to know so little about them. It is hard for scientists to study many fungi because it isn’t possible to culture some fungal species in a lab. This could be because of specific nutritional requirements or dependence on plants that cannot be replicated in a culture.

Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is how pathogens evolve mechanisms to survive drug treatments. Now one of the top global health threats, drug-resistant microbes have severe implications for much of modern medicine. A tumour consists of rapidly dividing cells, and chemotherapy is designed to target such cells. Yet there are rapidly dividing cells that exist that are not cancerous –and have essential bodily functions –but which are also targeted, including immune cells in the bone marrow. In reducing the number of immune cells, chemotherapy makes the body more vulnerable to infection from pathogens such as fungi.

We are also ill-equipped to tackle any fungal infection, relying on only four types of antifungal drugs. Fungi are

eukaryotic organisms, just like us, and so many features of our cells are also seen in fungal cells. So, although you could kill a fungus with more than four classes of drugs, many of those drugs would also kill our cells as well. Farmers are struggling to find new fungicides and are continuously dumping large quantities of the same ineffective antifungals on crops. Many fungi that are dangerous to humans, e.g. Aspergillus fumigatus, can now survive and reproduce in the presence of fungicides. The fact that resistant fungal strains have been found in patients never treated with antifungals shows how we are now exposed to drug-resistant fungi through agriculture.

Biomarkers

A biomarker is a molecular or cellular alteration measurable in the blood or tissue fluid that provides an objective indicator of a patient’s medical state. Biomarkers can be used in many aspects of the fight against cancer, whether it be early diagnosis or tumour responsiveness to therapy. The figure shows how the composition of fungi differs between a healthy pancreas and a pancreas with a tumour. This allows us to use fungi to distinguish between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue through a blood-derived sample of fungal DNA. ❚

Figure (Aykut et al., 2019)

Are Psychedelics the Future of Curing Mental Disorders?

Jack Morris

Mental disorders affect one in eight people across the globe, with more than 280 million people living with depression. But what is a mental disorder? A mental disorder is characterised by a clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotional regulation or behaviour, and due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rates of mental disorders increased worldwide.

Psychedelic drugs are those that produce hallucinations and apparent expansion of consciousness and, in recent years, certain types of these have been shown to combat or even cure mental disorders. In my essay, entitled ‘Are Psychedelics the Future of Curing Mental Disorders?’

I discussed psilocybin’s ability to cure cases of treatment-resistant depression, and MDMA’s for curing PTSD, but for the purposes f this summary, I will only discuss psilocybin.

Psilocybin is synthesised in various species of fungi from the amino acid tryptophan. When ingested, the molecule becomes psilocin which is psychoactive, and is very similar in structure to serotonin, thus triggering the 5-HT2A (serotonin) receptor. Serotonin is shown to be necessary for the regulation of mood, motivation, and appetite and, seeing as a significant change in these conditions is observed in cases of depression, this underlines that depression comes because of an imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain. The normal method for curing depression is cognitive behavioural therapy and a prescription of an antidepressant. When these do not work, it is labelled ‘treatment-resistant depression’ making up around one third of all depression cases. This is where psilocybin comes in.

The COMP360 psilocybin therapy study was carried out, giving patients pills containing 1, 10 or 25 mg of psilocybin, and interviewing them once before, and six times after their therapy. The data shows that in the weeks following the therapy session, many

patients in the 1 and 10 mg groups relapsed into a depressive state, while the 25 mg patients maintained consistently lower MADRS scores, even 12 weeks after the treatment. Using a 95% confidence interval, the probability of these results is less than 0.1% for the 25 mg group but 18% for the 10 mg group. Thus, it was concluded that ‘psilocybin at a single dose of 25 mg, but not 10 mg, reduced depression scores significantly more than a 1 mg dose over a period of 3 weeks but was associated with adverse effects’.

Due its success, psilocybin will continue to phase 3 of the approval process. If psilocybin passes through phases 3 and 4 of the approval process, psilocybin would have to be removed from the Schedule 1 and Class A drugs definition

seeing as a Schedule 1 drug is classified as one with ‘no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse’. Not only does psilocybin have the lowest dependency rate of all major psychoactive drugs, lower than even alcohol and marijuana, but, when approved, it will have an accepted medical use, rendering it ineligible for both parts of the definition. The results of this treatment are extremely promising and, given that it has been labelled ‘breakthrough therapy’ in the United States, we can see that the attitude towards psychedelic drugs is changing, and the so-called ‘war on drugs’ seems to be over. In the coming years, it is hoped that psychedelics can bring cures to previously thought incurable mental disorders, changing the lives of millions globally. ❚

Senior Prizewinners 2024

FACULTY OF CLASSICAL AND MODERN LANGUAGES

BEDFORD PRIZE – Ancient History

E D S McMahon

KYNASTON PRIZE – Greek

A P Read

CYRIL BAILEY PRIZE – Latin

O M P Burt, A L Mardin

FRITSCH PRIZES – French

L W D D C Magalhaes

MONTAGU PRIZE – French

A Chaudhary

BENTWICH PRIZE – German

A Meadows

GWYNN MIELL PRIZE – Italian

J A Morris

MARCUS PRIZE – Spanish

A Brian

FACULTY OF CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

JOHN WATSON PRIZE – Art

T A Owens, L Leventis

SADIE PRIZE – Music

J J Zheng

MILLER PRIZE – Theatre Studies

C Z C Knowles

LIDWELL PRIZES – Extended Projects

R K de Silva, R O Goodman

FACULTY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

CREE PRIZES – Biology

S Bhatia, J D L Brown, A Coondapoor, D R W Pandey, P Rueger, J A F West

PERKIN PRIZES – Chemistry

S Bhatia, A Coondapoor, M F Y Gough, J A Morris, L Murray, A Punage, L Ryan Adams, E G H Spiers, J Williams

HALLEY PRIZES – Physics

L Besson, N A J O Dahl, D Daneshvar, R G Eichhorst, S Latimer, A Punage, Y Shao, E G H Spiers, O Wang, J Williams

RENNIE PRIZE – Engineering

J E F Platt

GLUCKSTEIN PRIZE – Computing

B Ahmedov, X Costafreda-Fu, A Macrae, O Wang

FACULTY OF MATHEMATICS

BURKHILL PRIZES – Further Mathematics

N P J Bottomley, P Ellepola, S J Fowlie, T R Goetz, H H Huang, E I Isikli, W Pham, N Prabhu, L V K RazumovskyHough, H Wang, G Wu

TRURO PRIZE – Mathematics

A Meadows, L Vamadevan

FACULTY OF HUMANITIES

HAMILTON PRIZES – Geography

N V Dembo-Shah, A P Tully

CHIBNALL PRIZES – Geography

T A Evans Alcantara, D Wong

BARNETT PRIZES – Economics

C Beaufour, A Djakovic, H Helsen, R A F Hibou, A Jayaram, A Rowland

MORGAN PRIZES – Politics

T Casimir-Lambert, J Kanareck, L W D D C Magalhaes, J F Moretti

ISAIAH BERLIN PRIZES – Philosophy

W B Davies, N V Dembo-Shah, S P Dougall, J B Young

BEDFORD PRIZE – History

C H White

WEINSTEIN PRIZE – History

A Tonkin

SABUROV PRIZE – History

J D Wilson

TRURO PRIZE – History

T Casimir-Lambert, C Z C Knowles, W J Palmer, J B Young

FACULTY OF ENGLISH

MILTON PRIZE – English

D L M Harden

BUTTERWORTH PRIZE – English

P Barry

SABUROV PRIZE – English

S Georget-Roukline

JOHN COLET PRIZES for outstanding academic achievement

B L Atkinson, W S C Inglis, V Liu, LA Metcalf, A C M Mitchell-Thomson, A Niedinger, A Rathour, N F Tredre, T Wong, H Zhao

ERASMUS PRIZE for outstanding academic achievement across the curriculum

R Lakha, S Mewawalla, C C P Shaw, R Vashisht-Pigem, F Walsh

HALDANE PRIZES for declaimers

N A J O Dahl, F P Katzenellenbogen, J A Morris, F Walsh

THE BLUMENAU PRIZE for philosophy

T R Monro

THE GRITTEN PRIZE for International Relations H Helsen

THE ANDRE FU PRIZE for an outstanding work of art

D L M Harden

THE VIITA PRIZE for a piece of new writing or composition

T Frankel, J J Zheng

THE PROFESSOR TONY CROOK PRIZE for an outstanding essay for geography related to a public policy

A (Aidan) Malhotra

HIGH MASTER’S PRIZES for outstanding summer essays

E I Isikli, F P Katzenellenbogen, A Meadows, J A Morris, O C O’Donohoe, E Hu

THE REYNOLDS PRIZES for all-round achievement H Zhao

THE VERMONT PRIZE for outstanding service to the school

N P J Bottomley, M Liu

THE WATHEN PRIZE for outstanding contribution to he school

W B Davies, C H White

THE CLARKSON PRIZE for demonstrating the values of the school

V Gowda, J D Wilson

THE OLD PAULINE CLUB PRIZE for outstanding service to the school

M Sadiq

THE JOHN WEITZ AWARD for outstanding service to the school

W S C Inglis

Junior Prizegiving

SRS

On a very warm June evening parents, prizewinners and staff came together in the Wathen Hall to celebrate the achievements of the fourth, fifth and sixth form

The event started with a wonderful performance from Nayan Shah playing In Ireland by Hamilton Harty, this was followed by Tiger Wang looking at whether the human mind is a machine, comparing the way the brain works to AI machine learning.

Theodore Emmerson-Miller then entertained with a wonderful extract from One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean and Arthur Cooke and Mario Wescoatt gave a presentation on SAMHE, the school air quality monitor. SAMHE has had quite the trip around school and had fortunately found no issues. Inian Dhandapani, Sebastian Holden, Maxcel Murillo Sandoval and Alessandro Zaccaria argued in French about whether Victor Hugo was a friend or foe to the French people. Followed by the presentation given by Sammy Assael-Francis, who looked at the similarities between Donna Tartt’s A Secret History and Euripides’ Bacchae. The ceremony come to a close with a speech from our guest speaker Sam Sutaria OP (2005-2010), who gave a very persuasive speech about moral ambition being the driving force behind their future choices and finally the High Master wishing the pupils her congratulations. ❚

Junior Prizewinners 2024

MATHEMATICS

A Bangar

A Barea

R Chatterjee

A Dwivedi

L B Ildefonso

A Kushagra

A Parekh

D Patel

M Sydorenko

BIOLOGY

A Bhimalingam

N Cortas

S Doshi

A Miklavcic

I Moorthy

A Rossbach

A Scafidas

Y Wang

H F West

CHEMISTRY

J Beck

R De Silva

S M Doshi

K Frankel

J Hope

J Knox

D O’Sullivan

A C Sabbah

R Zhan

PHYSICS

A Bhimalingam

A Kushagra

I Madhok

Z Maudgil

M G Miller

D O’Sullivan

A Parekh

A Sankaye

M Zubarev

ENGINEERING

A Barea

A Ehathasan

R Mendonca

L M Orlandi

D Patel

COMPUTING

N Barnes

A Choudhury

J Huang

I Madhok

A Parekh

HISTORY

E Efthimiou

D Ghaffarpour

F Hammond Giles

Z Maudgil

R Mendonca

R Ovington

H K Pallent

M Zubarev

GEOGRAPHY

J Cui

R De Silva

D O’Sullivan

D Patel

A Twinch

A Zaccaria

PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY

D Brown

K Cser

MORAL PHILOSOPHY

Y Wang

ART

A M Andreichuk

L S K Ford

P G P Monro-Davies

S Steeden

MUSIC

J H T Li

S Pillai

N Shah

DRAMA

E Efthimiou

T Emmerson Miller

S Steeden

ENGLISH LITERATURE

A Bhargava

J Conte Ireland

J Cui

K Lakha

L Mahamoud

R Mendonca

A Miklavcic

R Pillai

S Poddar

A Sevaux

K Sornalingam

ENGLISH CREATIVE

WRITING

G L K Joseph

GREEK

V Sekhon

J F Tans

LATIN

A Bangar

F Hammond Giles

S Mendelsohn

R Rodger

O Tange

ANCIENT HISTORY

I Moorthy

W Niedringhaus

FRENCH

A Barea

L Bertolo

E Efthimiou

A K F C Khosrowpanah-Falcone

A O Siniscalco

L H W Williams

GERMAN

S M Doshi

S Holden

N G Narayanan

ITALIAN

C A Garagnon

S Jarrett

F M C Patel

R Rodger

SPANISH

E Nahmad

M Perdon

M L Wiseman

CHARACTER PRIZE FOR EXEMPLIFYING THE VALUES OF THE SCHOOL

D Ghaffarpour

M L Wiseman

FOURTH FORM PRIZES

J Butcher

D Chong

C Hofstrom

R Kapur

L Kleinwort

K P Mang

R E Modiano

F Ng

A Ofili

A C Pissioti Capriello

L F Pissioti Capriello

D A Ponte

K Salk

F S Snowball

B Sun

Y Wang

L Williams

L Yu

ICT FOURTH FORM PRIZE

Z A Kumar

PRESENTATION

S Assael-Francis

A J Cooke

I Dhandapani

M Figueroa Duque

S Holden

M Murillo Sandoval

Y Wang

M Wescoatt

A Zaccaria

JOHN COLET PRIZES FOR OUTSTANDING ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

V Chamaria

S B B Christie

A Goel

A Goyal

T K Mardin

C T Pilcher

A Prabhat

From the Chaplain

Sometimes I like to use the garden as a vehicle to talk about something in Chapel of note! So, I have talked about how the garden keeps me grounded and grateful (not least for what I eat, given the time it takes to grow), how Creation points me to the Creator, and how the fresh air and exercise is good for the soul and holistic wellbeing.

But in this article, as I have done in various assemblies this year, I will use my experience of gardening over time to introduce something else. To do so, let me take you on a potted tour, backwards through time, of some of my recent gardens, and what I set out to change.

We inherited our present garden as a barren, uncared for, patch of mud! Immediately, we put in some apple and cherry trees, with fragrant beautiful blossom and gradually growing fruit. I raided my mum’s garden, splitting geraniums left, right and centre, to put them left, right and centre in ours! And we underplanted the grass with bulbs, to bring colour throughout the Spring.

In my previous gardens in Tweedmouth and Newcastle, I had removed a dangerous and neglected rockery, so that we could have a luscious lawn instead; I planted climbing roses for picturesque protection; I grew cuttings of fuchsias that I then turned into a hedge of green and red and purple –delightful for the bees and the eye alike.

But it was back in Durham that this gardening journey began. Here, in a Close of trainee vicars, we had a little plot of ground at the front. Around, all was brickwork: the driveways, the houses, even the roads. And so I got to work, digging and planting, growing and caring. And as my flowers bloomed, not only did others appreciate it, but they followed suit, transforming their little patches into tiny works of beauty.

When the Warden of the College heard, she called me into her Office and thanked me, and told me words that have

inspired me ever since (in Newcastle and Tweedmouth and London). She told me that she knew a Vicar’s wife who said she always tried to “leave the place better than she found it.”

And it is those words (that she may have got from Robert Baden-Powell or Ralph Waldo Emerson), that I want to dwell on. For me, they chime nicely with St Paul’s words to the Philippians, who said “Do not look to your own interests, but each of you look to the interests of others.”

And they are not just about gardens, of course (I told you the garden was just the vehicle!) I think we are challenged in all sorts of areas of life to leave the place better than we found it.

It applies to how we find the kitchen in the morning (do we see others leaving their dirty bowls on the side and do the same?!), or a classroom, or a gym. They apply to how we leave an argument. They apply to how we leave this school. And of course further – what we do about unequal Britain, or a damaged planet.

It is possible in each of these situations to let weeds strangle, young shoots wither, and decay take over. Or, we can leave it better than we find it as we invest of ourselves, work hard and nurture, so that others benefit and flourish for years to come. ❚

JSOC

L8th JSOC Committee

It’s been a successful year for Jewish Assembly and JSOC this year with a record number of thrilling talks, external assemblies, and most importantly lox bagels. We began the Autumn Term strongly with assemblies about the High Holy Days, the Maccabiah Games and summer Israel Tours, culminating in a Hanukkah quiz with delicious doughnuts for the winners.

We quickly established strong support for lunchtime JSOC meetings, where we heard from visiting rabbis such as Rabbi Johnny Hughes on the subject of free will and Rabbi Amron Nemeth about Hanukkah and the Greek Mysteries. The Spring Term was full of more talks, including a highlight talk from Rabbi David who gave a passionate story about his Grandmother’s courage in the face of adversity, and yet more celebrations such as Pesach. The year ultimately finished strong with further presentations from Rabbi Tatz on the Meaning of Counting and Rabbi Nemeth on detesting the forbidden path and the elevated individual.

Christian Union

Seb Jones

A big thanks to Ms Mervis for all of her help organising the Jewish community events this year, as well as Dr Gaydon for stepping up to the plate when needed. Let’s hope next year will be even better and Mazel Tov to the new committee for next year: Josh Ferro, Kai Szerkowski and Alex Salem! ❚

It was an exciting and fun-filled year for the Christian Union. The Easter Houseparty trip to Edgeborough school was a delight, where attendees played hockey, football and other games as part of the trip.

Notable Friday after-school meetings this year included the Annual Tea and having Hollywood star David Gyasi (of Interstellar success) as a guest speaker, as well as having Max Somerset of BBC One show “Larger than Life” fame.

We particularly appreciated when it was possible each term for Friday Meetings to become collaborations with the SPGS CU. This year also marked the first visit to the summer get-together in Wimbledon with many other Christian groups from different schools.

And it was another enjoyable year for Tbar, with crowd-favourite games such as the Photo-Game and Categories being played. At the time of writing, we are still looking forward to the summertime trip to Worth School for the week of fun, games and food that is the Summer Houseparty. ❚

HSOC

After debuting with a Holi celebration in March 2023 with the support of Reverend Knox, Hindu society has evolved into a weekly meeting where Hindu philosophy and culture are discussed over snacks.

Topics spoken about over the year include the rise of Hindu nationalism in India -which many believe threatens the nation’s democracy and the significance of the Swastika in Hinduism – a positive symbol appropriated by the Nazis. We have enjoyed talks about a wide variety of topics and given by many different year groups. Another important aspect of the society has been reflecting over negative customs associated with Hinduism including the caste system, an outdated and oppressive system comparable to the feudal system in mediaeval Europe.

Throughout the year we have spoken about Hindu literature and its similarities and differences to the holy books of the Abrahamic faiths. Hinduism has no single ‘holy book’ and its literature and epic myths such as the Ramayana are open to the individual interpretation of the reader as to whether they should be taken as recordings of historical events, or as stories designed to teach lessons such as Jesus Christ’s parables in Christianity.

Next year we hope to gain more participation from the 8th form and we intend to continue holding weekly meetings of the society. If you are interested in learning more about Hinduism, please do attend and look out for our tannoys regarding the time and place of meetings. People of all faiths and none are welcome. ❚

ISOC

Ibrahim Khan

“A

Year of Reflection and Growth”

This year, the Islamic Society of St. Paul’s School (ISOC) has experienced a period of profound reflection and spiritual growth. The weekly sermons (Khutbahs) delivered during Jummah (Friday) prayers have provided invaluable insights, focusing on themes of charity, kindness, and community well-being. These gatherings have not only strengthened our faith but also united us in our commitment to embodying the teachings of Islam in our daily lives, as well as provided an insight into Islamic teachings to non-muslim pupils.

One of the highlights has been the emphasis on charitable acts, reflecting the prophetic saying, “The best of you are those who are most beneficial to people.” The Khutbahs have consistently underscored the importance of helping others, reminding us that true wealth is not measured by material possessions but by the good deeds we perform. As Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said, “Wealth is not in having many possessions. Rather, true wealth is the richness of the soul.”

In addition to spiritual teachings, ISOC has also prioritised the learning of Arabic, the language of the Quran. Weekly student-led classes have enabled students to connect more deeply with their faith, enhancing their understanding of the Holy Scriptures, fostering a greater appreciation for Islamic traditions and the importance of prayer.

This year also saw a thoughtful discussion with the High Master regarding the Gaza conflict. The dialogue emphasised the importance of understanding, compassion, and the role of education in promoting peace.

Through these efforts, ISOC continues to cultivate a nurturing environment where students can grow spiritually and intellectually, guided by the timeless principles of Islam. ❚

Paul’s Pizza

“Paul’s Pizza offers a welcoming community, as well as food for our bodies in the form of delicious pizza, food for thought in interesting discussions, and food for the spirit as we study the Bible together. It’s a wonderful space for people to be able to discuss the Bible and enjoy each other’s company, and always a good start to the week.”

Reuben Jones

“I really like Paul’s Pizza!”

Xichao Wang

“I am glad that I went along to Paul’s Pizza as I really enjoy it and find it helpful. It is such an inclusive community and we have lots of fun. We have great discussions about the Bible verses. I don’t even eat the pizza and still come along!”

Stef Bonev

“Paul’s Pizza is a tight-knit community that revolves around two key things: Pizza and the Bible! It is true that “it is not just about the pizza”, as Paul’s Pizza does a fantastic job at creating a sociable setting for students to discuss everyday activities, while also providing a thrill through the competitive Bible-verse-searching challenges!

Despite being a highly exclusive club (according to its members!), Paul’s Pizza is always open and welcomes all who seek to know more about the Bible. With the community growing year after year, Paul’s Pizza continues to be a very exciting society and is consistently highly rated by its members.

The Pizza may seem like the main attraction, but once you partake in Paul’s Pizza, you will start to transition from craving just the pizza to craving wisdom from the Bible as well.”

Dennis Jian

“Paul’s Pizza is a really nice mix of thought about God’s word and great conversation with everyone else. It’s a very relaxed space; a really light-hearted atmosphere. I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in learning more about the Christian faith, from people with strong beliefs to those who are only just a little curious!”

Mustapha Sadiq

“Sometimes, after a stressful start to the week, you just need something entertaining, intriguing and reassuring to be able to collect your thoughts and keep you pushing through everything you need to do. Well, that’s the idea behind Paul’s Pizza – a chilled out space to have a discussion about Bible verses and how we can benefit and learn from them. And yes, we also happen to have some of the strangest and most amusing conversations about just about anything! Safe to say, Paul’s Pizza has been one of my weekly highlights for three years now, and it has really opened my eyes to what we can learn from the Bible. A huge thank you to Dr Baxter for organising this fantastic society and I highly encourage anyone who is interested to come and join us for an inspiring – and delicious – Monday evening.”

James Williams

Teacher in charge: Dr Baxter Meet: Room 216 on Mondays at 4:15pm

The Archives

Kelly Strickland, School Archivist

The Archives had a busy year with numerous displays.

One of my favourites was for International Women’s Day where I researched women important to St Paul’s. I found Eileen Monk-Jones, the first female teacher listed in the Register in 1942, as well as other women who became more visible during the School’s evacuation to Crowthorne during the Second World War. Finding mentions of these women took time, but they do exist in the Archives as well as other resources like the census.

The Archives also commemorated the 80th anniversary of the 6 June landing at Normandy with a display featuring the letter that Old Pauline Field Marshall Bernard L. Montgomery sent to the troops ahead of D-Day. Montgomery used the School’s board room to plan D-Day while the pupils and masters were in Crowthorne. The display for the OPC’s Earliest Vintage Lunch focused on the First World War.

The Archives answered over 120 enquiries this year from the School community as well as external researchers. Many of the enquiries come from people looking into their family

history. Others are more specific like the researcher looking into school photographic societies from the early 1900s or a person enquiring about the animal on the School’s shield – it’s a hart if anyone else is curious.

The Archives acquired team photographs from several Old Paulines ranging from the 1930s to the 1970s, for which we are very grateful. We were given two silver fish as well as a boater hat that was worn by an Old Pauline in 1936. The Archives also took in this year’s Whole School Photograph. We are always happy to take donations of St Paul’s related items.

In Autumn Term I received a grant from the Friends of the National Libraries to buy letters sent to Master Mercer John Winckworth from High Masters Howarth and Gilkes about the School’s move from West Kensington to Barnes. The collection also includes a letter from Field Marshall Montgomery about the School’s new location. ❚

This is Eileen Monk-Jones, the first female teacher mentioned in the Register. She is pictured here on a picnic with students from the Green Hedges billet during the School’s evacuation during the Second World War. Her husband Arnold Monk-Jones was a classics teacher at the School.

A boater hat owned by E.L.G. Beavis (OP 1934-1936)

Two silver fish donated by R.D.H. Custance (OP 1959-1963)

A portion of the Whole School Photograph from 1919

The Library

Hilary Cummings, Librarian, The Kayton Library

It has become something of a cliché to say this has been a busier year then ever, but it really has. This year we have seen a definite shift in our usage, with more students than ever reading and working in the library. Since Easter we have been literally full every break and lunchtime with people revising hard for the public exams; we hope everyone gets the results they want.

Our team has changed this year as Mrs Jones decided to take early retirement. We miss her enormously but have been delighted to welcome Mrs Pemberton in her stead.

In October we welcomed visitors to the Library to view rare books and archival materials on the theme of The Natural World. We displayed the beautiful Microtome magazine which was produced by the Science Form between 1900 and 1902, a shark’s jaw, and an inscribed ivy leaf from 1802 as well as a number of volumes of Gould’s Birds of Great Britain (1866)

Predict the Booker in November saw the audience try to predict the book that will win, and more importantly, the book that should win, the Booker Prize. Our readers this year, Archie, Xavi, Aditya, Sai and Enyu did a grand job of reading, analysing and explaining their books. Enyu paid tribute to the SPS community’s dogged inability to make an accurate prediction, finding a “Sisyphean beauty in the audience’s unflinching wrongness”. He urged the audience not to let him down, and must have been delighted when our track record was maintained and we predicted This Other Eden would win. It didn’t.

As part of the celebration of February’s Feast Service the Old Pauline Club kindly agreed to fund the conservation and repair of Purchas, His Pilgrimes (1626). This is the book which inspired Samuel Taylor Coleridge to create his famous poem Kubla Khan. Our 1758 volume of Milton’s Paradise Lost was also conserved so it is ready to be displayed in November for the 350th anniversary of Milton’s death.

During the Summer Term Mrs Wilkinson and Miss Dixon from SPJ have been shadowing the Yoto Carnegie Prize with our joint U3/4th Form BookSoc. This week the boys ate pizza and watched the live stream announcement and, true to form, celebrated the success of their least favourite read, The Boy Lost in the Maze. ‘Unflinching wrongness’ indeed.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to Fergus Walsh, who as Library Prefect has spent this year helping with various library tasks. Thank you, Fergus. ❚

Gould’s Kingfisher

Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award 2023

Sebastian Allon

We have offered the DofE Gold Award for over 10 years and in its heyday over 30 boys would join the summer expeditions.

The Award requires the completion of five sections of which the Expedition is the best known. We were pleased that in 2023 we had 14 L8th who joined our summer expeditions: to the Peak District National Park for training and practice and the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park for the qualifying expedition.

Conditions were quite a contrast with a heatwave in June (lots of water and sun cream) and with rain, wind and thunderstorms in July. This required

some route changes to avoid high ground in poor conditions, but the groups all managed an ascent of Pen y Fan (886m) on the last day. Everyone successfully completed the expeditions, showing a lot of grit and gaining useful skills and memories; we hope they will undertake their own adventures on the hills in the future. I’d like to mention Ben Atkinson and Sam Latimer who recently completed their Gold Awards this spring; it is unusual to achieve this before leaving the school. We hope many current Paulines will join us on future expeditions. ❚

Fun and Games

Dungeons and Dragons society

J. Carter

Dungeons and Dragons is celebrating its 50th birthday this year and from its inception in 1974 with Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson drafting out a few pamphlet style guidelines to the global pop culture phenomenon it has now become, it has come a long way. In just the 3rd year of the official SPS DnD soc. Its popularity amongst students continues to grow with a new group of 4th formers joining some well experienced veterans every Tuesday lunchtime.

Pupils who joined last year have levelled up to become Games masters running their own choice of campaigns for friends and fellow society members. New members have also experienced the thrill of the world’s oldest roleplaying game. Clerics, bards, archers and barbarians have overcome puzzling traps, treacherous tombs and explored ruined mansions battling against Goblins, Orcs, Dragonborn and Ghouls.

As the year ends they are in a race against time to complete their quest and become heroes of Exandria, or at the very least spend their well earned gold on a new suit of magical armour and a fancy sword!

Roll for initiative! ❚

Science Fiction and Fantasy Society

Mr Green

This year SFF Soc achieved a long-held ambition and organised more regular lunchtime meetings with Film Soc, starting with Lev Shabalin’s insights into the origins and lasting legacy of Andrei Tarkovsky’s atmospheric 1979 epic, “Stalker”.

Noah Kasolowsky provided a thankfully non-horrifying analysis of the first 3 Alien films and their role in the careers of major directors Ridley “Gladiator” Scott, James “Avatar” Cameron, and David “Fight Club” Fincher, and Lev Shabalin returned with Ian Coates to explore the ongoing popularity of Alternate Histories, a genre of fiction where real-life historical events turned out differently – with examples including Noughts and Crosses, We Happy Few, Blue Eye Samurai and more.

But it’s not all TV and movies – SFF Soc remains the school’s leading forum for discussing more interactive artforms. Kaelan Bruton drew an enthusiastic all-years audience with his talk on how videogames use player restarts and “permadeath” mechanics in their learning processes, while Kaan Salk presented an entertaining and hugely knowledgeable overview of the Sonic-v-Mario console wars of the 1980s and 1990s, concluding with a hotly contested tournament on a range of classic titles for the Sega MegaDrive. ❚

Tabletop Gaming Society

Martin Hands

Bridge

Henry Huang

Throughout this year, Tabletop Gaming society met on Monday and Friday lunchtimes, where a huge variety of board and card games were enjoyed.

Throughout the year, there was not a moment when a game of Magic: the gathering was not being played, along with many other favourites such as Risk, Coup, and Perudo. However, the highlight of Tabletop Gaming society has been the holiday sessions, where longer games could be enjoyed. The society particularly enjoyed the new addition of awardwinning board game Brass Birmingham, an economic resource management game. Despite the excitement of the holiday sessions, the majority of sessions of the society were spent on an incredibly diverse set of shorter games. With genres as wide-ranging as deck-building, worker placement, area control and many others, the society continues to experiment with new board and card games. A popular and unique new game has been Sagrada, where one drafts dice in particular patterns to score as many points as possible. While many enjoy the longer, more complicated board and card games, the majority of games enjoyed have been shorter, simpler games, such as Love Letter or Exploding Kittens. ❚

This year, the SPS bridge teams have had great success competing in various tournaments. In the Surrey Schools Bridge tournament, the A team and defending champions, Henry Huang, Gijs Van Angeren, Anango Prabhat and Adavya Goyal managed to triumph again. We also competed in the Inter-Schools League, where the A team, this time with Aman Parekh playing as well, won the top division. The B team also cruised to victory in their respective division.

Below is an interesting hand from the Surrey Schools Bridge tournament:

Gijs and I are North and South, and our opponents are on to make a grand slam if they bid it. East can ditch their club losers on the AK of diamonds, and the spade finesse and heart finesses are both on-side. Of course, the slam is quite fortunate given E/W only have 28 points between them and rely on two finesses. Therefore, bidding at the 6-level seems to be the highest one should go. Our opponents went 4H+3 here, missing the slam. How would you bid this?

Aside from competitions, there has been a bridge club running on Friday lunchtimes for some casual bridge play; one of the highlights of the week. Overall, the bridge season has been a tremendous success and we thank Mr Lyster for organising and coordinating all the events. ❚

Black & White

Nathanial Weldon

This year has been an excellent one for Black & White.

Black & White, for the few of you who have not heard of it, is the school’s flagship student magazine, and being a part of the award-nominated team has been an honour.

As a team, we have produced four outstanding issues this academic year. It has most definitely been a long journey, albeit a journey that all of us have been proud to have been on, and one that we can learn greatly from.

When I joined in September, it was evident that I was joining a team full of desire and confidence, led by the charismatic Aditya Jayaram, which was committed to the cause of representing St. Paul’s School’s thoughts. With our roles allocated and pride sky-high, we went on our way, collecting interesting articles and editing them; creating and distributing witty posters; and marvelling as excited Paulines read our work.

I was brought in to be a junior editor and to help boost 4th form participation in a previously L8th-dominated magazine. The magazine’s chief aim was to foster a love for writing and a pride in writing for the school magazine, from 4th form up, and it’s safe to say that we have achieved this.

The beauty of Black & White is that you can write about whatever you are interested in, as it will be covered by a section of the magazine. Two of my favourite articles this year are: one about the rise of AI, and another comparing Sarina Wiegman and Brendon McCullum. It’s not just an academic magazine: whether you love sports, science, or music, there’s something to read or write about.

I wanted to write for Black & White because I had been involved in 1509, the junior school version since the L1st. Throughout this year, I have formed

bonds with other editors, all of whom are in different school years from me, and there is a real sense of community when I walk into our weekly Wednesday meeting. Of course, I wouldn’t be doing the magazine justice if I didn’t mention that there have been some challenges along the way, primarily with editing and formatting the articles within the tight deadlines. These experiences have challenged us but also made us appreciate the value of hard work.

It was fantastic to see our hard work pay off and receive national recognition at the prestigious Shine School Media Awards. In Black & White’s debut entry to the competition, we were highly commended in the Business and Marketing category. The editor-in-chief, Aditya, was not only highly commended in the Editor of the Year category but also deservedly won the headline prize: The Terry Mansfield CBE Award for Tomorrow’s Talent for his ‘leadership, passion, integrity and journalistic acumen’.

My experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and I have loved it every step of the way. I would highly recommend writing for the Black & White; it is quintessentially St Paul’s School. ❚

Special thanks to:

Aditya Jayaram (Editor-in-Chief) Guy Larlham (Staff Member in Charge)

Careers and Universities

Careers

DJB

This year has been an exciting one for the careers department. Following our appointment of a new careers and universities advisor, pupils have been able to schedule a one-to-one careers guidance meeting with a qualified careers advisor at any point in their careers journey. This has been a valuable resource for pupils wishing to explore work experience opportunities, gap year ideas, and their GCSE and A Level choices.

Throughout the year, we have hosted talks open to all year groups including ones on current graduate recruitment processes and the changing careers landscape as the world attempts to transition to a carbon neutral economy.

In February, we celebrated National Apprenticeships Week. We would challenge stereotypical thinking that apprenticeships are “not for Paulines”. In fact, there are a number of competitive and prestigious degree apprenticeships available that offer a credible alternative to more traditional university study and could be the best fit for some pupils. The University of Law came to speak to us about degree apprenticeships in the legal profession and The University of Exeter came to speak to us about the degree apprenticeships that they offer in partnership with industry.

In celebration of National Careers Week, during March we hosted a week-long programme of events. This included our now annual careers fair which ran for the second year in a row after a hiatus. The atrium was buzzing with pupils exploring the many career stalls: from finance to media, and from medicine to engineering. We also had a talk on careers in STEM from the National Physical Laboratory.

This year also saw the appointment of a brand new team of pupil careers champions. They will go on to lead an exciting series of professional networking lunchtime events next year.

In the summer term we welcomed a number of parent volunteers into the school to conduct a series of mock interviews with our Lower Eighth pupils, following on from a CV writing session the week before.

Our heartfelt thanks go to all the parent volunteers who have helped with our careers provision this year. It is always very humbling to see how supportive the whole St Paul’s community is.

Ms Wait, our new careers and universities advisor, sadly left us at the end of the academic year. In her short time at St Paul’s, she contributed a lot to the development of careers education and helped guide pupils on their careers journeys. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours as she moves to a new school. ❚

Universities update

It has been another brilliant year for the Careers and Universities Department. Our pupils have worked phenomenally hard to refine the necessary components of a university application (which, of course, extends far beyond their academic achievements!) and have immersed themselves in the data to work out exactly what and where the next stage of their academic journey may be. It has been a busy, yet incredibly fruitful, application cycle with outstanding results across all destinations.

Our UK university offers have been excellent. Headlines include that 98% of UK bound pupils secured an offer to a Russell Group university and 47 Oxbridge offers (19 Cambridge and 28 Oxford) which represents our highest offer rate since 2018. Furthermore, 82 pupils received offers from Bristol, 67 from Durham, 61 from UCL and Imperial, and 50 from Warwick. Pupils secured places on a variety of courses including aerospace engineering, dentistry, film studies, anthropology, earth sciences and liberal arts showcasing the diverse nature of their specialisms.

The results from our US section have also been impressive. The department supported a total of 352 applications to 59 different institutions demonstrating the pupils’ breadth of interest and determination to find the college with the correct ‘fit’. In an extremely competitive year, pupils gained places at range of universities and colleges such as Harvard, Columbia, Pomona, Johns Hopkins and Villanova. Our Non-US International applicants have also had remarkable success with offers from institutions such as Bocconi University, Sciences Po, Eindhoven University of Technology, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and the University of Hong Kong.

As usual, we had our full array of events to support pupils through the daunting higher education decision-making points and application processes. Highlights from the programme included our SPS and Partnership University Day during which we hosted visiting speakers from UCAS, St John’s College Cambridge and Bath University, and welcomed over 20 Old Pauline’s back to share their experiences as current undergraduates. Additionally, our annual Careers and Universities Fair provided the opportunity for Paulines and partnership pupils to speak to delegates from over 40 universities, employers and gap year providers about their aspirations.

All of our pupils, regardless of their chosen path after St Paul’s, are hugely supported by our team of university advisers, counsellors and administrators who offer their expert advice and guidance throughout the application processes. We have also been extremely fortunate to have two fantastic Colet Fellows this year; Miss Riya Malhotra and Mr Maxwell Thompson. We thank them

for their hard work and enthusiasm they have brought to the whole team and wish them all the best for their future endeavours!

This year we have also said farewell to Mrs Olivia Wait who supported the wider Careers and University Department immensely. Her specific expertise in careers guidance helped to ensure that pupils received the appropriate guidance and support at key higher education decision points. We wish her the very best of luck in the future. ❚

Alexandridis A

Alizadeh N

Atkinson B L

Averre I K

Baker M J

Balick L V M

Barahona P

Barat M

Barrett T

Barry P

Bault-Sprecher V

Beattie E G

Bedford B A

Belhomme P Y E

Bennison P H G

Bishop M P

Boothman L P

Bottomley N P J

Bowman N

Brakus A

Bramwell J R

Brian A

Brown J D L

Brown J H

Buckley T D

Burt O M P

Cameron E A

Cao C

Carter F J P

Casimir-Lambert T

Chahal Y

Chandaria K

Chapple H I

Chittenden T D

Collett J C N

Collins M P G

Dahl N A J O

Darke T E W

Davey R P

Davies W B

De Costa G

de Silva R K

Delaney F K

Dembo-Shah N V

Demir B

Dhanani E

Dhillon K H S

Dougall S P

Dyble O J

Dyer N E

Ellepola P

Ellis A

Evans Alcantara T A

Evgenev L

Fairclough N

Foo J S Y

Forni D

Fowlie S J

Freebairn W G

Gardey C C

Gaudaire E L

Gayner A C D

Goetz T R

Goodman R O

Gough M F Y

MSG CJC BS JA WLK RJG ATLT SDC JBS RMG

TAYLORRJ SRS THCPS DJB IDM JCJW APDI TASC MAP TRO DJD RKKUR TXM NFD LLA SIM DJD EES JBS SS LDW RMB ADH NFD ARL GFWG THL TASC ESB MF TAL MJP PJCD THPC BCBM ZS TRO RJHJ LDW CAH LC DPFF JCJW WF ARL MAP

TAYLORRJ SGAA

RAD MRG CPA SXR RMB

JBS

PJCD

Upper Eighth Leavers

Gowda V

Grosz S

Hadjiloizou A

Hall E

Harden D L M

Harker S

Hasan S

Hillman A R

Hitchcock A

Hoegh M W

Hoffman G O R

Homes T M

Hu E

Huang H H

Inglis W S C

Isikli E I

Kanareck J

Karageorgis C

Kasas L A

Katzenellenbogen F P

Kenny C V

Khan I

Klekovkin A

Knowles C Z C

Kulkarni A

Kumar Y

Lakha R

Lam D

Latimer S

Lee Imnadze T Y

Leventis L

Lim E

Liu C

Liu M

Liu V

Macrae A

Magalhaes L W D D C

Magne Z B W

Mandic L

Marcello N

Mardin A L

Marks J J

Massi L A

May F G

McMahon E D S

Meadows A

Mehta M T

Mentesh K

Metcalf L A

Mewawalla S

Mitchell-Thomson A C M

Moretti J F

Morris J A

Morris S P

Moufarrige A M

Naqvi D M

Niedinger A

O’Donohoe O C

Orlando L

Oudkerk F P

Owens T A

Palmer W J

Pandey D R W

Parker L J

Patel A

MJPS

DJB

RJHJ

MJPS

JMCL

MRG

JHN

AXJ

SJRH

RKKUR

MJP

AEI

PKG

SGAA

ESB

KNRD

MDW

EGH

SP

MTG

TMV

KVF

MF

THCPS

ATLT

CAH

JCJW

WLK

GCL

TXM

AEI

SS

CAH

MDW

RJG

DB

RB

YHW

WLK

EES

RB

ADH

CNYAS

DJD

MTG

LDW

SP

KVF

ESB

BS

JHN

JHN

THL

SH

LC

NK

KNRD

WF

JMCL

SIM

CJC

TE

SP

PKG

WF

Patel K

Patnaik S

Peachey D J

Peerless F

Pham W

Platt J E F

Prabhu N

Rahman M

Rathour A

Razumovsky-Hough L V K

Read A P

Rose O L

Rossbach T J

Sadiq M

Saladin R L

Sarne I

Sartori Di Borgoricco R E

Seif K

Sharaiha R Y

Shaw C C P

Shem-Tov J S

Shivakumar H

Sice B T

Sicheri M

Singh G A

Smith A

Spiers E G H

Stadlen F C

Suri R V

Szerkowski A Y

Tao M

Taor L W M

Thobhani S

Tombolis C P

Tomlinson K C

Tonkin A

Tredre N F

Tully A P

Vamadevan L

Vashisht-Pigem R

Vasiliev Y

Wadhwani A J

Walsh F

Walter R

Walton L S

Wang H

Wang X

Webber H J T

Weber-Brown R B

Westcott T M

White C H

Wijayatilake M

Wild A W

Wilson J D

Wolfensberger P E

Wolfsteiner L L

Wong D

Wong T

Wu G

Xu H

Young J B

Zelalem Y

Zhao H

Zheng J J

LLA JBS FGB APDI RMG MPP SH

DB ZS CNYAS

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SHRAVATA

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MSG THL SHRAVATA MAP

DSF LLA

TXM BCBM TE NJS

DSF MPP RMG TE THL GCL

RMG

RAD SHRAVATA

MDW

School Prefects

Barry P

Bishop M P

Bottomley N P J

Davies W B

Gayner A C D

Goodman R O

Hadjiloizou A

Inglis W S C

Kenny C V

Lakha R

Lee Imnadze T Y

Liu M

Magalhaes L W D D C

Mardin A L

Massi L A

Metcalf L A

Mitchell-Thomson A C M

Moretti J F

Palmer W J

Pandey D R W

Peachey D J

Peerless F

Rose O L

Sadiq M

Thobhani S

Tredre N F

Vashisht-Pigem R

Walsh F

Webber H J T

Weber-Brown R B

White C H

Wilson J D

Leavers’ Destinations

University or Other Destination for 2023 Leavers

University / Destination & Subject, College

BATH

Architecture with professional placement

Computer Science BSc with professional placement or study abroad 2023

Computer Systems Engineering 2023

and International Relations 2023

BIRMINGHAM

Politics and International Relations

Politics and International Relations with study abroad 2023

CAMBRIDGE History, Churchill 2023

Natural Sciences, Churchill 2023

Natural Sciences, Corpus Christi 2023

Mathematics, Downing 2023

Economics, Peterhouse 2023

Economics, Emmanuel 2023

Economics, Homerton 2023

Engineering, Trinity 2023

Mathematics, St John's 2023

Medicine, Robinson 2023

Economics, St John's 2023

Linguistics, St John's 2023

Mathematics, Queens' 2023

Natural Sciences, St John's 2023

Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Trinity 2023 Engineering, Queens' 2023

University

EDINBURGH

GLASGOW SCHOOL OF ART Silversmithing & Jewellery Design

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON

University / Destination & Subject, College

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON CONTINUED

Chemical Engineering

Chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry with a Year in Industry

Computing

Computing

Economics, Finance and Data Science

Economics, Finance and Data Science

Electrical & Electronic Engineering

Mathematics

Mathematics and Computer Science

Mathematics with Applied Mathematics/ Mathematical Physics

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Medical Biosciences

Medical Biosciences

Medical Biosciences

Medicine

Medicine

KING’S COLLEGE LONDON, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Biochemistry

Biomedical Science

Mathematics and Philosophy

LEEDS

Computer Science

LEICESTER UNIVERSITY

Medicine

LSE

Data Science

Data Science

Economics and Economic History

Finance

Finance

Finance

History and Politics

Management

Mathematics with Data Science

Mathematics with Economics

University / Destination & Subject, College

LSE CONTINUED

Politics and International Relations

MANCHESTER

Economics

Politics, Philosophy and Economics

NOTTINGHAM

Financial Maths 2023

OXFORD UNIVERSITY

Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular), Exeter 2023

Classics and Italian, Balliol 2023

English Language and Literature, Balliol 2023

Medicine, Balliol 2023

Mechanical Engineering, Brasenose 2023

Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular), Oriel 2023

Biology, Jesus 2023

History and Politics, Lady Margaret Hall 2023

Chemistry, St Peter’s 2023

Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Lincoln 2023

Physics, Lincoln 2023

Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular), Magdalen 2024

Mathematics, Mansfield 2023

Computer Science, New College 2023

Engineering, New College 2023

Philosophy, Politics and Economics, St Anne's 2023

Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Oriel 2023

Engineering, St Catherine's 2024

Ancient and Modern History, St Hilda's 2023

History, St Hugh's 2023

Experimental Psychology, St John's 2023

Chemistry, Trinity 2023

Ancient and Modern History, Trinity 2023

Chemistry, Lincoln 2023

Classics, Trinity 2023

Biochemistry (Molecular and Cellular), Wadham 2023

QUEEN MARY’S,UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Medicine 2023

ROYAL VETERINARY COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Veterinary Medicine 2023

ST ANDREWS

Biology 2023

Computer Science 2023

SURREY

Mathematics 2023

University or Other Destination for 2023 Leavers continued

Europe/Non US International University Destination for 2023 Leavers

Bocconi,

Bocconi,

Bocconi,

Bocconi, Milan

Bocconi, Milan

USA University Destination for 2023 Leavers

In Memoriam

Alex Wilson

Alex Wilson, who retired last year, first came on the Pauline scene as a cover teacher in 1991 when two members of the Classics department were granted sabbatical terms.

After his time as a pupil at RGS Newcastle, where he excelled in cricket and hockey in particular, and a degree course at Exeter, he had been pursuing a career in Law, but was looking for a change of direction. He made an immediate impact in the classroom and in his coaching of sport, which by now included Fives as a high priority, and created a memorable win for the staff cricket team by (despite his known excellence as a wicket-keeper) bowling out the KCS professional.

He found a post teaching at RGS Guildford, but continued his connection with St Paul’s by racing up the A3 to help with coaching our Fives teams. When a vacancy occurred in the Classics department in1998 he was persuaded to apply for a post to which he was eminently suited. In particular he was charged with revitalising the department’s trips to Italy and Greece, and in this he excelled, with regular visits to the Bay of Naples (usually for 4th forms) interspersed with five-centre tours of mainland Greece which provided some of the department’s most enjoyable experiences. He combined an appropriately relaxed approach to site visits – not for him the rigours of worksheets – with clear expectations on how the pupils were to behave.

He was appointed Undermaster for the L8th year group in 2001 and graduated to the U8th in 2004. Clear-sighted and firm in his dealings with miscreants, he was also noted for his generosity, characterised by the large and colourful collection of ties in his office, available for loan to those who arrived for school sartorially underprepared. As a tutor and Undermaster he had a capacity for offering his time and advice to support all sorts of needs, with extra study sessions for pupils who needed them in his, or other, subjects, advice (from himself or his contacts in the profession) to potential lawyers, and hours of quite competitive play on the fives courts, always characterised by adherence to the best traditions of sportsmanship. He masterminded the annual Leavers’ Ceremonies, speaking with warm good humour, something which had also marked out his talks in year-group assemblies.

In 2017 he moved to a new role in Alumni relations, building on a number of contacts he had made over the years. He maintained dealings with current pupils by his involvement with the First XI, forming an excellent team with Mr Briers, and in this capacity he could claim involvement with some very successful tours to Sri Lanka and South Africa.

A man of surprises: in his office could be found some improbable purchases of antique furniture; on one early trip he was spotted plying his skills as a chef in the pizzeria over the road from our Sorrento hotel; occasionally hard to track down, he might be assumed to be locating the nearest double espresso. And in all of this, a schoolmaster dedicated to the well-being, character and success of his pupils.

Alex’s untimely death prompted a mass of tributes from former colleagues, pupils and their parents, all recalling his generous and humane approach, and his commitment to St Paul’s, many saying he was one who made the school such a special place. He continued to keep in touch with a group of parents who had been enthused by his classes in Latin and classical civilisation, and in the final week of his life he had conducted an online reading of Greek comedy and was planning a group trip to Hadrian’s Wall. ❚ PJK

Steven Carter

Within moments of the beginning of his interview lesson it was clear that Steve was an eminently safe pair of hands. He came to us from Gordonstoun. With London understandably offering less opportunity to leverage his huge mountaineering and outdoor experience, he was nevertheless able to use his expertise to support our DofE programme.

Steve also served for a couple of years as Deputy Exams officer with Martin Fitzpatrick. He is leaving us to spend more time with exams, exploiting his huge experience marking and moderating, and is now increasingly writing and assessing other examiners. He was also be able to spend more time enjoying his home in the Highlands –a perfect environment for a keen cyclist.

As a HoD I will miss his attention to detail, his knowledge of exam minutae, but also his genuine warmth for his classes, his wry comments and his willingness to celebrate a piece of good work. CAH

Peter Davies

Peter Davies joined St Paul’s 21 years ago as Head of Spanish from St Benedict’s in Ealing. David Hempstead, who was Head of French when Peter was interviewed, told me this about Peter’s first encounter with St Paul’s: “The first time I met Peter was when I observed his interview lesson, along with MarieJosé Gransard, who was in charge of Spanish at the time. I remember us both looking at each other after a few minutes. In our eyes was an immediate unspoken “He’s the one!”. And Peter has not disappointed. Known in the department for being an expert crafter of lessons, Peter’s scholarship, caring nature, and positive encouragement have inspired literally hundreds and hundreds of pupils. Peter’s expertise and scholarship cover so many areas within our department. But Peter is also a modest man, who is in possession of some hidden talents. Not only does he speak immaculate French and Spanish, but Peter’s German is more than decent too. As anyone who has walked past Peter’s room will know, Peter will lay out piles of papers on the empty desks around the room and then file them away immaculately before the next class arrives. I walked in on one of Peter’s legendary filing sessions just last week, to discover something I’d never known about Peter’s linguistic prowess. Because this French and Spanish teacher wiles away the filing sessions by listening to German news radio. I am reliably informed that Peter’s Welsh and Russian are also very tidy. In fact, Peter studied A-Level Russian whilst working here before introducing Russian GCSE to our pupils. Peter is cultured, scholarly and very well-read.

I have never seen Peter more ebullient than when taking on the 8th form in our Languages

University Challenge. Not only is Peter fearsomely quick on the buzzer, he is a very cultured man with an impressive general knowledge spanning European and world literature, film, music, gastronomy, and geography. Peter ran cookery club for many years at St Paul’s, braving the West House kitchen each week with a band of intrepid pupil chefs. Peter has since taken on the role of House Masterchef judge with aplomb. Always encouraging, kind, and thoughtful, I can’t think of a better candidate for that job.

In recent memory, Peter has also given fascinating Eurosoc talks on Frida Kahlo and on his sabbatical travels in Argentina. Paul Collinson sums up Peter’s dedication and skill in delivering these talks to pupils. “When I ran Eurosoc a few years ago, I got in some eminent university people to give talks but by far the best and most entertaining was Peter’s talk about his travels in South America, following his sabbatical term. He knows how to deliver his material pitch-perfect to his audience.”

An intrepid explorer, many of us have enjoyed Peter’s tales of adventures to South America and India. For someone who is not at his most serene in aeroplanes, Peter has generously supported an extraordinary number of language trips to France and Spain. Paris, Nice, Malaga, Seville, Barcelona. The list goes on. Peter is just the sort of person you want with you on school trips: a good organiser, an explorer, and someone with a healthy dose of humour.

Peter was also a dedicated tutor and teacher. Peter’s tutees and their ➦

parents clearly value his guidance, his care, and kindness. ‘Kind and welcoming’ in the words of one tutee, Peter goes ‘above and beyond to make sure everyone feels supported and valued’ in the words of another. His ability to listen, empathise, and respond to individual needs has created a nurturing and inclusive environment. Thanks to this, all of his tutees and students have learnt the importance of kindness, respect, and empathy.

One of Peter’s A-Level Spanish pupils said the following: “Throughout A-Level Spanish, Mr Davies has been a kind and helpful figure. Whether it was teaching us about the surprising origins of Tango in Argentina, playing us street interviews about protests in Spain or teaching us about inspiring works of art and culture from over South America, he enriched our understanding by making it clear how the language was embedded in the culture and social situations of the countries in which it is spoken.”

So, I think it’s very obvious that pupils and colleagues are going to miss Peter greatly. But Peter certainly won’t be bored in his retirement. He has his allotment, and he hopes to carry on teaching in a very part time capacity at St Benedict’s. Peter: you have a lot of friends here who hold you in high regard and even higher affection. I’d like to wish you a very long and very happy retirement.

ATLT

Paul Doyle

In June 2020 I was appointed as Physics HoD and soon thereafter, I had the opportunity to meet with Paul. Sitting on the sofa in the Physics Resource room, it quickly became evident to me that with his wealth of experience across multiple schools, Paul would be a great asset to the physics department, as well as the wider school.

Since joining SPS, Paul has undertaken a serious load – both workload and emotional load – on behalf of the school and the children in it. He has done this at any time of day or night, and all year round: on Christmas Eve, on New Year’s Eve, in the depths of the summer holidays. He has acted this with clarity, high integrity and compassion, holding the trust and admiration of his colleagues.

He joined the school during the pandemic. The school was a strange and empty place and he began by leading the school’s mini DSL school for children who could not be at home.

If a child is being harmed, or is in a dangerous mental space, then our relationships with them, and our compassion, and our knowledge and bravery in how to support them is the most important thing that we can accomplish here. Paul has been the cornerstone of our efforts for the last three years and he has borne this load with great power. He will be missed very much by his colleagues in the pastoral and safeguarding team.

I am happy that Paul has occasionally used Physics as a place of respite, and we will miss his regular visits to the physics resource room. Despite his huge whole-school role, Paul has always felt like a full-time member of the

department - keen to contribute to any and all debates and discussions, and also to pull his weight in terms of cover, enrichment, and exam marking.

Paul’s enthusiasm to contribute to the Physics Department’s enrichment led to him delivering an annual lesson on Fermi-problems with the L8th. And thanks to Paul, all L8th physicists can give you a well-reasoned estimate for the number of people in the world picking their nose at this very instant.

On a personal note: Paul has been a continuous source of advice, support and inspiration and I would like to thank him for all of our chats over the past four years. He is so very generous with his time, knowledge, and wisdom and I will miss our conversations.

I’d like to wish Paul all the best as he leaves us to move to Scotland and I know we’ll all want to wish him a very happy retirement.

RMB

Will Fairbairn

Will joined St Paul’s in 2018 after a stint at Sevenoaks School as Graduate Musician and after a year at Truro Cathedral as Organ Scholar. He arrived fresh-faced, brimming with talent and with a natural affinity for teaching. This swiftly led to him gaining his Buckingham PGCE whilst here and in his time he taught the full gamut of academic music, from 4th form djembe drumming to A Level Classical Opera. There is still video evidence of his legendary graphic score realisation using just kitchen utensils from COVID lockdown days…

However, it’s through Will’s co-curricular achievements that he has been most visible. School Organist, sensitive accompanist – not just at big-ticket events like Apposition but also the unmissable staff Shindigs, where he has accompanied virtually every performance by his colleagues. He has even been known to help the High Master through her saxophone performance exam! And, lest anyone thinks this is borne out of sheer God-given talent, it’s not. Will takes his accompanying very seriously and spends hours practising and honing those parts, as anyone who has heard the gentle serenade of his metronome through their office wall will testify.

As a conductor and director he has led Baroque Ensemble, St Paul’s Voices, Vocal Consort (which he set up), Wind Orchestra, Junior Symphony Orchestra and, latterly Chapel Choir (which he has brought into closer working with SPJ Recital Choir – a great innovation).

He MD’d a stunning production of Kiss Me, Kate, and given us performances of everything from Tallis Lamentations to Songs by Queen (in his own arrangement), and everything from Bach to Barbie.

In such a close-knit team as the Music Department, losing Will is inevitably going to leave a huge gap. We will miss his musicianship, his good cheer, his fastidious coffee ritual, tutor group table tennis, his inimitable style and, above all, his collegiate, can-do attitude.

Our loss is Clifton College’s gain. He leaves to take promotion to Assistant Director of Music and Head of Choral Music there and we wish him well for the next stage in his career. The school owes his a great debt of gratitude for all he has contributed to the St Paul’s community.

Sarah Field

Dr. Sarah Field taught first at Grey Court School in Ham before joining St Paul’s eight years ago. She has been a wonderful teacher in that time. Despite holding numerous other roles, she is forever reflecting and improving and really, really caring about her teaching. She holds very high standards and is relentlessly intense in driving her pupils to their very best. Her academic contribution outside of the classroom has also been huge, particularly her boundlessly enthusiastic work running Biology Journal Club, a forum that enables her to combine her passions f or cutting edge research, with that of inspiring and challenging our brightest of scientific minds. It is worth a visit to the biology department to see up on the wall the many recent biological research publications produced by recent Paulines and to appreciate just how successfully Sarah and the Biology Department have promoted inspiration and scholarship both in and out of lessons.

Sarah has also been furiously busy outside of the classroom. In her early years, especially as a rowing coach, passing on her love and years of knowledge of the sport and of this section of our ancient river. In time, she moved to become the first female President of the Boat Club. The next new boat will be named after her, in honour of that achievement, and I look forward to her returning to be honoured when that happens. Under the time demands of her more recent roles, she has shifted sports and at present can be found on Junior Cross Country half.

Sarah also did an excellent job as Deputy Director of Admissions; as Head

of Non-US Overseas Universities and most recently of course as one of the Undermasters of our new House System. This is when I have worked most closely with Sarah but I first came across her as a tutor, back in the pre-pandemic, pre-House system days. Observing Sarah and her then group I was struck by the feeling that, if my then young son were ever to end up at this school, this is who I would want as his tutor. She was so earnest, committed, upright and unabashedly decent – and embodied a wonderful blend of loving but rigorous tellings-off and beaming, irrepressible enthusiasm that has since also been the cornerstone of her tremendous work as Undermaster.

She has been a brilliant member of the Undermaster and pastoral team. She’s been utterly committed and utterly positive about everything. She’s an utterly brilliant colleague.

Most importantly, she has been an unbreakable support and shield to any number of pupils in her care. She had the first captain of school in the new system and her House is regularly battling at the top of the leaderboard. Sarah has handled all of this in exactly the same way that she has approached all of her time at St Paul’s: with intense commitment, enormous compassion, and very significant skill. Those who have worked with her on these teams over the past two years, and no doubt to those who have worked beside her in the previous six, feel blessed to have worked with her and hold her in high admiration and great fondness.

Sarah has often described Richmond as rather a sticky place; one that it is hard to choose to leave. But now she has peeled off the glue, and will be making the move from the riverside to the sea. She joins Brighton College where she will add deputy DSL to her role and without a shadow of a doubt prove to be as remarkably successful and appreciated there as she is here. Brighton’s gain is our loss. It’s been wonderful working with you Sarah. Definitely come back when that boat is unveiled.

Kate French

Kate arrived at St Paul’s in 2019. This was her first teaching post after her PGCE, which is hard to believe given the maturity and confidence she has shown in the role from her very first day. There is no doubting her mathematics ability and her classroom management skills. She has taught the full range of ability including preparing pupils for their Oxbridge interviews.

I have worked closely with her, and I know she cares about the progress of every one of her pupils. She supports her tutees, spending lots of time helping them to make the most of their time at St Paul’s and always encouraging them to find ways to keep improving.

After only three years at St Paul’s, Kate took on the role as Head of the Common Room, a role normally given to a long-standing member of staff. Her appointment demonstrated the confidence the staff body has in Kate. Her leadership in this is truly appreciated. She has encouraged us all to get involved in social events, build stronger relationships with SPJ and she is of course the MVP in the staff netball team.

She has given up her time during holidays to support many of the school trips, especially those visiting hot countries.

She has immersed herself fully in rowing in which she has spent many weekends coaching and travelling with her squad. Even when she dropped her phone in the Thames, her determination saw her return later at low tide and retrieve it.

In a short period, she has managed to commit much time to improve outcomes for so many pupils and staff.

Kate is an extraordinary young woman, and although we are sorry to

see her leave, we admire her bravery in leaving a profession where she has excelled. We all wish Kate well as she begins a career in finance.

AAJ

James Gazet

James joined SPS for the second time in 2017 shortly after I’d made it on to SMT. I’d heard stories about James before his arrival – that he had incredibly high standards, that he was unbelievably sharp and that he was a much loved and respected tutor. I’d also heard that at times, he could be a little abrasive. While the person I’ve come to know is probably all of those things, he is also the one of the kindest, funniest and generous people I have ever met…

His range of interests are so broad, his intellect so great and his reading of other peoples’ emotions so attuned that he can connect with people on almost any level. How many colleagues can debate Evelyn Waughts finest work with the English department, read the Iliad and the Odyssey over the holidays ‘for a bit of fun’ (James came very close to reading classics at university), and appraise the many strengths of the school’s orchestra while being able to teach Malcolm Tucker a thing or two about withering put downs? It’s truly a rare gift.

James really came into his own as the school started to lockdown in March 2020. Helping HoDs and teachers to navigate one of the most challenging times with tremendous skill and care. His judgement, in the most testing circumstances possible, was faultless

but, more than that, HoDs knew that everything was going to be OK because James had it covered. It was as school returned proper later that year that James and I became especially close: he would grab me on his way into school each morning and insist that we walk the corridors together, checking in on colleagues as they arrived at school. That is James all over – he does genuinely just really care. Indeed, his concern for colleagues is bettered perhaps only by his love for his dog, his daughters and teaching Maths. I’ve heard it said by many colleagues that there’s perhaps only a couple of teachers in the maths department equally skilled at teasing out the potential of both a bottom 4th form set and a top set Eighth Form: James is always on the list. What might come as more of a surprise given James’ resume (St Pauls, Westminster, St Paul’s, Eton, St Paul’s) is the amount of time James has dedicated to the UK Maths Trust over the years: organising Olympiads, residential trips, and making sure many more young mathematicians are able to share in his love for the subject. As I began talking to colleagues about this report each was keen to tell me their own very personal story of the time James had stepped up for them in their moment of need. It was obvious that there was no limit to the lengths James would go to help a friend. Our year sharing E7 together was certainly the most fun of my career. Our loss is clearly very much the Perse Foundations gain: they are very lucky to have you. We all wish you a huge amount of success and happiness there.

SJM

Sam Madden

Sam joined the school in January 2009 shortly after leaving university. He quickly became an integral member of the Geography department, helping transform the teaching resources while providing highly academic yet engaging lessons across all year groups.

Sam also became a top rugby coach with an impressive winning streak. This love of sport, coupled with an outgoing personality, helped him quickly gain the trust and respect of both colleagues and pupils. In many ways the signs were there from the early days that he might have a future in the pastoral side of the school.

However, the lure of business saw him briefly dabble in management consulting, leaving the school and working for a time around the world for Accenture, jetting between Davos, Chicago and The Hague. We were of course all delighted when he returned back to the school after a few years and he was quickly promoted to Deputy Head of Wellbeing. Wellbeing was a subject very close to his heart. A highly intuitive and empathetic person, Sam was passionate that education was more than just academic results, and along with others in the school he helped evolve the pastoral system within the school. Many pupils, teachers and parents found Sam’s careful guidance, with its warmth and humour, essential factors in helping them navigate highly challenging situations. Although immersing himself in this side of the school, Sam continued to be highly engaged in other aspects of the school – from sport, to admissions, to taking pupils on DofE, and also teaching both at GCSE and A-level.

Sam leaves SPS to take up a new position as Senior Deputy Head of Alleyn’s School.

APDI

Lucy McLaren

It is with great sadness that Lucy McLaren will not be returning from her maternity leave as she will be moving to Wiltshire with her family. Lucy has worked in the Art department since 2013 as our Studio and Milton Gallery Manager. In this role she has given us exceptional levels of support and taken oversight of the efficient and safe running of all our studios. Her role in managing the Milton Gallery took her outside of school to meet and work with artists in delivering a string of wonderful exhibitions. Added to this she was instrumental in setting up and delivering our partnership gallery workshops for local primary schools. Lucy will be greatly missed as an ever-positive presence in the department and the whole school. Long before I joined the school, Nigel Hunter the former Director of Art said to me as a fellow Head of Art, ‘I never have to worry about any of that stuff, I have the best technician in the world and I mean that quite literally’.

MRG

Sam Roberts

Sam Roberts: Old Pauline, TV producer, biologist, friend of Dawkins, Vintage Rugby Fives player, and collector of skulls (non-human). After leaving St Paul’s as a student Sam made his way to New College, Oxford to read biology, a sideways move from his original plan to follow in his mother’s footsteps and study medicine. After a career at the BBC as a producer and director of programs such as Horizon, Tomorrow’s World and Timewatch, Sam re-joined St Paul’s as a teacher in 2004

It was clear from his interview lesson that Sam would bring his experience from television into the classroom. His lessons are full of interesting angles that grab Paulines’ attention, beginning with some obscure piece of biology or an analogy that somehow weaves its way into the main topic of the lesson. As with all the best biology teachers, he has made full use of the potential biology has for appealing to irreverent teenage boys’ sense of humour, such as the infamous Crapticle practical when teaching the digestive system. In the classroom Sam can be relied on to bring his genuine curiosity and fascination for biology. An interested Upper band Fifth form are in for a great year if they get Sam. When new teachers arrive in the department I always ask them to go and watch Sam teach. More than any of the rest of us, he has the ability to teach Paulines how to think about the subject and how to question what they are taught. That only comes from someone who has himself thought deeply about the subject. Generations of recent Paulines who sat the biology junior scholarship paper will have experienced the esoteric range of questions he wrote for them. ➦

Sam has been involved in a diverse range of activities in his time here – running MedSoc, editor of This Week, Master in Charge of Fives, EPQ supervisor, UCAS adviser for medicine for many years, and the first lead on Lower Eighth Volunteering where he was able to play a role in implementing the valuable initiative of increasing the amount of volunteering Paulines provide in the local community.

Sam is the current custodian of Fives at St Paul’s, himself an accomplished player, recently reaching the doubles final of the Vintage Championship at Cambridge. The current UK rankings are full of OPs who have benefited from Sam’s coaching, as, hopefully, will future Paulines with Sam continuing to help on the games halves and keep, together with rackets and fencing, one of the most Pauline of sports alive at St Paul’s.

The biology department is about to lose a valued colleague who has consistently made teaching even more fun than it already is, a constant source of inspiration, insight and laughter. I personally am grateful to Sam for the wise counsel he has offered over the years, whose advice has been much valued as the department has steered its course this past decade.

Amy Williams

Amy joined the PE department as a Sports Graduate Assistant with aspirations of training to becoming a fully qualified PE teacher. She worked incredibly hard, supporting the department with administrative tasks, acting as a teaching assistant and delivering high level technical coaching to the aquatics pupils. With her outstanding potential, she was supported by St Paul’s through her teacher training at the University of Buckingham. Whilst doing this, she was appointed as Head of Tennis where she provided energy and enthusiasm into pushing St Paul’s Tennis forward and was successful in the school gaining LTA certification. Amy has moved onto being Head of Girls Games at Kings House School where she will be instrumental in introducing new ideas and experiences into a Games programme. Although she will be sorely missed by us all at St Paul’s, congratulations must go to her for a fantastic new opportunity.

SPS TEACHING STAFF

Lee Cowles Teacher of Physics

Charlie Curtis Teacher of Physics

Luke Maxted Second in Department in English

Nick Hudson Assistant Head in English (Safeguarding and Pupil Wellbeing)

Andy Edwards Assistant Head in Geography (Cocurricular)

Tom Holland Teacher of Mathematics

Melissa Perera Teacher of Mathematics

Lucie Robathan Teacher of Theology and Philosophy

Ollie Fernie Whole School Director of Digital Learning and Innovation Teacher of Economics

Victoria Trinder Head of Art (January 2025)

Philip Barnes Teacher of Art

Isabella Jacobson Head of Spanish (January 2025)

Alex Stobbs Teacher of Music

Vanessa Muir (Oakes) Teacher of Spanish and French

Virginie Salin Teacher of Modern Languages

SPJ TEACHING STAFF

Arabella Ferrer Teacher of First Years

Lynette Farme Teacher of First Years

Graham Ainge Teacher of Science

Ryan Vermaak Teacher of Maths (January 2025)

SUPPORT STAFF

Dagmar Smith SPS Administrator

Ella Palmer Admissions Assistant

Miguel Bosman Grounds person

Nicola Taylor Safeguarding and Welfare Co Ordinator

Emily Strode Careers and University Advisor (October 2024)

Odette Abassi Drama Graduate

Sharifa Ahmed HR Advisor (maternity cover)

Helen Camilleri HR and Compliance Manager

Colet Fellow Jared Adelman Colet Fellow

Heather Brennan Colet Fellow

Language Assistants

Lorena Heller

German Language Assistant

Manon Desprez

French Language Assistant

Zahra Khan

French Language Assistant

Alba Torres Pérez

Spanish Language Assistant

DEPARTMENTS

Art

Review of the Year

Michael Grant

Please forgive any selfindulgence. This will be my last Pauline review of the year in art as I hand over to Victoria Trinder who will take up post in January after James Nichols has taken us through the first term. After twenty-three years running departments, seven of those years at SPS this is a very strange and exciting moment for me as I take on my new role in the faculty.

This has been another great year. With thanks to Anojie Amerasinghe for putting together the second Architectural Weekend, with students

from our Partnership Schools enjoying the insight of world leading architects and the wider school community taking up the opportunity to be taken through the detail of the V&A’s new Exhibition Road entrance by lead architect Matthew Wilkinson. Anojie has also worked tirelessly to curate out new Creative Process Series. Her idea to have important artists talk about their practice rather than their work and to split the time between a short introductory talk and an extended question and answer session has given us the opportunity to go on a deep dive into the working process and thinking of Idris Khan in 2022 and Mark Wallinger this year.

The Cyanotype show opened in November bringing work by teachers, artists and girls for SPGS to the Milton Gallery. Jon Williams brought the ceramicist Hwajeong Yeo into school from the RCA to teach an extended glazing workshop to the L8. This exceptional opportunity for our students can be read about in these pages. Michael Page and I took the Eighth Form to Paris to see the last paintings of Van Gogh and thanks to Tom Flint who organised the Tate Modern Trip in the summer term for the 5th form as well as the as ever high energy post examination Get Creative week. Matt Bunning from SPGS and

GCSE Opening

Tom teamed up to offer the Eighth Form printing course with workshops split between both sites. Parents and students joined me for Sunday morning visits to the Philip Guston retrospective and the Sargent and Fashion show, with thanks to Ellie Green for her support. Alison Hawkins put together a wonderful plate painting workshop for the primary schools visiting us for the Euro 24 Football Day. Pot Soc sees a regular cast of expert throwers take over the ceramic’s studio and our new Architectural Society brings together model making and discussion. On Friday lunch times we welcome the Warhammer warriors to take over the top studios

with painting and gaming. This year we gave the House Art competition a shake up with each house being given a 60cm MDF cube to transform, not only did we have wonderful solutions to the task they were supported with brilliantly insightful and witty gallery style blubs.

The pages in this section are as ever a testament to the exceptional quality and originality of our students work. This is what we work for because at the heart of this work is the confidence to make sense of and resolve visual ideas in personal projects. This year I have been blessed by a wonderful GCSE group who continually surprised me and three

exceptional A Level painters. In my last round up of the year I want to pay particular tribute to two students who have influenced me as a painter. Aidan Wong and Richard Eichhorst both studies GCSE with me and worked on EPQ artifacts this year, Aidan printing and Richard painting. Both effectively continued their personal projects from GCSE. Richard showed me a route into figuration and narrative that dodged the trap of illustration, this has seemed almost impossible for me, and Aidan let me see for the first time the meaning and importance of the delightful when it does not slip into sentimentality. ❚

V&A site visit with Matt Wilkinson

Architecture Study Day

A level Paris Trip

Get Creative 2024

Do you ever wonder what lies beyond the boundaries of traditional education? Do you believe in the power of thinking differently and exploring new creative horizons? If so, then St Paul’s annual event, Get Creative, is just the thing! During a week in July, just after internal exams, we invited the 4th and 5th form to embark on a captivating week-long journey of discovery and self-expression. They dived into a world where thinking and doing converge, where innovation comes to life, and where creativity takes centre stage!

At St. Paul’s, we firmly believe that creativity is not just an optional extra but a fundamental pillar of your son’s education. That’s why every pupil at St. Paul’s selects a creative subject for their GCSE studies. Whether it’s Art, Music, Drama or Design we encourage our students to embrace the power of creativity in shaping their academic journey and beyond.

But wait, what is Get Creative all about? Imagine a dynamic fusion of thinking and doing – it’s where new ideas come to life! Creativity isn’t just for artists; it’s a superpower for problem-solving, understanding abstract concepts, and thinking outside the box. Get Creative is all about bringing something new into existence, whether it be through

problem-solving, understanding abstract concepts, seeing the world with fresh eyes, or thinking outside the box. These are the invaluable assets your son will cultivate here at St. Paul’s and carry with him into the future.

During Get Creative, your son had the opportunity to choose from a wide array of workshops and activities. From painting to coding, from music composition to film-making, the possibilities are endless. We want to break the stereotype that creativity is limited to the realm of artists. In today’s ever-evolving world, creativity has permeated various disciplines and industries. It is a skill that can be harnessed by anyone, regardless of their chosen path. Get Creative was the perfect platform for your son to step out of his comfort zone, try something new, and uncover hidden talents. ❚

RCA Placement

Jon Williams

What would you say is the most important consideration in cake making? The way that it tastes or the way that it looks?’ This question, asked by the then head of learning, was put to me in my SPS interview back in the summer of 2014. It came on the back of having put cake making as an additional skill set I could offer towards extracurricular activity, unaware at the time that coaching rugby or rowing would have earned me higher points. Still it provided Mark Bailey a quip during the new staff introductions. In hindsight, I could have highlighted the cohesive sense of community which our weekly cake break had bought at the RCA ceramics

department, a chance to down tools and engage in something sweet and social, or how an introduction with cake was the method used by Alison Britton OBE, in group crits with her PHD students, promoting a sugary level playing field, before delving into the more complex depths.

Each year, the SPS art department hosts a half term teaching placement with a student from ceramics and glass at The Royal College of Art. The placement brings their ideas for a brief, based on their specialist subject, through which we assist in tailoring a deliverable half term programme for the L8th. Previous placements have included historical pottery currency, Teapot design,

marbling clay bodies and my own 2014 topic of facial reconstruction. This year’s placement, Hwajeong Yeo, was part way through her second Masters qualification, her first being an MSC in Industrial Chemistry. Over the course of six weeks, Hwajeong introduced the concepts and practical application of glaze technology, teaching a group of seven L8 Paulines the components and methodology with which to make up a glaze and the effect at different firing temperatures.

A ceramic glaze recipe is made of three basic components, silica, alumina and flux, the balance of which will determine qualities of the final fired glaze; dry or runny, matt or shiny, smooth or crazed. Colour is most often introduced through metal oxide additions.

Under Hwajeong’s guidance, the L8 produced a prolific number of test pieces, from simple variables through to triangular blends, in order to determine an optimal mix, something which would look and taste (at least visually) yummy.

Going back to my interview, at the time my answer had been that there needed to be a harmony between visual aesthetic and taste, however there was nothing worse than a great looking cake which tasted as dry as sand. In contrast, COSHH health and safety guidelines strictly rule out taste as a consideration in glaze recipes. Potters will have their own preferences, from subtle celadons to the unpredictable flairs of colour in raku. For our L8th, Opening the kiln door to discover translucent emeralds or lichen pitted texture, provided the group the same visual awe and anticipation in the reveal of any well presented birthday cake.

A special mention to Matthew Galea, whose passion for biomedical science led the way through the workshop and begun to inform his current art coursework in producing his own range of volcanic glaze. ❚

A Level Art 2024

Eshan Hall

Elwen Cameron

Alex Tully

Will Freebairn

Luke Leventis

Daniel Harden

Darshy Pandey

Sebastian Harker

Thomas Owens

Conrad Gardey

Leo Walton

Torgua Lee Imnadze

Adriel Reyes

Callum Hector

Nathaniel Barnes

Apollo Andreichuk Felix Patel

Freddie Hammond-Giles

Andy Wang

Alexis Przyrembel

Alex Frydas

Edward Buss

Christopher Garagnon

Allen Li

Gijs Van A Luca Tresigne

Luka Tzvetkov

Sam Steeden

Krishnan Tombolis

Marcus Wisden

Patrick Monro Davis

Hayden Shin

Charlie Pama

Marchand Sachin

Luca Speciale

Inigo Conolly

Ravi Walker

Daniel Lee

Reuben Ovington

Leo Satchell

Cosmo Stewart-Liddon

Luke Ford

Michael Omondi

Sam Francombe

Harry Hicks

Henry Bird

Theo Martin

Zak Nathoo

Max Wiseman

Seva Pospelov

Kia Peterson

Jonah Tayler

Jonathan Miles

James Hammond

Saahil Gani

Sebastian Hernandez

Kaelan Bruton

Moreno Alexander

Lakatos Caspar

Paul Lee

Tresigne Luca

Adrien Sevaux

Henry Whittaker

Nora Marcello

Kian Cser

Louis Williamss

Oscar Mckinnon

Luca Barken

Owen Tange

Drama

This year, students have excelled in an extremely wide-ranging array of dramatic performances. The time-travelling and globe-trotting has been, as always, a huge amount of fun. Students have delighted audiences with plays from Shakespeare, Wells, Miller and Durrenmatt.

Read on for reviews of the SPS productions this year.

Young Directors Showcase: DIARY OF A DIRECTOR

Max Clapham

26/06/23

It’s the last day of 6th form. GCSEs are behind me, and I’m looking forward to a long summer break. All of a sudden, an email arrives in my inbox; Mr Dormandy has informed us that at the beginning of the Autumn Term next year, we can take part in Young Directors Week, an opportunity to direct our very own short piece of theatre. Without hesitation, I sign myself up to have a go at directing for the first time.

The only problem is that I now need a cast and a play. I turn to my friend Jaime and manage to convince him to be the first member of my cast. Now I have one actor and no play –not quite there yet. Hopefully, the summer holidays will give me some time to sort things out…

01/09/23

Back in school, I found the perfect play extract over the summer break, from The Lehman Trilogy by Stefano Masini. I enjoyed reading the original novel which the play is based on, and decided that I would like to stage the 1929 Wall Street Crash scene, one of my favourite dramatic moments in the narrative. Now all I need to find is a couple more actors.

07/09/23

After some failed attempts at recruitment, I finally have a complete cast. I manage to get Theo onboard, whilst Jaime does some recruiting and manages to find Xavi, who is new this year and eager to get stuck into drama at St Paul’s for the first time. With play and now the cast ticked off, what could possibly go wrong?

08/09/23

DISASTER HAS STRUCK! Theo has to drop out. Is my dream of directing over?

Not quite. The Lehman Trilogy is a slightly unusual play, in the sense that three actors play all of the characters, with no set parts. Since there were only ever two clearly defined characters in

my extract, I edited it slightly so that it could be performed by just Jaime and Xavi – crisis averted.

15/09/23-17/09/23

After much drama in the recruitment process, I reach the rehearsal stage. On Friday evening, we have a director’s workshop with Miss Mazur and Mr Saul, where we are all given some tips and pointers on directing our specific pieces, to get us started on our directorial journey.

That weekend, we have an intense schedule of rehearsals on both days, including workshops with two theatre practitioners. First up is Rebecca Reaney, a movement coach for professional actors, who teaches us the importance of physicality in conveying the mood and personality of a character. Next is Nathan Crossan-Smith, who takes us through a workshop looking at different ways of approaching and staging a text, using the example of Romeo and Juliet. By the end of a long weekend of gruelling rehearsals, and with some ideas having sprung out of the workshops, my piece is beginning to take shape, and I begin to look forward to the first performance night.

18/09/23-20/09/23

With Jaime and Xavi having diligently learnt their lines in such a short space of time, I realise that, as director, I ought to match their work ethic in other areas, specifically the design side of the piece. I settled on a minimalist set design, with a single chair in the middle of the stage, as the piece switches rapidly between locations, and I did not want this to be interfered with by too extravagant a set.

In terms of lighting, I chose to evoke a contrast between the panic on the floors of Wall Street and the relative comfort of Robert Lehman’s life with cold, hostile blues and whites for the former, and warmer pinks and yellows for the latter. Where I really struggle is on the sound design; the challenge I have attempting to loop the piano music from the original production of The Lehman Trilogy on the audioediting software Audacity makes me realise how much work the tech team put in behind the scenes for all the drama productions at school!

As I decide on the design features of the piece behind the scenes, rehearsals continue and eventually, the first performance night arrives.

21/09/23-22/09/23:

The Performance Nights Thursday night. The first performance. I sit in my seat, clutching my notepad and pen in eager anticipation. First up is Henry Smith’s take on The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Having prided myself on my clever minimalist design, I feel slightly intimidated when a massive table with bowls, candles and a crucifix is brought out as the set. Austin Burks, Ryan Davey and Max Swinnerton deliver stellar performances. The audience claps. The lights go down. It’s time for my piece.

Xavi sits down in the chair, Jaime takes his place behind the curtain, the lights go up, and the music begins. It seems to go really well: the audience laughs at the right times, and the ending has the same impact and gravity I was hoping for. I find that I barely scribble anything in my notebook at all. The performance is over almost as soon as it begins, and I can relax a little more and enjoy the two remaining pieces.

Following on is Atom Lucenet’s piece, an extract from Good by C P Taylor, about the ambiguous nature of the morality of citizens in Nazi Germany, explored through the lens of the protagonist Professor Halder, played by Quentin Glanzer. Similar to The Lehman Trilogy, it was a minimalist set and it was a fast-paced piece, switching between different locations and characters, before reaching a dramatic crescendo at the end which sent chills down the spines of the audience, myself included.

Finally, came director-actor TheoCasimir Lambert’s piece, from The Motive and the Cue by Jack Thorne, also starring Rufus Goodman. It was a slightly meta choice, with the play focused on the relationship between director and actor (though ironically Rufus played the director). The Milton Studio erupts with laughter at the petty squabbles between the two characters. Then the night is over.

The second evening goes much like the first, with ‘second-night syndrome’ successfully avoided by all the actors. Since this is the final performance, I don’t worry about taking notes and simply enjoy watching all of the pieces one last time. With that, Young Directors’ Week draws to a close.

Before wrapping up, I should say thank you to all the staff that put in effort behind the scenes to make the week happen: Miss Mazur, Mr Saul, Mr Anthony, Dan Staniforth. Also to pupil-led technical team of Joseph Sternberg and Reuben Ovington deserve credit.

I would encourage anyone with a passion for theatre to give Young Directors’ Week a try, whether as an actor or a director (or both, in Theo’s case!). It is such a rewarding experience to see your piece come to life by the end of the week, and I am sure I will be directing again at next year’s event. ❚

Stuff Review

Atom Lucenet

The sixth form production of Stuff was characterised by its focus on the power of friendship to help us through the toughest of times. A creation by Tom Wells for National Theatre Connections in 2019, Stuff acts as an insight into the complications of modern relationships, written with ensembles of teenagers in mind. As the audience filled out the Milton Studio, we were greeted with a curated playlist of recognisable modern pop songs to firmly set the play in today’s day and age. We had to carefully make our way to our seats, avoiding the sweet packets and litter strewn meticulously across the stage.

The play centres around a friendship group preparing a surprise party for Anita, trying their best to transform a run-down local gymnasium into something a little more festive. As the countdown to Anita’s arrival ticks down, the group must manage unrequited love, runaway cousins, and the ordeal of putting up bunting, all before the big surprise. Ethan Walker played Vinny, the hopeless romantic pining for Anita’s love, who takes it upon himself to plan her party. This idea comes to seem increasingly ridiculous throughout the play: Anita’s father has recently passed away so a celebration seems entirely inappropriate, but Vinny insists that friends are just what she needs right now. Others begin to show up at the venue, with one outsider: Stef’s cousin, Dani (skilfully played by Alex KF). Dani doesn’t know anyone in the group and makes his distaste towards the party clear: acting cynical, poking holes in Vinny’s idea, and smoking despite the others’ protests. Having been anticipated numerous times in the first half of the play, AJ’s entrance fills the studio with energy as he, marvellously portrayed by Patrick MD, bursts into the gymnasium with his brother and lackey

Tez (Paul CS) in tow. A self-proclaimed ‘Gryffindor’ among Ravenclaws, AJ courageously stands up to Dani and throws his cigarettes out the door.

Despite the disarray of the set and the fast-paced, chaotic ensemble work of many of the scenes, it is in the quieter moments where the script and acting shine through. Near the beginning of the play, Dani, Stef and Kit (Sebastian Jarrett) are given the task of hanging up the decorations across the stage. While Kit untangles the bunting, Stef (Ferris Chapple) and his cousin untangle the complicated reality of how divorce can affect a family, and the heart-wrenching and destabilising effect of loss. Later, when everyone has left the stage to look for the missing Dani, AJ is left with the shy Matt, masterfully portrayed by Sam Christie – the first interaction between the two characters. A heavy silence, rich with subtext – somewhat reminiscent of a ‘Pinter Pause’ –descended over the studio. As the emotional heart of the play, the scene centres around two characters so unalike in personality yet, it seems, the only two gay people in their social circle. ➦

Their conversation is tense, as they discuss their past attempt at a relationship, but after a realisation that some people are just better off as friends, the characters loosen up, envisioning their futures and exploring new-found comfort in each other’s presence. Patrick MD and Sam Christie portrayed the subtleties of the relationship gracefully and maturely, delivering a heart-warming and moving scene that lingered long in the minds of the audience. The night appears to draw to an end, with Anita seemingly fast approaching, but the audience is surprised to see Frankie, who was sent to fetch Anita, coming back empty-handed. Arav Goel performs a captivating monologue on his attempts to persuade Anita to follow him without spoiling the surprise, a plan that ultimately fails as she continues to grieve.

With no birthday girl, the gang had to break the news to all the other people they invited to the party, which, with the help of some clever lighting design, turned out to be us, the audience! With the fourth wall broken, Vinny explained Anita’s absence to us and in one last attempt to cheer her up, films a video of all her friends singing an original song by Morgan, as a birthday present. The lyrics to the aptly named song ‘Stuff’ were given to us in the programme and, accompanied by Ravi Walker’s elegant guitar playing, the audience and cast ended the play with a beautiful serenade. The melody for the song was composed by Ravi and Patrick in their own time, and the show’s playlist, including the likes of Taylor Swift and The Weekend, was created by the cast themselves. With Reuben Ovington and Anish Gottipaati on sound, it was no surprise that a rich soundscape accompanied the play, heightening the tension of many scenes. Lighting was used to its fullest potential, with the set turning a deep red when AJ challenged Dani and a light blue during the more melancholy moments – expertly operated by Joseph Sternberg. The production managers, Dan and Lauren, were instrumental in the creation of Stuff, replicating the inside of a gymnasium with wonderful wooden set pieces, aiding Mr Grant to realise his artistic vision of the play.

Stuff was a thoroughly enjoyable play to watch, with its comedic moments balanced out by its more serious, heartfelt scenes. Director Mr Grant utilised the strong acting ability of the sixth formers to develop naturalistic relationships and conflicts in a play about dealing with the complexities of friendships. They tackled complex issues surrounding loss and the necessity of a support network in times of need – a comforting message made all the more impactful by the compassion and warmth displayed by this talented cast of young actors. We can’t wait to see what Stuff they do next. ❚

The Winter’s Tale: Director’s Notes

Christian Anthony

The Winter’s Tale is a play about a man who believes a lie of his own making and is outraged when others won’t believe it too. Leontes’s confidence in his wife’s infidelity is, unlike Othello’s, entirely self-generated; indeed, Emilia’s famed description of jealousy as “a monster begot upon itself, born on itself” is more fitting of Leontes’s condition than that of Othello, who requires three acts of careful priming by Iago before exploding with the ferocity Leontes achieves in his first scene.

The refusal of Leontes’s court to support the false narrative of Hermione’s adultery reveals a political microclimate (unusual in Jacobean theatre) devoid of sycophants and schemers, devoted instead to truth and plain speaking.

Yet if honesty were the benchmark of goodness, two-thirds of the play’s characters would fall short: Camillo falsely assures Leontes he will assassinate Polixenes; Antigonus’s decision to leave identifying papers and a considerable sum of money in Perdita’s basket is not fully in accord with his sworn oath to abandon the baby “to its own protection and favour of the clime”; Autolycus, as a professional rogue, is a past master of the tall tale; Florizel and Perdita’s courtship requires a prolonged deception of their respective fathers (prompting Polixenes to employ disguise as a means of unveiling the truth); on arrival at Leontes’s court, Florizel (at Camillo’s prompting) delivers a cock and bull story par excellence; and, in one of theatre’s most audacious denouements, Paulina is discovered to have been lying about the death of her mistress for the past sixteen years.

A great swathe of deception is needed, it seems, to heal a universe torn asunder by one terrible lie. In The Winter’s Tale, morality is made muddy by the positioning of truth and falsehood not as a hierarchical binary, but as a necessary blend. For a playwright who began his career aping a model of tragedy steeped in Greek didacticism, his final masterpiece is surprising in its commitment to ambiguity. ➦

In its climactic scene alone, the reunion of the two kings is tempered with loss (“a notable passion of wonder appeared in them, but the wisest beholder could not say if th’ importance were joy or sorrow”), Paulina admits her pursuit of justice was morally culpable (“What I did not well, I meant well”) and the sight of Hermione’s ‘statue’ stirs both longing and guilt in Leontes (“There’s magic in thy majesty, which has my evils conjur’d to remembrance”). Hermione’s final ‘resurrection’ conflates past and present, art and life, in a spectacle so giddy it all but defies explanation (“Were it but told you, [it] should be hooted at like an old tale”). Derrida wrote that “it is this longing for a centre, an authorising presence, that spawns hierarchical oppositions”; in The Winter’s Tale, Shakespeare seems determined to abdicate his authorising presence by swerving any conclusive moral, emotional or tonal stance.

Indeed, the play’s most fruitful interplay of opposites lies in its genre-defying structure. Most tragedies permit comic relief (the porter in Macbeth, the fool in King Lear) and several comedies house a tragic stowaway (Malvolio in Twelfth Night, Shylock in The Merchant of Venice), but these are mere interludes: the fool cannot prevent Lear’s downfall, whilst Portia is impervious to Shylock’s suffering. However, in The Winter’s Tale, tragedy disrupts the confidence of comedy, whilst comedy heals the

wounds of tragedy. The play is a diptych (hinged on the stage direction “Exit, pursued by a bear”), presenting two independent images which reflect, challenge and extend interpretation of the other. Sicilia, its urbane court stifled by grief, is a world apart from the raucous fecundity of Bohemia. Yet in this pastoral idyll, Polixenes tramples on his son’s budding romance with a tyranny unwitnessed outside Sicilia, whilst the arrival of Florizel and Perdita at the court of Leontes reignites in the king concepts of love and hope long forgotten. Each location lends perspective on the other, showing us how, as W. H. Auden put it, suffering “takes place while someone else is eating or opening a window”.

Such geographical and tonal variety presents design challenges. In choosing to transpose Sicilia to 1970s California, I was inspired by David Hockney’s swimming pools and the society photography of Slim Aarons, each depicting an atmosphere of organised glamour, doused in sunlight and pastel shades: a canvas both dignified and benign, on which Leontes’s outbursts should appear a gross aberration. The resultant passage of sixteen years dictated a 1980s aesthetic for Bohemia and, inspired by a lifelong love of Dolly Parton, a trailer park on the outskirts of her beloved Tennessee seemed a fitting locale for the vibrancy, sexuality and optimism of the play’s second half. For successfully combining these opposing worlds in a single, composite set (and one which can smoothly reverse itself from Bohemia to Sicilia in the final scenes of Act Two), I must thank our designer, Raphaella Philcox, for her imagination and ingenuity.

Before unveiling Hermione’s ‘statue’, Paulina informs the assembled company: “It is requir’d you do awake your faith”. She speaks not of religious faith per se but of the ability to exist comfortably, enthusiastically even, in an equivocal space, a space where meaning is multiple and perspective ever changing. Such an existence requires humility, the courage to see oneself in a wider context, a quality

The Winter’s Tale continually reinforces. Perhaps Dolly Parton (with uncanny echoes of W. H. Auden) said it best, in her 1977 hit ‘Two Doors Down’:

Two doors down they’re laughing and drinking and having a party.

Two doors down they’re not aware that I’m around. Cause here I am crying my heart out, feeling sorry, while They’re having a party just two doors down.

Death of a Salesman

Cillian Knowles

Sitting down in the Milton studio to watch a production of one of the 20th century’s greatest works, Death of a Salesman, by esteemed playwright Arthur Miller, my expectations were high. Now on the last night of performance week, I had heard nothing but praise for the play, from friends, parents and teachers alike, but I was sure it couldn’t be as good as everyone said it had been. After all, the school was known for incredible productions, so to have something truly defy my expectations was impossible. I was wrong.

As I took my seat in the packed auditorium, I was instantly drawn to the set design, how everything – chairs, shelves, pictures – seemed to slant downwards, towards the floor, as if it was melting, collapsing, like everything was falling apart. The stage was partitioned into two halves, one containing the chairs and table, and being raised slightly above the other, split diagonally down the middle, and foreshadowing the two-pronged nature of the play, telling the stories of the past and the present simultaneously.

Death of a Salesman is a play about exactly that. The death of a salesman. But, in the journey towards the demise of our lead, Willy Loman, the details of how he was led to this point unfold, and it is shown that, although he may be the tragic protagonist, this play is not simply about him. The undeserved devotion of his wife, Linda, the stagnation of the lives of his sons, Biff and Happy, and his attempt to cling to the memory of his older brother, Ben, all culminate into one of the greatest tragedies ever told. Willy’s failure, at the hands of his own belief in the American Dream, a set of values instilled not only in him but also in the world around him, results in one of the most complex, and yet the most simple tragic protagonists in literature, which makes his final decision, that he is worth more in death than in life, all the more heartbreaking.

Working with such brilliant material, it is hard to go wrong, but, just the same, it is difficult to make it better, something which the play’s directors, Miss Trepanier and Dr Pryce, very much achieved. Of course, a huge amount of credit has to be given to the actors, for their hard work injecting life and soul into their characters with every second on stage. Felix May, as Biff, provided a heartrending portrayal of his character’s wavering nature, between love and hate for his father. Tina Abashidze’s Linda gave a nuanced and profound interpretation of her tragic

love for her husband, Jasper Gregory’s Happy presented the restless and desperate nature of his desire for his father’s attention, and Theodore Casimir-Lambert’s Ben perfectly conveyed the illusion of the American Dream that Willy so hopelessly chased. Additionally, Henry Smith as Bernard, Eli Joseph as Charlie, Austin Burks as Howard and Bianca Marquis as the Woman all gave immaculate performances, demonstrating the level of care and precision the entire cast had put into the play.

But the star of the show was Rufus Goodman, playing Willy Loman. Watching him walk out onto the stage in the first scene, it was astonishing to see how much he had transformed himself for the character. His switches between an older and younger form, his anger, spite and desperation, as well as his complete belief in the value of anything being achievable in the land of the free all worked in tandem to create one of the greatest performances that I have ever seen.

Lighting and sound were also used throughout the production, both to present different times and places, as well as to blur the lines between illusion and reality, utilising green and blue washes throughout, as well as both bright and dark spotlights to create contrasting moods and atmospheres. The interplay of lighting and sound helped to transport the audience

seamlessly from one scene into the next, whether casting a bright light to show the hopefulness of the past, an ethereal glow to evoke a dreamlike, illusory state, or the use of the audio recorder as a portrayal of how Willy cannot keep up with innovation, the sound and lighting complemented the production massively.

In a time of heightened divisions, economic slumps, and a world that, like Willy, just does not seem to be able to get back onto its feet, Death of a Salesman is an extremely important piece of writing, and this production did more than bring it to life. It went above and beyond in its portrayal of characters, themes, and stories, and demonstrated the dangers of denial and ignorance, something that, over 70 years after its first performance, is still important today. ❚

The Recluse

Eli Joseph

After a year of anticipation for St Paul’s next Viita prize-winning production, The Recluse, finally arrived at the Milton Studio. Theo Frankel’s work gave the audience a captivating show about three siblings attempting to escape a hotel room. Filled with mystery and conflict — it did not disappoint.

The performance was headed by the talented trio of Austin Burks, Henry Smith and Adam Seydo. Burks brilliantly captured the different facets of Jack — oscillating between violent aggression and genuine weakness, showing Jack’s superficial confidence and profound insecurities. Smith starred as Alex with many visceral monologues and moments of genuine frailty, crafting an incredibly lifelike character which resonated strongly with all younger siblings in the room. His climactic ending of the play, burying Jack through covering Burks in mountains of clothes (which he impressively laid still under) left the audience with a mixture of fear for the future, yet also admiration at Jack’s resilience. Seydo gave a beautiful portrayal of Sadie — imbuing her with a sense of mystery and placing her effectively as a mediator of the confrontational relationship between the two brothers. His exit from the play mid-way left the audience genuinely caring for Sadie’s future — a sign of the emotional bond formed during the performance.

The age-old SPS combination of Yusaf Hassan and Aidan Wong headed the lighting and sound for the show. A brilliant (almost supernatural) opening sequence immediately drew the audience into the claustrophobic space of the play — creating an intimate atmosphere and allowing the audience to deeply connect with the chaotic minds of Frankel’s creations. Scene transitions were also made smooth with lighting and sound segments blurring the timeframe of the play. Yusaf’s lighting work also had moments of creative symbolism — darkening the studio all together after Alex’s panic attack became increasingly intense.

Frankel took on the design of the play and triumphed with resounding success. The bed acted as the focal point for the action, with characters moving underneath at all times possibly as an escape from the intense confinement of the hotel room. The stage was also crowded with multiple household items — symbolically representing the chaos of the sibling’s

minds. The play was beautifully concluded with a striking image of Jack submerged under piles of clothing — resembling an unusual yet impactful funeral image. Smith cleared the stage of its detritus, leaving us with perhaps an image of positive optimism as the chaos was removed. The Recluse carefully toed the line between absurdism and a striking realistic family drama. It was plagued with mystery, as the sibling’s father remained an absent figure from the play, while the previous trauma Jack experienced was also left unclear to the audience. Mental illness was also explored, as the impacts of confinement and abusive relationships were heightened through the three siblings. Most of all, it painfully yet accurately captured the troubled power dynamics of an incredibly dysfunctional family.

The balance of mystery, absurdism and heart-wrenching realism reflected Frankel’s brilliant success in crafting a superb SPS Viita Prize-winning play. ❚

The Visit

Tamash Raaj

After a long summer’s day, I went with one of my friends on a Saturday evening to watch the final night of the much talked about and much anticipated junior production: “The Visit ”. With my expectations already extremely high, the standard of the production was stellar and blew all those expectations through the roof of the Dorfman Theatre.

Once I sat down, I was taken aback by the incredible set design. It was set in a naturalistic style with expressionistic elements with multiple smooth and coherent scene changes throughout the play. There were two adaptive light-controlled signs on either side of the stage, which intelligently showed the audience where the scene took place whilst not taking attention away from the whimsical physical theatre that took place on the stage. All of this stunning artwork could not have been possible without Raphaella Phillcox and the technical team of Lauren and Dan, who work day in, and day out to create the world we, the audience, were so immersed in.

After an absence, Claire Zachanassian returns to her hometown, Guellen. She has amassed a fortune in her time away, while the town has begun to crumble after decades of neglect. Claire comes armed with an offer: a large sum of money to rescue the town, in exchange for the murder of one of its citizens. This powerful and profound tragicomedy, one of the most significant works of twentieth-century German-language theatre, was performed by a talented cast of fourth and fifth-form actors.

Working with such brilliant material, it is hard to go wrong, but, just the same, it is difficult to make it better, something which the play’s directors, Ms Mazur and Atom Lucenet, very much achieved. The characters were portrayed brilliantly. When needed the actors were absolutely hilarious and left the audience in stitches and in others, showing great emotion and passion in the tragic scenes. Shining above all when it came to giving the audience a laugh were the four men, played by Theo Emmerson Miller, Rafael Modiano, Arie Sabbah, and Vansh Rathi. The doctor, who was played by Freddie Snowball, had the audience (and the man sitting on my left) belly-laughing after his quick asides and snippets of direct address. Louis Kleinwort, who

was the Priest, was involved in an emotional and arguably the most tragic scene in the play, where Albert Ill was told that he will be assassinated for the good of the people of Guellen. He stood above the rest of the ensemble with power, thus demonstrating the way in which corruption rules above morality in moments of desperation. Additionally, Claire’s band of misfits, including her husbands, all played by Luca Masera, and her two (eunuch) bodyguards named Roby and Toby, played by Ollie Hughes and Seb Brown. The whole cast of characters were excellent and it was very difficult to pick only a few to mention since they all put so much passion and hard work for this production. They should all be very proud of themselves.

The two stars of the show, Tiger Wang and Tom Bonomini (playing Claire Zachanassian and Alfred Ill respectively), played their two characters with such devotion and dedication and it truly showed. Claire’s entrance was foreboding and ominous and was further enhanced by Tiger’s emotionless expression and proper posture. Throughout the play, he made the audience feel something, whether it be disgust at the atrocities performed by his character or pure unadulterated

joy in one of his many moments of sheer comedy. Alfred Ill continues this trend where Tom Bonomini portrays the confusion and paranoia Albert experiences from the point at which Claire arrives in Guellen to his death. He does this through a series of vocal changes, and physical alterations. This is seen as most powerful in the third scene where he notices that everybody has got new yellow shoes,

thus signifying the fact that the mayor, played by Hoa-Tinh Le, took up the offer proposed by Claire and has ordered the assassination of Alfred. Lighting and sound were used effectively throughout the play. A huge well done to the production manager, Dan Staniforth, and the rest of the technical team for the wonderful and whimsical world they created with no words said. At many points throughout the show, there were moments of flashing lights, to symbolise the train and its importance in the play. It’s moments of silent storytelling like this that make the medium of theatre so incredible.

Beyond the two leads, it’s the very definition of an ensemble production. Laurie Shepherd and Guy Parker make strong impressions as the elderly schoolteacher with a moral sense and the policeman who sees things similarly, but also rather enjoys the idea of material wealth. It was, in my humble opinion, a flawless evening, and the sheer scale of the production just enhances the brilliance in the dramatic writing of Friedrich Dürrenmatt.

It was an incredible experience and I was honoured to write a report on such a transcendent production. ❚

TheatreFX

As my first year as St. Paul’s Theatre Technician, it has been a pleasure to watch the professionalism and creativity of TheatreFX first-hand, with so many getting involved throughout the year at all levels.

October’s 6th Form show, Stuff by Tom Wells, had lighting design by me, operated by Joseph Sternberg, with Reuben Ovington as Sound Designer, and Anish Gottipaati operating. This small-scale, high-energy production set the stage for a colourful year in St Paul’s Drama.

The Winter’s Tale had an almost entirely pink set, and gave Yusaf Hassan the challenge of lighting without echoing last summer’s blockbuster; Aidan Wong curated a 70’s country soundtrack including the formidable Dolly Parton, and Theo Frankel assisted our designer

Raffaella Philcox with costumes, hair and make-up. LX was operated by Finn Clapham, with Reuben Ovington returning to operate the sound. The Winter’s Tale also gave TheatreFX a chance to spread Stage Management wings, with Atom Lucenet taking charge of scene-changes, including setting a caravan and a beach bar. Atom led Assistant Stage Managers Bolang Sun and Noah Shin in their first senior show as crew.

TheatreFX Chiefs Yusaf and Aidan led the way for the 8th form show, Death of a Salesman, both designing and operating Lights and Sound respectively, with Theo once again assisting hair and make-up. DOAS showcased the skills of our chiefs, looking and sounding like a professional piece of work that perfectly highlighted the performances of the actors.

To round the year off, Junior Production The Visit by Durrenmatt directed by our new Head of Academic Drama, Ms Mazur, set a darkly comic stage. A fun, tragicomic play that pushed my creative skills as Lighting Designer; a role I haven’t undertaken before, and have thoroughly enjoyed. Joseph Sternberg operated Lighting and Anish Gottipaati Sound, Bolang Sun and Noah Shin took Stage Management control and worked excellently together.

Thank you to everyone who has been to see a show this year. We look forward to welcoming you back to Drama next year. ❚

Autumn Concert

Thomas Evans

One of the musical highlights of the school calendar, the Autumn Concert began with a fine original composition by Mark Wilderspin, ‘not yet a breach, but an expansion…’ composed in 2012 and receiving its St Paul’s School première. This attractive work, inspired by the Japanese concept of Jo-Ha-Kyū gave the Symphony Orchestra a rousing work-out as it built to a thrilling final section. Haolin Zhao then treated us to a stunning performance of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto supported by some extremely sensitive playing from the Symphony Orchestra. This work presents such technical and musical challenges both for the soloist and the orchestra, yet for Haolin this seemed well within his comfort zone! With his effortless virtuosity and profound musical insights, he really inspired the orchestra to accompany him with a superb and memorable rendition, and we all (orchestra and conductor alike) felt very privileged to work with him on this wonderful piece.

The Chapel Choir provided a fitting contrast at the start of the second half with a couple of short gems, Harris’ ‘Behold Now Praise the Lord’, and William Byrd’s glorious ‘Ave Verum’, directed by Mr Fairbairn. With lush English Renaissance polyphony ringing in our ears, the concert then concluded with Beethoven’s sensational Symphony No. 5 played with great energy and commitment by the Chamber Orchestra. Haolin dutifully dusted off his violin to lead the orchestra for this performance, and as the finale galloped towards its glorious conclusion, I was in no doubt what a joy it is to work with such a talented and committed bunch of musicians. ❚

Chapel Choir

Mark Wilderspin

As usual, it has been a busy year for Chapel Choir. As well as the weekly eucharists on Wednesday mornings, there have been a variety of other concerts and services which we have taken part in. The first major event of the year was the Joint Concert with SPGS in September, with performances of Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb and Lili Boulanger’s Vieille prière bouddhique

In November, we had an in-school evensong on the 1st followed by a performance in the Autubbcmn Concert on the 22nd. On the 3rd of December, three U8th members of Chapel Choir (Billy Davies, Charlie Kenny, and Thomas Wong) joined the Colet Choral Society for their performance of Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light Requiem, accompanied by SPS Camerata. This was followed by the Christmas carol service on the 7th and more carol singing on the last day of the Autumn term.

Spring Concert

Thomas Evans

In February, we sang evensong in St Paul’s Cathedral with SPGS and SPJ for the OP Feast Service.

In March, St Paul’s Consort performed the 2nd part of Thomas Tallis’ The Lamentations of Jeremiah at the A Cappella Concert. This was joined by performances of Hear My Prayer O Lord by Purcell and No Surprises by Radiohead from the joint a cappella group. ❚

The Spring Concert, squeezed into the very beginning of the Summer term before students go on study leave, is a summation of a good deal of hard work which takes place in the Spring term. This year we again fielded a typically ambitious and varied programme of orchestral music, beginning with Baroque Ensemble, who treated us to a very stylish rendition of Handel’s E minor Concerto Grosso Op 6/3. This had elegance and energy in equal measure and our fine collection of Baroque bows were put to good use in the performance directed expertly from the chamber organ by Mr Fairbairn. The Chamber Orchestra began with Mozart’s bright and breezy ‘Marriage of Figaro’ overture, directed with panache by Mr Wilderspin, followed by Chopin’s youthful Piano Concerto No. 2, played brilliantly by Michael Tao. Michael gave such a compelling virtuoso performance that at times we could be forgiven for thinking we had a professional soloist in our midst – it was astonishing playing. The orchestra accompanied with delightful sensitivity, supporting Michael’s musicianship at every turn.

In the second half, the Symphony Orchestra tackled Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. This epic work is a colossal challenge, and in true Pauline style, many rose to this with flying colours. Special shoutouts to Nayan Shah and his sterling trumpet section who opened the piece with a terrifying fanfare. The woodwind section had some beautifully played and extremely exposed solos, including Lawrance Ma on flute, Raphael Hibou on clarinet and Deniz Ozdonoren on bassoon. Nathan Bottomley was rock-solid on timpani, and Nadim Cortas stole the show with his superb cymbals playing in the last movement. Our youthful trombone section featured two fourth-formers, Rafael Modiano and Jacob Flax, who between them made a great sound which bodes well for the future! Haolin Zhao led the orchestra with astonishing maturity, and our string section principals Moxuan Liu, Charlie Shaw, and Altan Mardin will be much missed next year. Overall, a scintillating performance and proof, if it were needed, that our instrumental music-making is alive and well! ❚

Music Society

Charlie Shaw

This was my second year of running Music Soc and I enjoyed it even more than the first. My personal highlights over the last two years include Mr Wilderspin’s LGBT+ History Month presentation last year on Wendy Carlos, a synthesiser pioneer and the first transgender recipient of a Grammy, as well as our collaborations with Sci-Fi & Fantasy Society. This year, there have been a wide variety of presentations, from Jamie Zheng’s High Master’s Prize presentation on traditional Chinese opera to an insightful presentation from the 4th form members of Music Soc on the history of the recorder. In October, to celebrate Black History Month, Mr Wilderspin gave a moving presentation on the importance of female artists in 1960s American Soul Music. In November, I talked about the music of Rings of Power. Despite my mixed opinions on the series itself, the music is incredible, with the composer Bear McCreary skillfully recreating the atmosphere of Howard Shore’s score for the Lord of the Rings trilogy despite being contractually unable to use any of the same themes.

Sadly, we are saying goodbye to Mr Fairbarin this year. He has been extremely helpful with organising, and often giving, presentations and we wish him all the best. ❚

Battle of the Bands

Nathan Bottomley

At 6pm on the 27th of February hundreds of Paulines, Paulinas, families and friends congregated into the SPS Atrium eager to see what the 12 bands performing had to offer and who would come out victorious in the Joint SPS & SPGS Battle of the Bands Final 2024.

The process began in September when the prefect Battle of the Bands Committee, together with SPGS, was decided. With a few changes to format chosen, namely introducing a time limit for sets and removing the requirement for original songs, the excitement was growing. A brief mention in a Friday briefing and posters littered around schools helped the bands know it was coming and soon enough the Wathen Hall was littered with practising bands.

Deciding the judges was crucial and so huge thanks must go to the legendary old School Captain and music extraordinaire George Davies alongside the equally famed Soryoung Han, founder of the Joint Battle of the Bands, and Dr Patrick of SPGS. Their insights, judging and good humour cannot go overlooked.

All the bands auditioned demonstrated huge potential and it was no easy feat to pick the finalists so credit must go to all the bands that took the initiative to sign-up. However, when the day came there remained only 12 bands, composed of SPS, SPGS and mixed bands. Billy Davies and Hannah Wisemen, who were compères for the evening, did a fantastic job throughout the night but the evening came to a dramatic opening with the SPGS band ‘Heart Shaped Sunglasses’ with their particularly memorable entrance, fashion and performance overall! Every band that followed, with feedback from the judges and interviews by Billy and Hannah in between, delivered incredible sets that forced the audience to admire, sing along or both!

However, special credit must go to the 5th form band ‘Plain Passion’ who performed an original song ‘The Unrecognised’ with Nima Daneshvar and the whole band showing huge confidence and music-making ability, especially competing against legendary songwriters like Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse. ➦

With Eshan Hall putting in a double shift, his first band, ‘Blank Point’, put in a sublime contrasting rendition of Stereophonics and Kiwanuka numbers. Eshan also featured, playing a different instrument, for ‘Mind the Gap Years’ who performed an enchanting rendition of ‘Now and Then’ by the Beatles and Darshy Pandey also showed his versatility as he entrancingly sung the country tune ‘Friends in Low Places’.

The girls band ‘SPGotSoul’ delivered a chaotic but stunning medley and ‘La Mechante’ delivered a breathtaking rendition of ‘Linger’ by The Cranberries that would give Royal Otis a run for their money. With the audience now on their feet and front and centre in Glastonbury-esque scenes the U8th band ‘Doppler’ were the final band to go and successfully delivered a climatic finale to the evening with many superfans there to support.

Although the U8th band ‘The Lickers’ – who performed a four song mashup – were eventually declared winners, the evening showcased the depth and breadth that St Paul’s has to offer on the music scene and credit has to go to all the bands that performed, creating a very memorable evening for all.

Thanks to the Events and Catering team for their help in facilitating the evening. Thanks must also go to Miss Douglass, Dr Evans and the entire Music Department for their help in organising the evening as well as auditions and rehearsals for many bands. Thanks also go to Billy, Hannah and Emily for the organisation of what turned out to be a hugely successful event – long live Joint Battle of the Bands! ❚

We were barely a week into this academic year before pupils were demonstrating their talent and enthusiasm in the Edward Thomas Prize poetry lectures: presenting on work they had completed independently over the previous summer holiday. From this point on, engagement with literature, writing across multiple forms, and a range of society events, competitions and joint literature classes with SPGS has been continuous and energetic. Below is a round-up of a few of these disparate activities, including, as usual, selected excerpts from the department’s upcoming creative journals. If you enjoy what you read of these, do keep an eye out for the publication of Areo and Pandæmonium early in the new year.

Though it has not been possible to name everyone who has contributed to the academic and extra-curricular programme this year, I would like to express the department’s gratitude to pupils across all year groups whose infectious enthusiasm and consistent engagement with literature beyond lessons and the syllabus makes teaching such a privilege and pleasure for us all.

Senior English Society

An Overview of the Year, by Henry Smith

Senior English Society has once again seen another year of fascinating literary analysis and involved critical discussion. Under the keen eyes of Ms. Warner, Dr. Pryce, and Ms. Trepanier, we covered a broad and complex array of topics, from reinterpreting Chaucer through to the rise of Ecocriticism. It would appear that few stones were left unturned, yet as is so often the way with literature, there will no doubt be much more to discover next year.

Each week involved a new point of focus, ranging from crash courses on entire topics or genres, through to critical deep dives into particular authors and works. The lovely department staff always appeared to have something on hand for us to discuss, and even if you hadn’t touched the author mentioned and had no prior knowledge of a topic discussed, the presentations were always cohesive and informative, and, most importantly, made you think. You walked out of every session, feeling that you had learned something, a further notch of criticism or analysis on the belt. Though no two presentations were the same, and none left us feeling dissatisfied, some talks I feel deserve particular attention.

From the staff, we began the year with Ms. Warner’s exploration of Romanticism, looking at the concept of the “fading coal” and Shelley’s “Burr of Self”, an enlightening discussion of identity and the division between author and work. This was followed by Dr. Pryce’s discussion of her PhD on Hauntology in children’s literature, looking at the underpinnings of interpretation, how these affect our perception of works, and how this differs for children. Miss Trepanier provided insight into the benefits of reading Jane Austen, focusing in particular on Persuasion, my personal favourite, and how Austen’s unique style is still influential today.

However, everyone knows how wellread the department is, so in many ways more notable were the student-led discussions and how adept and involved they were. We heard Rufus Goodman talk on masculinity and Men writing Men, focusing on how authors tend to distance themselves from their own characters, but in trying to do this often end up creating the opposite effect. Eli Joseph provided a run-down of a personal favourite book of his, A Little Life, and its presentation of suffering and trauma through the lens of shame and anxiety

in a non-linear narrative. Theo Frankel dove into the development of trans literature, how it has developed and been moulded by societal perceptions over many years. Enyu Hu then examined how madness was presented across different mediums, from the sympathetically comedic character of Don Quixote, to the more terrifying and eldritch depictions of H.P. Lovecraft. Daniel Harden provided an in-depth analysis of Medieval Literature, including the lost art of the illuminated manuscript, and its continuing impact on culture today. And finally, Henry Smith and Sasha Georget-Roukline took us through the art of storytelling, why we do it, and its societal importance, with a special focus on Calvino’s cryptic narrative, Invisible Cities

From start to finish, the year has been jam-packed with analysis and investigation of a diverse array of literature and ideas. Here’s looking forward to another year of intrigue and exploration. ❚

The Edward Thomas Prize Poetry Lectures

Saturday, 9th September saw the return of the English Department’s annual poetry lectures, with five speakers from the Lower and Upper Eighth presenting on poets of their choice. There was a pleasing and impressive variety in the selections of this year’s participants, with poems in disparate forms from different periods, together providing an eclectic array of voices and ideas.

Rufus Goodman’s polished and wellstructured presentation guided us through Dylan Thomas’ ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’, a passionate and moving imagined address to a father near death, through which the experiences of the dying and the living are placed both in tense dialogue and antagonistic confrontation.

Though this was the most well-known of all five poems, the lecture was novel and engaging in its reading, particularly in its exploration of how natural imagery is harnessed by the poet to convey to us the otherwise obscure perspective of a man confronting the brink of his existence.

Christina Rossetti’s ‘In an Artist’s Studio’ was the focus of the second lecture. Just like a Pre-Raphaelite canvas, something more sinister and troubling seems to lurk under the ornate, attractive surface of this poem: a superficial ‘prettiness’ that points to more murky depths, at the same time as it sheens them from direct view.

Frederick Websper was as methodical as he was insightful in digging out the disturbing undertones of this intricate sonnet, framing his reading through an impressive variety of social, biographical and cultural-aesthetic contexts.

In ‘Chaplinesque’, Hart Crane chooses to bring a considerable degree of abstraction and poetic ambiguity to his exploration of a cultural icon who, on the surface at least, may seem relatively unambiguous.

This is a difficult poem, constructed as it is through an insistent juxtaposition of self-consciously opaque imagery. Mani Collins did not shy from the complexities here, moving sequentially through these twists and turns, guiding us as readers through Crane’s exploration of the strange yet compelling model of humanity Chaplin’s endearing silliness projects.

Up next was the rise-and-fall-andquest-again narrative kaleidoscope of Bob Dylan’s ‘Tangled Up in Blue’. It is difficult to know how to approach these lyrics from an analytical perspective, something Max Swinnerton rightly acknowledged from the outset by noting that Dylan would probably hate what he was about to do.

That said, his approach of offering attractively open-ended readings of the various threads of experience the text brings together was thought-provoking, and avoided foreclosing on overall meaning in a way that the songwriter would surely appreciate. Through these observations the lecture framed effectively the song’s strange tone of purgatorial optimism and its disorienting mix of nostalgia and disenchantment, listlessness and adventure.

Edward Thomas, OP

Christina Rossetti, sketched here by her brother Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Bob Dylan, recording Blood on the Tracks (the album on which ‘Tangled Up in Blue’ appears)

Daniel Harden brought the lectures to a close with his sensitive close reading of Andrew Motion’s ‘Fresh Water’. Like the river that lends the poem its form and thread, the placidity of the poet’s earlier memories veil more troubling currents that emerge as the text’s autobiographical vignettes meander downstream.

Memory here is a flowing-over and a dredging, a simultaneous veiling and sifting, and Daniel’s focus on moments of poetic ingenuity and linguistic flair were effective in uncovering the subtleties that underlie the poem’s beguilingly jejune surface.

I would like to express again my gratitude to this year’s participants. A short lecture, especially when presenting on material and ideas an audience has not encountered before, is a particularly challenging form of public-speaking; there’s a real art to concisely and engagingly introducing a text and then developing a clear and precise reading.

Every one of this year’s lectures made clear the speaker’s passion for their chosen work, and each provided insight and eloquent reflection. However, to my mind, there were two lectures that stood out in particular for their clarity, and out of these two, one that further impressed with its breadth of engagement in such a brief allotted time. ❚

The Milton Prize Essay Competition

The Milton Essay Prize is awarded annually for an original piece of writing, in any form, that explores a connection between Greco-Roman antiquity and English Literature. There are two awards available for the best submissions from the Middle School and Eighth Form.

Areo & Pandæmonium

The school’s two creative journals are published annually. Pandæmonium prints a selection of work submitted by 4th form pupils for their end-ofyear Creative Portfolios, whilst Areo publishes creative writing from across all years in the Senior School.

With thanks to Daniel Harden, Theo Frankel, Tiger Wang, Louis Kleinwort and Jevan Jogiya for the following preview from the upcoming editions. ❚

The runner-up of this year’s Edward Thomas Prize Poetry Lectures: Rufus Goodman

This year’s winner: Frederick Websper

This year saw a range of erudite and original independent work submitted for consideration, the quality of which made the task of judging entries particularly tricky. After considerable deliberation, the Middle School prize was awarded to Sammy Assael-Francis, for a thoughtful and engaging exploration of the influence of Greek tragedy on Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. This year’s Eighth Form winner was Theo Frankel, who presented a carefully researched and intricate analysis of the significance of Hellenic allusion in the poetry of John Keats. Special mention must also go to Frederick Websper for his highly original exploration of the connection between the figure of Dido in Virgil’s Aeneid and the poetic voice in the lyrics of Taylor Swift, an essay that was as provocative as it was erudite and engaging. ❚

An illustration from William Blake’s work, Milton: A Poem

Areo 2024, cover art by Will Freebairn

Pandæmonium 2024, cover art by Inigo Conolly

Overwrought (an excerpt)

Daniel Harden, U8th

The houses were beginning to blur together, as was the conversation of his family members. The seventh petty argument of the day, ending in yet another undone stitch of the mental tapestry of idyllic relaxation that ‘holiday’ was supposed to bring. If Claude had looked up instead of staring at the ice in the bottom of the glass and willing himself to teleport back home, he might’ve appreciated the intricate stone motifs on the street’s houses above the pastel-painted windows, or the diffuse mountain range of pink clouds framing the end of the street. He might have noticed the gargoyle hiding between the shadows of the houses’ quaint architecture. But then again, he was only nine years old. Children aren’t always the most perceptive.

It grew too tiring to bear, and so he ran away, the adrenaline and fear nourishing him than the restaurant dinner was ever going to. The obvious place to run for a child in a foreign city with no map, was, naturally, the sea. It came into view as if it was a mirage or optical illusion, the road ahead seeming to stretch into nothingness before rounding out towards the ribbon of patina-blue. He reached the bench, panting, attracting the curious glance of the old bearded man playing the accordion to the seagulls for spare change, but no one else; there are stranger things than a sandy-haired boy sitting alone on a bench. The sun danced on the pale water in icy rivulets of light. It was the early evening, and the water shone with ribbons of pale gold while the air was saturated with a decisive peace, a collective decision everybody had made to enjoy themselves that Claude was on his way to destroy.

The bridge he ran over was strung with padlocks on every square millimetre. Some were dated recently, but some were dated from 2004, 1983, 1979, even 1962… those names were rusted over, and barely visible, but still there. They were like five hundred jewels, each of them glinting in the hazy afternoon, invaluable vaults containing multitudinous stories of youth and love. Claude crossed past them quickly, before coming to sit by the sea.

In the distance, a group of children were doubling over in laughter by the water’s front. Claude, still exhausted and electrified with miserable adrenaline, watched them from a distance. One of them jumped into the shimmering ocean from the edge, and the others followed suit, pushing each other in. Claude felt his insides knotting up in the familiar, well-worn way.

One of the kids looked up at him with a curious expression. Claude looked away, embarrassed, and it dawned on him that he had been furtively watching strangers.

But as usual, there were more pressing concerns. His parents would’ve noticed his absence, and even now would be marching through the streets of Helsinki on an unalterable mission to continue his life in their shape.

A moment of passion had been creeping up on him all that time, like the deafening rattle of an overhead helicopter.

If these kids I’ll never see again can jump in the water, why can’t I? Still fully clothed, he dived straight into the water, and was already too far beyond the ribbed surface to hear the shocked exclamations of the adults left behind on the shore.

At first, it was surreal. Then it grew terrifying, and then finally it phased into unadulterated excitement, the precise kind that one leaves behind in childhood. The water was already descending far further than he knew was probable, and the tranquil patina surface rapidly gave way to a murky darkness. The surface above rapidly became as high above as the roof of a cathedral, rippling and shifting like a glassy roof of unending blue and white. He wouldn’t stop swimming, even when the water around him might as well have been oil threatening to burst his ears, and the darkness made it feel like he was swimming through deep space. Every metre further he went made him want to touch the bottom more.

Without warning, he came tumbling through the water and plummeted down, viciously fast, not even leaving time for a last thought.

When he came to, he was on the bank of a colossal river’s promenade. The quick death he had been half-expecting had not been delivered, as promised; instead, he was on the stone edge of the water, on a shelf not so unlike the one he had just left. In front of him was a colossal, gleaming silver bridge stretching over the river.

Glittering in the oil lamps’ puckering glow, the entire bridge’s body, stretching high above the water in intricate metal flourishes, floral designs and indecipherable inscriptions, was coated with an innumerable number of padlocks covering every spare inch of the railings. There were so many that the wrought iron spirals and swirls were obscured, and they hung down below the bridge like metallic reeds, connected to each other in chains where there was no other space left. They even populated the railings along the deep navy river, the thickest padlocks secured around the metallic trunks of the sputtering yellow lamp-posts that weakly punctured the oily darkness.

As more and more of the image came to him, it felt like the moment in a nightmare when the shapes gained clarity. A huge, grinning face like a gargoyle, distantly reminiscent of the face Claude had seen carved from stone on the building from above water, sat squarely in the centre of the bridge. It now leered over him with a carnivorous grin… ❚

Compliments

Theo Frankel, L8th

Watch those who give compliments as currency. They clutch on false beliefs, ‘Praise corrupts and weakens’, but they seek debt, gratitude, to hold power over those that hope for favours.

And others, mothers, who give compliments to fuel greed. They seek a reminder ‘Return kindness upon me’, but they don’t see beauty, praiseworthy features, only what is needed to staunch the need themselves.

I sit, balanced either way, satiate beauty and bias, hoping the sea washes my indecision away.

Now

Tiger Wang, 4th

When I look at the scoundrels in government: The cow-handed pillocks and cretins. The excess of the elite, With their posh-boy Etonian upbringing, That failed to teach them good judgement.

The tycoons in Silicon Valley, and the Greasy-haired fools on Wall Street. Who tap away on their keyboards, Reducing the world to numbers. It feels uncanny: as if

The little world of oldThe honesty, The simplicity, The peaceful, civilised, sensible worldHas finally gone cold.

A bag of sweets for a ha’penny, Little Henry Hoover and family, Cobbled streets, Squat little Minis, Glistening black Bentleys,

Family excursions to Blackpool, With little Arthur and Mary sitting in the back. Sunday roast dinner with the neighbours, And the little post office on the street corner, Where moustachioed Jim sat on that stool…

It’s all gone so fast. Jim lies cold in his grave Arthur and Mary (now ACCA qualified) Captives to the monstrous machine of money. But how can this last?

An Economist writer

In an insane asylum somewhere scribbles: “Scrap the green belts: Britain’s green leash.” And I see the nature around me:

Sloping plains, plants, flowers, Kissing gates, babbling brooks, Wildflowers bobbing in the breeze, Trees young and old, Reduced to merely a distraction,

An overtightened string, Against the raving, ravenous Jaws of “Progress”. And whilst I see through their soft, empty words, The world seems blind to their lies.

Or is it just age? Have I become the Knobble-kneed, Grey-haired, Bent-backed, Fusty ancient that we despised in our youth? I don’t know.

They Lie

Louis Kleinwort, 4th

They lie in stiff rowsSheltered, silent, shadowed By frozen angels, cracked Crosses, withered flowers, Creeping weeds. Untruths Are plainly stone-set on crude Façades.

They lie to me in stiff rows: ‘Forever Loved! Forever missed.’

Hazy eyes crowded With weary tears, shrouded Silhouettes lay bouquets. They try not to forget: Pained by fading memories. They will never be free.

For God so loved the world, That He gave His only Son, So that whoever believes in Him Should not perish but have Eternal life

The man wearing white, Confined, but he shines Through a crowd of halfMen, reduced to snivels In tear-soaked black. —Does He tell the truth?

Or stuff they hope to hear? It would be so much easier, It would surely soothe them To believe in Adam, Eden and Eve – maybe Christ (The Holy Baby!) did amongst us go:

Will we ever even know?

Two Poems Inspired by The Tempest

Jevan Jogiya, 4th

I. Ariel’s Last Task

Ariel, spirit of air, Bidden to my every word, Dweller between the blue sky and sea, Where dreams cradle, and storms lie sleeping, Listen.

You are invisible, yet seen; In rustling leaves, ocean’s waves, Whispering in wind, sighing in silhouettes, A servant, noble and brave.

With your song as fresh as Morning’s breath, And touch as silk, You dance upon sands of time, In worlds of uncontrollable magic.

There’s flicker of light, fleeting shade, In the ebb and flow of lies that surround you. You’re a spirit unchained, yet longing to be freed, From the service you finished long ago.

You move with grace and speed, Command the tempest as decreed, A force unseen, yet powerfully felt, In the heart of the storm where confusion is held.

You’re a loyal sprite, A trickster too, Changing forms, from use to use. From beginning to end, from task to task, I’ve had you, Right here, By my side.

In the end, when this final task is done, And my battle finally won, You will rise on wings of light, And vanish, where you choose, in starry night.

II. Sycorax

Sycorax is island’s silent whisper, Her story woven like tapestry, Presence felt, unseen, in every shadow.

Commander of elements, Mother of tempests, fierce and strong, Magic pulses beneath the surface; Beating…

Essence lingering, rooted in trees Voice ringing, in cackles from crows, Spirits disappearing, ensnared by her hands.

Sycorax, whose name still echoes through wind, Power untamed, force unspinned, Whose existence brought endless dread.

She tries to shape the isle from beyond her grave, Sorceress, queen, fierce and more, Her magic: secrets she will forever save.

Her throne, the very air, the sea’s deep blue, Her sceptre, the will to bend, to shape, to brew, Sycorax, the Tempest’s hidden hue. ❚

The Economics department has continued to maintain pupil success in competitions, with two teams of four entering the Institute for Economic Affairs Budget Challenge, and the popularity of our annual partner school Trading Day has continued. Numerous essay competitions have been entered throughout the year, from Harvard to Minds to Northeastern, as well as a new Economics Photo Competition.

The department has also welcomed two new teachers this year – Annabel Ison (from Charterhouse) and Naomi Sandars (from economics consultancy).

Institute for Economic Affairs Budget Challenge (IEA)

A team of Lower Eighth pupils (Ryan Gonsai, Charles Beaufour, Hansei Tan, Adam Zimmerman) were semi-finalists in this year’s national competition.

They produced a 5000-word proposal which analysed the complex situation facing the UK economy and the challenges the government faces.

In addition, they proposed a combination of fiscal and supply-side policy, including a controversial wealth tax. It was outstanding in terms of the accuracy of the analysis, understanding of interest rates and debt, and the clarity of the presentation. ❚

Junior Economics Society

Started last year by two L8, Aditya Jayaram, L8, has continued the society and ensured there is a weekly programme of talks each Wednesday lunchtime for 5th and 6th Form. Supported by fellow L8, Mayur Apte and Arvin Sahota, talks started with a crash course in key economics vocabulary and founding concepts. Various L8 have offered to give talks on a diverse range of topics, from the effectiveness of sanctions to game theory applications to economic thinkers to macroeconomic problems of rising national debt and inflation. Debates have also been organised, such as flat taxes and alternative funding models for the NHS. Each week finishes with a Kahoot Quiz. Special mention to Yichen Yao, 4th Form, who was a regular attendee and quiz winner! ❚

CORE Economics:

Econ Frame photo international high school competition

L8 Economics Research –internal essay competitions

The L8 were set two research tasks in their first year studying economics. Over Christmas, they were asked to examine why free markets fail to address climate change and so expected to research the idea of market failure for the first time independently.

One excellent essay was written by Lachlan Murray, who considered the importance of speed of action and a range of market and government policies.

Perfect Competition is a theoretical market in which suppliers sell homogeneous products to perfectly informed consumers. During my travels in India, I realised that the situation depicted in the photo, a common sight nationwide, provided a near-identical exemplar of this hypothetical structure. The suppliers, the auto-rickshaw drivers, are all positioned together in their dozens, providing an identical service in almost indistinguishable vehicles (bar minor intricacies in exterior design). With competition high, prices are driven down and drivers earn just enough to stay in business but no more. If one driver were to gain a competitive advantage earning more profit, with say a superior location, more drivers would move to this location and drive their profits back down to match the equilibrium price – the cost to supply the service. Although competition may never be perfect outside of the textbook, India’s auto rickshaw market is one of the closest you might find. ❚

Each of the “free market” policies involves some form of government influence. Bargaining requires the establishment of strong property rights and a legal system to enforce contracts; abatement often involves government expenditure to address public goods; and cap and trade schemes obviously need government oversight to set the cap and allocate permits. It is clear therefore that no pure free market strategies to solve climate change exist, likely because no pure free market economies truly exist. Instead of viewing the market as the sole way to address the climate crisis, it should be viewed as a valuable, if limited, tool. There are several other tools available, like taxation and direct regulation. To solve climate change, a combination of these tools should be harnessed. For example, governments could force all firms to regularly release accurate emissions data. While this already exists to an extent in some countries (DEFRA, 2012; Santoro, 2022), the data could be made more visible to consumers to reduce the recurring issues surrounding market failure of non-verifiable and asymmetric information. With this information, consumer demand would force firms to drop their emissions. This example illustrates how government decision-making can be combined effectively with market forces. To conclude, relying on an unrestrained market will not bring about sufficiently quick and widespread change to solve climate change. To tackle this unprecedented crisis, we must use all the economic tools available. ❚

Aditya Jayaram was given an honourable mention for his entry on ‘(Near-)Perfect Competition: India’s Auto Rickshaw.’

Economics Trading Day within West London Partnership

Mixed teams from our ten partner schools came together for their annual interactive trading game run by Deutsche Bank. Teams trade a metal which is in demand from both car manufacturers and jewellers and aims to maximise revenue from trading the metal as well as justify their strategies. 95% of participants said it had helped their understanding of markets.

The game was followed by a talk from Benjamin Nabarro, chief UK economist at US banking giant Citigroup, on the UK economy and tips on preparation for applications to read economics at university. Thank you to Mr Block for all of his work running this. ❚

Equilibrium Student Magazine

Aditya Jayaram and Ryan Gonsai have co-edited this year’s student economics newspaper. Articles have come from SPGS and Partner Schools, including Kensington Aldridge Academy and Hammersmith Academy. ❚

Northeastern University London Essay Competition

Mayur Apte and Ryan Gonsai were both finalists for the economics category and over 5000 submissions were received. The title was: Does the expanding gig economy contribute positively to sustainable economic growth? ❚

Minds Underground™ Essay Competition

3700 students from across the globe entered this competition. Archie Rowland, L8, was highly commended for his essay, continuing the trend of Paulines winning or being a finalist the past two years. ❚

Economics Newsletter

Ryan Gonsai, L8, started a termly economics newsletter this year. Articles have been submitted on a diverse range of topics and also submitted from the L8 and 6th Forms. Ryan Gonsai wrote on the Claudia Goldin’s research which was awarded the Nobel Prize.

It is economically inefficient for jobs to not be assigned to the most qualified and experienced person and if there is a pay difference between gender for the same work, this can lead to women being disincentivised to work. Goldin shows how different factors have influenced (historically and now) the supply and demand of female labour …Her research uses a U-shaped curve to illustrate women’s participation in the labour force over the past 200 years. This clearly showed there was no congruous relationship between economic growth and women’s participation in the labour market. ❚

Joint Economics Society

Ryan Gonsai, L8, also started a new Joint Economics Society with SPGS and partner schools. In its first Spring term meeting, groups of pupils from St Paul’s Boys and Girls considered the problems facing a fictitious new country called WLP in Africa. Macroeconomic data on the country was given and teams were tasked to prioritise their key economic aims and then their key economic policies to achieve these. Each team presented their proposals and other teams challenged them. ❚

John Gritten Prize

Henrik Helsen, L8, entered the economics category of the International Relations Prize, writing on: ‘Can regional economic integration schemes like the European Union offer a model for promoting peace and development in conflict-ridden African nations and LICs, or do specific contextual factors limit their applicability?’ ❚

Geography

The academic year 2023/24 has been a busy one in the Geography department with a huge amount of enrichment activities both in the UK and internationally. Alongside the usual field trip provision which has over 250 pupils engaging in fieldwork beyond the classroom, we also had two international trips running to Switzerland and Lanzarote, the hugely successful reinstatement of the annual Geography Conference and the first full year of the Royal Geographical Society Monday night lecture trips.

Royal Geographical Society Trips

This year saw the launch and roll-out of the new half-termly RGS Monday Night lecture trips. These provided fascinating opportunities for all boys studying geography to attend lectures delivered by world-leading scientists and geographers at the esteemed Royal Geographical Society in South Kensington. This academic year we attended the below lectures with many boys from across the years making the most of this incredible opportunity to enrich their learning.

2nd Oct – ‘Home Fronts of Climate Change’ Professor Rob Wilby

27th Nov – ‘Are countries meeting their climate promises?’ Panel Discussion

5th Feb – ‘Full circle? From extraction to geology as an environmental solution?’ Michelle Bentham

26th Feb – ‘Might AI unleash Earth’s secrets?’ Dr Matthew Blackett

13th May – ‘What has been happening in Iceland?’ Professor Hazel Rymer

Domestic Fieldwork

Our usual suite of six domestic field trips went ahead with great outcomes for the boys as over 250 boys engaged in fieldwork investigating the regeneration of Nine Elms, the changing ecosystems of Richmond Park, the fluvial hydrodynamics of the River Tillingbourne as well as the urban dynamics of the City of London and the Docklands.

Essay Competitions

Congratulations to Aidan Malhotra who this year won the Professor Tony Crook Geography Prize for an essay on public policy as well as first place in the Minds Underground Geography Essay Competition in which he made an excellent case for how he would spend 15 million pounds to help improve a London Borough. This was an excellent essay which sought targeted sustainable innovations in the borough of Tower Hamlets which he had visited during his L8th Geography Field Trip. An extract from this essay with some of his proposals is attached below:

“Drawing inspiration from urban acupuncture approaches, £2 million will initiate public realm placemaking interventions like pedestrian/cycling greenways, public art, and improved recreational spaces along this corridor spine. These enhancements aim to stimulate private investment while embedding sustainability through renewable energy, green infrastructure, and multi-modal accessibility upgrades. To directly combat displacement risks, £3 million will seed a community land trust to acquire properties and convert them into long-term affordable housing and cooperative commercial spaces managed by residents. However, the corridor strategy also risks reinforcing geographic polarisation if benefits do not flow into surrounding areas. Allocating £2 million towards improving multimodal transit connections like new bus routes, bike infrastructure, and pedestrian linkages can help overcome barriers separating disadvantaged neighbourhoods from the corridor’s economic opportunities.”

Geography Sustainability Conference

The Geography Conference in October 2023 was a great success, it was wonderful to see so many pupils, parents and pupils from partnership schools in attendance in the Dorfman Theatre. There is more detail on this on the Geography Society page.

COP 28 Climate Change Week (November 2023)

This year the department marked the COP 28 UN Climate Change conference with a week of events across the school. Boys from across the year groups attended a panel discussion at the Royal Geographical Society on “Are countries meeting their climate promises?” and the Geography department also welcomed Mr Neil Dhot to St Paul’s, Mr Dhot is the Executive Director of the sustainable water company Aqua Fed and he gave an interactive and engaging talk on how the climate crisis impacts water crises around the world with a focus on developing economies. ❚

International Trips

Lanzarote – October 2023

Mr Poynter, Mr Isaac, Mr Troen and Dr Field accompanied 40 5th and 6th form boys to the volcanic canary island of Lanzarote during the October half term. This trip provided an incredible opportunity to witness and study the human and physical processes of a volcanic island in the 21st Century. Our excursions took us through the remarkable Timanfaya National Park and the Montanas del Fuego, this incredible landscape of volcanoes and lava flows left a lasting memory on both boys and staff, a highlight was visiting the Refugio de Tinechiedo high up on the flank of a volcano this local restaurant uses the magma chamber in the heart of the volcano to barbeque its food. The trip allowed us to explore the economic diversity of this unique island with visits to the incredible vineyards where pits of volcanic ash are the incongruous home to millions of vines for the Lanzarote’s burgeoning wine industry. The boys were able to walk through kilometres of subterranean lava tubes and see how tectonic processes operate from inside and underneath the volcanoes but also how the islanders have been able to tastefully cater for tourists through the development of lava tubes and bubbles into venues, restaurants and even two concert halls. ❚

5th and 6th form geographers exploring the Lava tubes of the Cueva de Los Verdes deep underneath the Corona Volcano in Lanzarote.

Volcanos and vineyards – 5th and 6th for Geography field trip to Lanzarote

Geneva – July 2023

In July 2023 Mr Poynter and Miss Warner led the humanities trip to Geneva. This trip was blessed by wonderful weather and our hotel, a short walk from Lac Leman in central Geneva was an ideal base for us to explore the city and local area. 17 Pupils from the L8th accompanied the trip and had the unique opportunity to visit and conduct workshops, interviews, tours and round table discussions at a range of international organisations headquartered in Geneva including the UN High Commission for Refugees, The World Trade Organisation, The Red Cross, The United Nations Development and Environment Programmes and the United Nations at the Palais des Nations. The boys had unique access to observe and learn about the practices and processes of these international organisations from inside their headquarters. Highlights included the opportunity to witness a debate in the central chamber of the UN in which the interests of indigenous communities worldwide were discussed. We were also privileged to be able to interact in a roundtable discussion at the World Trade Organisation in which our boys directly questioned and tested the WTO representatives with typical Pauline flair and ability. ❚

The United Nations Office Geneva– L8th humanities trip to Geneva.

The United Nations Office Geneva– L8th humanities trip to Geneva.

GeogSoc

The GeogSoc team

GeogSoc meets every Monday and the society puts on a variety of different events including geography related games, quizzes, student and external speakers and interactive sessions. This year has been another busy year and events have covered a diverse range of topics in areas such as climate, geopolitics and demography as well as a whole range of other geographical topics.

The Autumn term saw many exciting events which included a talk on the devastating earthquake in Morocco, a documentary and discussion about geographies of racial capitalism which coincided with Black History Month, and a talk in collaboration with EcoSoc on recent flooding events. The highlight of the term however was the annual geography conference which this year was on sustainability. The annual conference was hosted by the committee members before they stepped down and handed over to the new committee. Nat Dembo Shah and Thomas Darke hosted four guest speakers talking about different aspects of sustainability.

Speakers included the SPS young enterprise winning team, Carteras, delegate speakers from LUSH cosmetics discussing LUSH’s sustainable business approach, Dr Michelle De Jongh, director of ESG services at Inspired PLC, and Helen Dewhurst, renewable energy and sustainability analyst at Bloomberg. Guests were treated to an entertaining evening of speakers and discussion.

In the Spring term, the new committee took over and organised a number of events covering a range of geographical issues. One of the highlights included a lecture from Fourth Former, Benedict Lubieniecki, who talked about his recent trip to Antarctica. Other highlights included a talk on the environmental impact of HS2 and EPQ presentations on China’s belt and road initiative and the sustainable future of the aviation industry. ❚

History

Review of the Year

Oliver Wheatley

The pleasure and privilege of working at St Paul’s is that we get to work with such talented pupils. In that spirit, most of the words in this section come from one of them rather than me. I would be remiss, however, if I did not briefly outline at least some of the other successes and highlights of the year.

In no particular order, they include a second prize in the Julia Wood essay competition for Fergus Walsh, with fellow upper eighth Paulines Charlie White, Luke Leventis and Alex Tonkin also Highly Commended. Fergus was also selected to give one of the speeches at Apposition. Esa Dhanani was short-listed for the John Locke essay prize. Miss Milanova led a highly successful Junior History trip to Prague.

Both the Senior and Junior History societies continued to thrive, attracting a wild and wonderful range of presentations from pupils, as well as hearing from distinguished guests such as Bethany Gaunt from the Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre and Dan Jones, the popular mediaeval historian, who offered a packed Monty Room of Paulines a sneak preview of his upcoming biography of Henry V. In their relentless quest to push beyond the confines of the curriculum, a group of lower eighth students, under the expert hand of Professor Irons, have started on a project to dig into the School’s archive and see what treasures they can unearth.

Finally, as with previous years, the pupils have organised and produced a brilliant edition of the History Review, focused this year on world history. My thanks here must go to Miss Milanova for overseeing this, and the pupil editorial team, led masterfully by Aidan Wong, for all their hard work. Enough from me – over to the real stars of the show: the pupils. ❚

Dan Jones speaks to the Senior History Society about his upcoming biography of Henry V.

Junior History Trip to Prague – March 2024

During the Easter break, I was lucky enough to be on the Fifth Form History Trip and visit Prague, the capital of Czechia. In addition to deepening our knowledge of IGCSE topics such as Origins of the Cold War and Soviet control of Eastern Europe.

We spent our 4 action-packed days exploring the plethora of historic buildings in the city. We discovered more about Prague’s rich history by visiting its most famous landmarks, my favourite of which was Prague Castle. Not only is it one of the world’s largest castle complexes, but also one of the oldest – housing important rulers throughout the ages, from its construction in the mediaeval period all the way to the modern day. It was the site of the Defenestration of Prague, which incited the Thirty Years war and, like the rest of the city, boasts truly majestic Gothic architecture. We also

visited the Terezin concentration camp and the Jewish Museum, both of which were sombering experiences and provided us with stark new perspectives on the horrors of the Holocaust.

Our last night in Prague was celebrated with an unforgettable boat tour down the Vltava river, allowing us to enjoy amazing views of this beautiful city. I thoroughly enjoyed this trip as it expanded my knowledge and at the same time I got to have a brilliant time with friends in a special city, just in interpretation but in circumstance across history.

Haris Naser

Fifth form pupils enjoy exploring Prague while staying well clear of windows.

Senior History Society

Aidan Wong, Eli Joseph and Mr Fagan

Every Monday lunchtime, St Paul’s 8th Form historians come together to present on, and discuss, questions and topics far beyond their A level studies. The Senior History Society has continued to thrive this year, with 25 talks and 20-40 attending each week. So many volunteered for the Committee that we chose to divide the academic year in two to maximise participation!

Another year of varied, thought-provoking, student-led talks took place, from English identity under Edward III (C. White) to the Taiping Rebellion (A. Wong); from Magyar literature and 1848 (F. Walsh) to intersectionality under the Ottomans (A. Gao); from Peter the Great (A. Djakovic) to the Taliban (W. Palmer). The SHS had talks tying in with themed weeks such as LGBTQ+ week (History of the HIV crisis, Mr John), Black History Month (British race relations since the start of the 20th century, A. Ellis; Telling Minority History – Y. Hassan) and Holocaust Memorial Day (Persecution of Jews in Iberia –A. Toledano).

We also had talks from teaching staff and two external speakers. Dan Jones (see photo) gave an early glimpse of his upcoming Henry V volume; Marilyn and Chris Nelson spoke about 19th century Native American history ‘Red Cloud and the Indian trader’, a key period of the US civil rights syllabus, with which they had a personal connection and remarkable artefacts.

It is an exciting time to be an SPS historian, and we hope to see the Society continue to go from strength to strength! ❚

Junior History Society

Sammy Assael-Francis and Ben Kooi

Throughout the year, Junior History Society has been meeting on Mondays to discuss topics ranging from the very borders of prehistory, to the context behind many contemporary political situations.

Alongside Ms Milanova’s constant presence as the steady hand guiding the ship, many history teachers have volunteered their lunchtimes to give talks, from Dr Iron’s depth study on the Gettysburg Address to Mr Wheatley’s exploration of the rise of Winston Churchill. We have also had sessions run alongside Senior History Society, with a talk by medieval historian Dan Jones about Henry V’s childhood, and ‘family historians’ Marilyn and Chris Nelson speaking about the history of the Lakota Sioux tribe of South Dakota.

We have seen a consistently large attendance at each meeting, with much of the fifth form rowing squad attending during one of their precious free lunch breaks, alongside keen 4th and 6th formers. This occasionally raucous audience always gives its full attention to the different speakers, and has found the experience enriching and enjoyable. ❚

Popular TV historian Dan Jones with SHS committee members Alex Gao, Aarav Kurdikar, Aleksa Djakovic, Eli Joseph (chair), Theo Trout, Ryan Ng and Charlie White.

Dr Bethany Gaunt delivered a talk on the experience of Jewish refugees in Britain during the Nazi period.

Politics

Much has been written about the fact that 2024 is the Year of the Election, with an estimated two billion people slated to go to the polls (albeit in votes that vary dramatically in democratic integrity). As always, the Politics Department keeps its finger on the pulse and, at the time of writing, I am surrounded by colourful campaign posters ahead of our own mock election on Wednesday 3 July. Given how poorly pollsters have performed in recent years, it would be foolhardy to offer predictions in ink, but it is notable that there is one major party that – at present – is struggling to even attract candidates. A canary in the coal mine? We will have to when the real results are announced on 4 July.

Trips Joint events with SPGS

London was on hand as ever to enrich the A-level curriculum. The upper eighth were invited to join an event at the US Embassy in Nine Elms. Ambassador Jane Hartley opened proceedings before a panel discussion and then breakout sessions. Despite being one of the only secondary schools in attendance – most students were undergraduates – the Paulines held their own in debates on topics as varied as sanctioning Russia and tackling misinformation. In May, the lower eighth pupils spent the morning at the Palace of Westminster. The students were treated to a tour of the building, including, as it was a Monday, some time inside the Commons and the Lords chambers. They then participated in a vigorous debate on the merits of the reintroduction of the death penalty. The Opposition carried the day, doing well to make their case heard in a boisterous chamber. ❚

In line with the School’s wider objective to work more closely with St Paul’s Girls School, there has been a flurry of joint activity including events with Sir Bill Cash and Andy Slaughter, as well as the re-launch of the student-led Joint Politics Society. (My thanks here must go to Theo Casimir Lambert and Luke Magalhaes for all their efforts in getting this off the ground.) Small-group discussions focused on topics as timely as the legacy of Blair’s governments and how climate change should be tackled. The reins have been handed to Max Clapham and Aarav Kurdikar for next year, and with the polls pointing to a new government in the UK and an extremely tight election in the United States, they will have no shortage of things to discuss. ❚

The Mock Election European Youth Parliament

The prime minister ensured the Politics Department had a busy end to the term as the St Paul’s mock election tracked the real one.

Each House represented a constituency. ‘Local’ hustings were held in House Assemblies, with candidates coming from all years. The Friday before (mock) Election Day saw a leaders’ debate in the Atrium. The leaders, all from the lower eighth, were outstanding: all were able to give a full-throated and skilful defence of their party’s positions on the issues.

A special shout-out should go to Eli Joseph for Labour, who had to defend the removal of VAT exemption on school fees, and Dermot Christmas, who was tasked with explaining why the Conservative Party – polling in the low twenties at the time of writing – deserved another term in power. Both acquitted themselves brilliantly. ❚

In March, SPS hosted the South-East Regional heats of this year’s European Youth Parliament competition.

Working in committees, students from twelve schools debated issues that ranged from job protection in a world of AI, tackling youth violence, the cost of living crisis in the EU, protecting marine biodiversity and making cities safer. Two combined teams from SPS and SPGS were involved in the competition, and one of these teams – featuring Aleksa Djakovic, Ben Haile, Zach Joseph, Dhruva Suraj, Tina Abashidze, Cristina Alcover, Ezo Arinc and Rosanagh de Mestre – was selected to go forward to the competition’s national final at Liverpool University in July. In Liverpool, the team worked with fourteen schools from across the UK, putting together resolutions on a range of different topics, including cleaning up the Baltic Sea; using technology to address loneliness; agricultural robotics; rural development; cyber security; small modular reactors in the nuclear energy sector; and combating gender-based online violence. ❚

Henrik Helsen for the Liberal Democrats delivers a well-received closing statement to a packed Atrium as part of the leaders’ debate.

A happy collection of candidates after the Harrison House hustings.

Model United Nations

Judith McLaren

Model United Nations debating continues to grow in popularity at SPS, and this was a busy and successful year. In November, Pauline delegates represented Israel, Saudi Arabia and the Russian Federation at the London Oratory School MUN conference, with Rory Todd and Henrik Helsen winning best delegate prizes, and Henrik, Charles Beaufour and Dermot Christmas also winning best delegation. At the Godolphin & Latymer conference in June, Paulines represented the US, Rwanda and Iran, and Gabe Joseph, Ian Coates, Rohan George and Dhruva Suraj won prizes as best delegate on their committees.

In January, we ran our sixth Model United Nations conference at SPS, this year for the first time as a joint collaboration with students from SPGS. 250 students from 15 different schools, representing 42 different countries, debated a wide range of issues, including prisoner rights in El Salvador, instability in the ‘Coup Belt’ in Africa, the legality of private military companies, reforms to the International Criminal Court, French economic practices in West Africa, sanctions as a means of prompting regime change, and a common policy towards refugees and asylum seekers. The conference ended with a ‘crisis’ debate, focussing on what might happen if uranium deposits were discovered in the central Sahara.

Huge thanks should go to Secretary General Angel Ellis, who was the driving force behind the conference, and to the enthusiastic and hard-working team of SPS/SPGS students who supported him in organisation and management –selecting the topics, researching and preparing the delegate information packs, and chairing the debates: Will Palmer, Xavi Costafreda-Fu, Dermot Christmas, Tony Liu, Fergus Walsh, Jonny Brown, Aidan Wong, Ibrahim Khan, John Moretti, Theo Westcott, Duncan Wong, Alexis Brian, Sam Grosz, Sai Singh Bhatia, Max Swinnerton, Eli Joseph, Anna de Vilder, Nikita Kurgan and Tisya Gaal. Many thanks also to Dr Gaydon, Mr Skidmore and Mrs Budden from SPGS for all their support of this event. ❚

Polecon

We have had a wonderful year of talks at Polecon this year. These have ranged from the High Master’s talk titled “Women who Commit Crimes,” where Mrs Huang analysed popular and media responses to women criminals from a sociological lens, to former cabinet member Greg Clark speaking about his time in government and the biggest issues in UK politics at the moment. There have been countless superb pupil led presentations like Yusaf Hassan’s talk titled “The HIV/AIDS crisis and its lasting impact on the LGBTQ+ community” which was brilliantly researched and eloquently presented. The highlight of the year may well have been the political leaders’ mock debate in June which drew a huge crowd and was a demonstration of political nous, research and immaculate presentation skills. I would like to pay tribute to the outgoing Polecon committee led by Duncan Wong, who did so much to organise talks and ensured the society was well attended. I would also like to congratulate the new committee, led by Max Clapham and comprising of Aleksa Djakovic, Eli Joseph, Dermot Christmas, Aidan Wong, Henrik Helsen and Ryan Gonsai. ❚

Theology & Philosophy

The venerable Pre-U in Philosophy and Theology finally came to an end in June 2023. We taught this expansive syllabus until 2022, replacing it by offering both AQA’s A Level Philosophy and A Level Religious Studies. The academic year 2023-24 was the first year that both qualifications were run in parallel.

Dr Lucie Robathan will join our department from McGill University in September 2024 to help deliver the Religious Studies specification and further promote the study of theology, philosophy and religious studies within the school. She will also help deliver our Moral Philosophy curriculum, which is returning from September 2024 after a three-year hiatus.

Departmental trips this year have visited the Freud Museum in Hampstead as well as the HowTheLightGetsIn philosophy and music festivals. At the Freud Museum, we got an introduction to the thought of Sigmund Freud from a bona fide Freudian out to persuade us, which was very entertaining. We toured Freud’s house, which he fled to from Vienna to escape Nazi persecution, and saw the famous couch where he invented his ‘talking cure’.

At the HTLGI festival in Hay-on-Wye this year, the pupils had the extraordinary fortune of an intimate Q&A with the famous utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer whose name is on our A Level Syllabus. They heard also from, among others, Dr Güneş Taylor, a molecular biologist at the Francis Crick Institute, on the intricacies of human fertility and economics professor Guy Standing arguing the case for a Universal Basic Income.

AI Large Language Models such as ChatGPT have already had a significant impact on our teaching and learning. We decided to trial a new format for our two prize essay competitions in philosophy and theology – the Blumenau Prize (for Years 12 and 13)

and the Moral Philosophy Prize (for Years 9-11). Pupils were given the questions in advance and candidates were asked to prepare to write their essays in a single sitting in the Kayton Library on a Friday afternoon at the end of the spring term. Despite the dauntingness of the task, pupils rose impressively to the challenge and the essays far exceeded our expectations of what could be produced in this format. Congratulations are due to Thomas Monro for a complex analysis of the logic of contradiction and Tiger Wang for his assessment of whether the mind should be conceived as a machine.

In other news, Dr Rufus Duits, Head of Department, published an article in Philosophy Now magazine that attempts to initiate a philosophical consideration of the morality of driving fossil-fuelled cars. ❚

Peter Singer and pupils at the HTLGI festival.

Psychology Society

Another great year for Psychology Society has passed at St. Paul’s School.

This year, we covered a broad range of topics, from eco-anxiety and intuitions, to behavioural psychology and memories. Highlights included lectures by a research fellow at Bath university, a live haggling session, multiple quizzes and the annual trip to the Bethlem Museum of Mind.

Psychology can be seen and applied everywhere in life: improving your communication skills, applying for a job, convincing your parents to not ground you, entering flow states during a nerve-wracking sports match, and more. All of these are things that we have covered this year.

Our society is open to all people of all skill levels and interests.

Whether you are simply curious about a psychological concept, or are planning on doing a research project – we cater to all audiences. Interested in giving a talk?

Simply research your chosen area, be ready to produce a presentation, and apply!

This amazing year can of course be largely credited to our society’s caretaker Dr Gaydon. We must also thank my other Exec members – Sanil, Theo and Luca – as well as the previous Exec who passed the society over to us earlier this year – Arun Gaynor and Charlie Kenney. We look forward to many amazing talks in the coming academic year! ❚

Bethlem Museum of the Mind

Mathematics

5th Form Mathematics Investigations

Andy Ashworth Jones

The teachers in the mathematics department are always looking for ways to give pupils scholarly opportunities beyond the core curriculum topics.

Lessons often develop mathematical ideas well beyond the syllabus but pupils require time to research ideas, then spend time reflecting on what they have read before practising questions and developing a deeper understanding for themselves. They then need the opportunity to discuss ideas with others so their understanding can be scrutinised.

With this in mind, following the summer exams, the top two 5th form (Year 10) sets embarked on a two week investigation into a non-syllabus topic such as fractals, modular arithmetic and infinite series. At the end, each pupil presented their findings. The class asked some searching questions about anything that wasn’t clear. ❚

Here are a few examples of some of the posters.

Cambridge Trip Report

On the morning of Wednesday 19th June, a group of pupils and teachers gathered at King’s Cross station for a trip to visit Trinity College in Cambridge.

Mr Morris and Mr Cullen-Hewitt filled the taxi ride with commentaries on several of the more famous landmarks on our route, and provided some insight into their own experiences during their time in Cambridge.

When we arrived at the Centre for Mathematical Sciences, we were greeted by an Old Pauline, Imre Leader, who, since graduation, has done lots of research in Combinatorics and become a professor of Pure Mathematics at Trinity College Cambridge. After leading us through to the centre of the CMS, our first of two Mathematics sessions began. The lecturer began by posing a question on Euclidean Geometry, and, when only one of us was able to solve it, the idea of the Miquel point was introduced and its subsequent generalisation regarding a triangle and a cyclic quadrilateral. We then proved some facts about the Miquel point, which gave us the necessary machinery to solve an IMO Geometry problem within 5 minutes! Returning to the original problem many of us were able to use the newly discovered machinery of the Miquel point to complete the solution.

After lunch at Trinity College, the second session was led by Imre Leader. It was related to planar graphs, a collection of points and lines connecting those points that can be represented in 2D space with no two lines intersecting each other, and drawn in such a way that no point is completely unconnected from the others. The first half of the session was spent on a problem sheet on graphs, towards the end of which we were given some new insight into the essence of mathematical induction.

The second half of the session was then spent exploring the colourability of graphs, or in other words, how many different colours are needed to colour each section on a graph so that no two points connected by a line are the same

colour. We first managed to reduce the minimum amount of colours needed to 6, then to 5 by using some careful deduction. We were then presented with a beautifully elegant proof by Kempe that the minimum number of colours needed to colour a planar graph was only 4, the famous 4 Colour Theorem.

However, it is in fact well known, that no mathematical proofs (that do not rely on computing technology) exist for the four-colour theorem, so we know Kempe’s proof must have a flaw somewhere! However, it in fact took mathematicians 11 years to notice the flaw in his proof – very tricky, minor, but in fact fatal for his idea.

It was on this bombshell that our trip to Trinity College was forced to end, and we were left to ponder where the mistake in this proof could lie as we made our way to the train station and caught the train back to London still discussing where the error lay in Kempe’s proof.

It was an eventful day, from a small taster of Olympiad level Euclidean Geometry to an insightful session on an introduction to planar graphs and the 4 Colour Theorem, but overall intriguing and absolutely an experience worth repeating. ❚

Working with our Partnership Schools

This year the school gave the mathematics department funding to enable three teachers to spend an afternoon at a partnership school. This offer was enthusiastically accepted by Mr Cullen-Hewitt, Dr Kemp and Mr Fickling.

Mr Cullen-Hewitt went to Fulham Boys’ School where he focussed on helping pupils prepare for entrance tests and university interviews. For one pupil this turned into STEP preparation as the pupil achieved an offer to study mathematics at Cambridge University.

Dr Kemp went to Christ’s School in Richmond. Here he supported a group of GCSE year 11 pupils aiming for a grade 5, ran a maths club for very able Year 10 pupils, and ran enrichment sessions for Year 12/13 pupils.

Mr Fickling went to Hammersmith Academy where he provided extra maths sessions for Year 13 pupils on the A/A* boundary, supported pupils

working at the lower A Level grades, and ran enrichment/problem solving sessions for Year 12 who were interested in applying for a mathematics degree.

In addition to this, the department continues to increase its provision. This includes a Year 9 Team maths challenge event with approximately 60 students from all partner schools. Year 11 GCSE weekly mentoring at partnership schools by SPS year 12 volunteers, and three SPGS pupils attending a three hour mentoring session every Friday after school.

One of the best events each year is the Year 10 maths circle. This consists of two days of enrichment lectures and activities with 40 students from our partnership schools.

Here are two examples of the sessions:

Mathematical Proof

What constitutes a proof? Images of dusty chalkboards heavily laden with obscure symbols and inscrutable diagrams might spring to mind, but in fact we engage in the act of mathematical proof whenever we justify our answers, and some of the best examples can often be summarised in a few short sentences or an elegant diagram. In this session we explored

several types of proof, from verbal justifications, to algebraic proofs, to proofs without words. In the process we performed some mathematical magic tricks with multiples of 11, saw three different proofs of Pythagoras’ Theorem, found a formula for the triangular numbers and finished with a delightful derivation of the sum of cubes formula.

What comes next?

The students started with the easiest sequence of all: 1,2,3,4,5,... but quickly delved into some trickier problems on linear sequences. In particular, a question about finding primes in arithmetic progressions. (The general problem of which was only resolved in 2004). Then they looked at quadratic sequences, whilst they didn’t get a chance to see the full beauty of the algebraic number theory underpinning these sequences, they did spot some interesting patterns and made some nice deductions. They also had a chance to look at Fibonacci-type sequences and how they relate to the sum of two geometric sequences. Finally, the group wrapped up by looking at the look-and-say sequence, 1, 11, 21, 1211, etc, where we established the rule to go between sequences and proved that 4 cannot appear in the sequence. ❚

The Mathematics Society

Ollie Wang

‘When’s the next MathsSoc talk?’ This frequently-asked question, echoed by both students and teaching staff at the school, illustrates the continuing success of MathsSoc, carrying onwards from previous years.

This year, MathsSoc began with an introduction to proof, using Fermat’s Little Theorem as an example, by our very own Mr Cullen-Hewitt and ended with our first student-led talk given by David Choi on the Mathematics behind Origami, with a touch of topology and group theory mixed in. Some further highlights were Professor Steve Furber’s talk on modelling the functions of the human brain using dynamical systems and computer engineering, Mr Carlos Barredo’s presentation on symmetries in quantum field theory, and Professor Yang Hui He’s talk on conjecturing using AI tools.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who has been a part of the MathsSoc community, whether that be through giving talks or attending talks, as well as generally spreading the word. Of course, a special thank you must go to Dr Baxter, whose help in arranging events and finding speakers has been invaluable.

Moving forward, I feel certain that MathsSoc will continue to provide a dynamic space where academic passion can be nurtured, mathematical understanding furthered, and ideas exchanged. We look forward to welcoming you back for our next series of talks! ❚

IIn Pegasus society, Mr Preece Smith and a band of loyal 4th form pupils turned up every week to play various classical games and engage with Classics in a lighthearted and fun way.

n the recent GCSE set-text, the protagonist Thelyphron, when a crier requests that someone guard a corpse for him, exclaims, “What? Do the dead usually get up and run around here?” A passerby rather sharply tells him “tace!” (shut up), stating that he does not know where he is and should understand that this indeed happens in this area of the world. One might make a similar comment to Thelyphron about the Classics department, to which they would receive an equally blunt response.  Whether it be the new crossword or display Mr Preece Smith has put up, the sounds of Greek choral chanting permeating the corridors, or the faint music of Blooket or Quizlet drifting between classrooms, it is clear that Classics is indeed alive and thriving.

Along side the L8th projects on a variety of topics such as Classical Atomism, Ancient Music, and the influence of Classics on Boris Johnson, the Senior Classical Society saw many fascinating talks delivered to pupils and staff. We welcomed Ms. Penney to the department this year, who has been an excellent addition, and gave insightful talks on racial diversity in Classical art and female authors in the ancient world. We also were privileged to have Dr. Lecznar join us for a term, who delivered a talk entitled “Dionysus after Nietzsche: a Greek God in the Modern World.” We were grateful to Mr Harrison for his talk on the Hinton St Mary mosaic.

Mardin, who managed to achieve a perfect score – a very rare achievement! We also saw the second edition of Prometheus, the SPS Classics magazine, come out. This contained numerous entertaining articles, including on the truth behind Caesar’s assassination, and the Antikythera mechanism. Thanks go to Tolga Mardin and his team for such a fantastic publication.

On February 28th, a team of intrepid Pauline Classicists braved the District Line to Westminster to take part in the Latin and Greek Reading competition.  After we were robbed last year, we were keen to get back on the medal table and prove that we are indeed the best at reciting ancient poetry.   A rousing cry-to-arms from Laurie Sheppard; a powerful rendition from Tolga Mardin; a blazing display from Jacopo Tans and Apollo Andreichuk;  a playful performance from Thomas Hill; a mesmerising and slick delivery from the chorus, led by Dan Taylor. The judges had no choice – we won three golds and two silvers out of five categories, the best performance by St Paul’s, and perhaps by any team in the competition’s history!

Not content to learn about Classics just from the Classroom, a number of trips took place. In October, SPS ran its first trip to Sicily (at least since I’ve been at the school). You can read more about this in Inian’s description, but it was a fantastic trip full of temples, theatres and pizza, which all enjoyed. We also ran our annual trip to the bay of Naples, which by all accounts was a huge success, despite the heavens opening on the day at Pompeii. My thanks to Mr Carter for running the trip, and Ms Penney, Ms French and Ms Khan for giving up their time to provide this great opportunity for the 4th form. Closer to home, we watched an entertaining performance of Medea in the original Greek at SPGS, and the L8ths attended a conference by Robin Osborne and Caroline Vout on Athenian drama and visual evidence for love and marriage in the ancient world.

For the second year, we competed in the National Latin Exam, an American competition designed to test the prowess of Latinists across the world.  This year, a tough exam was on offer (anyone know what a toga picta was worn for?). However, we managed to achieve 10 gold and 6 silver medals, an incredible achievement given the difficulty of the questions. Congratulations must go to Altan

Overall, a successful year for the Classics department. On to 2024-2025! ❚ Robert Taylor

Sicily Trip – October 2023

Inian Dhandapani

We went on an amazing Classics trip to Sicily during the second week of the Autumn Half Term. The groups consisted of 4 teachers, some of the 8th form classicists and also pupils from the 5th and 6th form. We visited the archaeological sites and museums of this Mediterranean island to discover its ancient history. However, we also managed to look around some of the cities and go down to the seaside making the trip both educational and enjoyable.

Day 1

It is safe to say that we all looked tired after the initial journey. There was nothing arranged related to classics on this day so Mr Taylor decided to take us to the town. This was received very positively by everyone and the fatigue from the journey was soon forgotten. Both the teachers and the students were eager to get some hands on the local food and wander around the place by themselves. We had also happily agreed to go down to the beach. Some people played Beach Darts with Mr Harris and Mr Wishart and more people decided to join seeing how fun the game was. Others tried to knock down stone towers by throwing pebbles at them which Mr Taylor and Mr Stewart took some interest in. Overall, we had a great first day.

Day 2

We started our trip by going up Mt Etna and no one seemed disheartened by this even though the classics technically had not started yet. We could already see Mt Etna from afar through the coach windows but we were definitely astonished by its size when we started our ascent. We used the cable car and also a bus journey up to where the trail for hiking was. The weather at the top was windy but we didn’t mind as looking into the craters and learning about the geography was way more intriguing in our opinions. Our first bit of actual classics was Mr Taylor telling us the story of how Mt Etna was created from

the fight of Zeus and Typhon. This was followed by a nice poem from Mr Harris which had some descriptions of the volcano. Our second destination was Taormina where a Greco-Roman theatre was built.

Day 3

We left Catania behind and followed the coastline down to Siracusa where the classics continued. Siracusa was in fact a very important place during the Peloponnesian Wars and was another excellent spot to see wellpreserved buildings. A tour guide took us through the archaeological site. The main highlights were the two theatres there: a Greek Theatre and a Roman Amphitheatre. An aqueduct carved into a rock called Dionysius’ Ear captured everyone’s attention as well. The reason for this approval was the story behind why it was made and how it was used. We also had many people trying out the echo that could be heard off the stone. In addition, the tour guide took us to an island called Ortigia which was connected to Siracusa by a small bridge. Ortigia was the place where everyone treated themselves to a gelato and had a good look around. There were several restaurants scattered around and plenty of food and drink to try out. A very warm and interesting day of classics came to an end with a walk along the seaside with more information about how the port was used during the wars followed by a look around a church.

Day 4

Another very eventful day starting with a trip to the Valley of the Temples. A tour guide took us to the top and we made our way down the valley, learning about some of the most well-preserved ancient temples to this day. The group found the temples both fascinating and incredible,considering the condition they were kept in although we were not allowed to walk inside of them. The tour guide explained to us what the temples looked like during ancient times and how such temples

were built. The day continued to Piazza Armerina. We weren’t quite sure what to expect with this but it definitely didn’t disappoint when we got there. This villa was home to some of the world’s best ancient frescoes. The journey around the place was led by another guided tour. We were taken through on an elevated platform, making it easier for us to look down at the frescoes created on the floor of the different rooms and see the more intricate and hidden details in them. A lot of walking was required for the previous two days, meaning our legs felt heavy and sore but it was worth it in the end as we managed to see some very cool stuff. After the end of a wonderful day of classics, we had the chance to wander around the city centre of Palermo.

Day 5

Segesta was the first town we went to. We started with a temple, possibly dedicated to Aphrodite. Since we were allowed to walk inside of the temple this time, we managed to notice some subtle differences between this temple here and the temples at the Valley of the Temples. The guide then explained that this was because the builders who built this temple were Hellenists and not actual Greeks. The next part of Segesta required another uphill journey. We surprisingly did not show as much tiredness as we did with other ascents. At the top, we saw yet another theatre. No one was overly fascinated as we had already seen many theatres beforehand. The view was green hills this time with no sea which was great. The next stop was Selinunte. We stopped here to look around an archaeological site and a museum. The site had marvellous temples. We were all captivated when learning about them although it did seem as if people were starting to get bored and ‘templed’ out. We could also walk inside these temples like the one in Segesta and the tour guide indicated where the different rooms in the temples were and how they were used. She also showed us what the city would

have looked like during the time of the Greeks and Romans. It was hard to believe that the empty space we saw was once a lively city. The museum inside the site was more of a change, however, and we studied some ancient artefacts which had been dug up or broken during renovations.

Day 6

Our final full day in Sicily started with one final guided tour of Monreale and Palermo. We visited Monreale first and arrived at its cathedral. The style of the building, which was called ArabianNorman, was stunning both from the outside and inside. Upon entering, the mosaics found on the walls immediately caught our attention. They were designed to tell stories from the Old Testament from the Bible all of which the tour guide explained. We also got to see how the mosaics were made in a nearby shop and we appreciated the creative but complicated way in which they were made. Similarly, in Palermo, another cathedral of the same style had been built. During the tour, we learnt about Norman and Arabian influence on both cathedrals. The day was way more relaxed and we were given more free time to look around Palermo and Monreale. The group preferred such a day as well considering it was our last day of tourism. To pass some time before going back to the Hotel, we were brought to a botanical garden. At the end of the day, Mr Taylor decided to take us out to a pizza restaurant and it was a delightful way to end a busy but outstanding trip. Overall, both the teachers and the students had a great time. ❚

Prometheus Editorial

Tolga Mardin

A very warm welcome to the second edition of Prometheus, the school classics magazine. Firstly, a big thank you to all our contributors and deputy editors for their wonderful work; this edition we have managed to cover a wide range of topics from ancient economics to hieroglyphics.

Today, we are experiencing a revolution in technology, which, in its impact, can be compared to the mythical moment that was when Prometheus giving fire to humans: artificial intelligence. Just as the gift of fire enabled humanity to develop greatly, so will AI help us achieve heights previously thought impossible. Its utility in the study of classics may not be obvious at first glance, but we can be fairly certain that its contributions will prove, and already have proven, to be invaluable. The most famous example of this is probably Google DeepMind’s Ithaca, which has been used to restore damaged texts. The system is trained on the largest digital dataset of Greek inscriptions from the Packard Humanities Institute, and by itself, it has an impressive 62% accuracy, but this rises to 72% when it is used by expert historians. You can even use it yourself – just go on their website, type in your ancient Greek epigraphic text and it will attribute the text to its original place and time of writing and restore any missing characters.

Ithaca was recently used to settle a debate concerning the dating of certain Athenian decrees. It centred around whether they were from before or after 446/5 BCE—the method originally used to date them (the three-bar sigma dating convention) has faced scepticism recently. As a result, many similar decrees have been pushed back to the 420s BCE, which has changed our understanding of Athenian Imperialism. Ithaca’s dating has placed it around 421 BCE, helping to shed light on one of the most important moments in Ancient Greek history. This isn’t even the full extent of AI’s potential in the realm of classics. It is well known that the eruption Mount Vesuvius destroyed the towns of Herculaneum, Pompeii, Stabiae

and Oplontis. Many of the texts and scrolls there were charred, originally thought to be beyond hope of reading. There is currently a competition, called the Vesuvius Challenge, to read these texts. Recently, three students won $700,000 for deciphering 2000 Greek letters from them—and there are still hundreds of scrolls yet to be read.

It’s clear that we now stand on the brink of a revolution in the study of classics, one brought about by the power of artificial intelligence. The parallels between Prometheus’ gift of fire and the advent of artificial intelligence are not merely poetic but profoundly relevant. ❚

Last academic year saw our pupils achieve some of our best ever results for A-Level French, German, Italian, and Spanish at St Paul’s. While exam grades are important, it has been particularly satisfying to witness the remarkable enthusiasm and participation of Paulines in a huge variety of modern languages societies, trips abroad, competitions, and workshops this year.

The Anthea Bell Prize for Young Translators

In the brave new world of AI, it might be tempting to believe that translation from another language can be achieved at the click of a button. But the Anthea Bell Prize has shown our pupils that successful translation is a creative process and a satisfying intellectual exercise in its own right. It requires the cultural understanding and the sensitivity to the nuances of human emotion that the study of modern languages equips our pupils with. This prestigious national competition, run by The Queen’s College (Oxford), is inspired by the life and work of the great translator Anthea Bell. A large number of modern linguists in the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Lower Eighth and Upper Eighth Forms submitted translations into English from French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Mandarin in 2024.

The judges remarked on the high standard and wonderful creativity on display. Congratulations to the following pupils, whose outstanding translations were shortlisted for submission:

French:

Sebbie Mayze, Raymond Guan, Rafael Modiano, Seb Jarrett, Alexander Khosrowpanah-Falcone, Adrien Sevaux, Tolga Mardin, Indian Dhandapani, Luke Magalhaes, Theodore CasimirLambert, Adam Seydo.

German: Richard Zhan, Max Miller, Leo Ridge, Alexander Miklavchich, Aadhil Ramanathan, Shrey Doshi, Dev Patel, Charlie Pilcher, Tolga Mardin, Arav Goel, Max Swinnerton.

Italian:

Antakriksh Sinha, Ishan Shah, Akhshay Raj, Oscar Bichler, Max Rainer, Seb Jarrett, Luca Orlandi, Louis Ferro, Alberto Cambiano, Marco Benedetti.

Spanish:

Veer Zoravar Singh and Rahul Nigam, Daniel Weller, Arthur Hill and Nayan Shah, Armaan Martins, Alex Reynolds, Max Wiseman, Diego Caupers, Alberto Cambiano, Daniel Harden.

Mandarin: Ryan Ng.

Particular congratulations go to the following two St Paul’s pupils for their success in the national competition:

Level 2 Italian National Runner-Up: Antariksh Sinha (Fifth Form)

Level 2 Italian Regional Winner: Antariksh Sinha (Fifth Form)

Level 3 French Highly Commended: Tolga Mardin (Sixth Form)

Here is Antariksh’s successful translation from the original Italian of an extract of Timira by Wu Ming 2 and Antar Mohamed (Einaudi, 2012):

‘Isabella, it’s 7 o’clock, are you r eady yet?’

Mohamed’s voice reaches and wakes you from your sleep and you realise that you fell asleep on the small armchair in the corner of your room. You were sure you would not fall asleep, having hours and hours of packing suitcases to complete, but instead…

But instead you started to leaf through your old letters, reading them at the same time, and towards the end you fell asleep, starting to snore, now forcing you to cram everything into your suitcase without checking, the opposite of what Noah’s method was on his ark.

You keep repeating to yourself – Where will a 66 year old woman go? What will I do in Italy? I have been here my whole life, I want to die in Mogadishu! You enter the bathroom and wash your face with dirty water. You apply a thin layer of eye shadow and return to the room to get dressed. ❚

Fifth Form French Trip to Toulouse

Dilan Makkar

Our school trip to Toulouse was a truly remarkable experience, filled with educational and cultural adventures that left a lasting impression on all of us. From exploring the innovative Hall de la Machine to immersing ourselves in the captivating exhibits of the Cité de l’Espace to engrossing ourselves in daily language lessons and even just spending time abroad with one another, our time in the Pink City was, for all of us, an unforgettable experience.

One of the highlights of our Toulouse trip was our visit to the Hall de la Machine, a unique, cultural and educational centre that showcases the incredible world of mechanical engineering, robotics, and unique forms of music. As we stepped inside, we were immediately mesmerised by the towering and mechanical yet whimsical and graceful Minotaur, which we were lucky enough to see walk before us. The tour of the Hall de la Machine brought us to see other imposing, mechanical creatures as well as exhibits of musical contraptions, which provided a unique view into the relationship between music and engineering. This experience gave us a deeper understanding of the intricate interplay between technology, art, and human creativity. Another unforgettable experience during our Toulouse adventure was our visit to the Musée de l’Espace, a worldrenowned museum dedicated to the wonders of space exploration. As we enveloped ourselves in the fascinating documentaries and interesting exhibits, we were entranced by the sheer scale and complexity of the universe and the great achievements of mankind in developing our knowledge of our universe. This museum gave us a truly inspiring and remarkable insight into the achievements of space travel.

In addition to our visits to the city’s renowned attractions, our Toulouse trip also included four hours of valuable language lessons at the Language Onze School per day.

This concentrated form of learning allowed us to really excel and progress in our knowledge of the French language, and it allowed us to spend more time perfecting and refining our understanding of each specific subject.

Beyond the structured educational activities, our Toulouse trip was filled with various moments of free time for us to explore and amuse ourselves on the streets of Toulouse. Whether it was savouring the delectable flavours of the local cuisine, exploring the charming streets and seemingly never-ending rows of shops, or simply engaging in lively discussions with both the people of Toulouse and each other, each experience contributed to a great sense of appreciation for the city and its people.

Finally, our Toulouse trip also fostered significant personal growth and the development of valuable life skills. Navigating a new environment, collaborating with peers, and adapting to unfamiliar situations strengthened our problem-solving abilities, communication skills, and self-confidence. I would definitely recommend going on this trip; you’ll improve your French, have fun with your friends, and create unforgettable memories! ❚

Upper Eighth day Trip to Paris

On Thursday 12 October a group of U8 French pupils travelled to Paris for the day to do more in-depth research on their A-level topic of Occupied France during the Second World War.

During the visit, we toured the Musée de la Libération de Paris, the Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation and the Mémorial de la Shoah, where we learnt about life during the Occupation, the risks taken by Résistants, including a group of female fighters known as the ‘31000’, and the persecution of various groups considered deviant by the occupying Nazis and the collaborationist Vichy regime. The Occupation lasted more than four years and is considered a unique and highly complex period of French history, but by undertaking further study in situ the students gleaned clearer and more meaningful insights into the period. ❚

6th form study trip to Alghero

Apollo Andreichuk

From October 15th to October 22nd, I was lucky enough to participate in the annual trip to Alghero, Sardinia.

Overall, the trip was incredible. After a short flight, we met our families at the airport near Alghero. During the week, we had the opportunity to practice our Italian conversation skills with these families, and we also had three hours of Italian lessons every day, during which our Italian improved a lot!

The best parts of the trip were when we did a treasure hunt in the afternoon of the second day, where we could learn things about the centro storico and the history of the small town, which was a lot of fun for everyone, and quite competitive! Furthermore, the boat trip to Neptune’s Caves the next day was amazing because the stalactites and stalagmites in the cave were breathtaking.

Two days later, we played a football match against the hosts (which unfortunately we lost), but this helped us appreciate the intense love that Italy has for football. Other activities included watching a film in Italian called ‘’The Last Time We Were Children’’, which we enjoyed, even if it had a very sad ending. But, in my opinion, the best thing was the food, because I ate a huge cone of gelato every day and because all the lunches were delicious (obviously Italian cuisine is the best). In particular, no one will ever forget the memories and friendships they made during the week, as it was an amazing trip. ❚

Poetry Declamation

Prize and names of winners

The annual Modern Languages’ Poetry Competition this year took place later than usual (1st March) but the standard of declamation and engagement of the participants with the texts they had selected were as high as ever.

After the preliminary rounds, each teaching group put forward one boy to represent it in the competition, and 27 boys participated in the final, reciting their poems in French (6 students), German (4), Italian (5), Latin (9) and Spanish (3).

The poems selected by them provided a snapshot of a variety of poetic themes and forms, with works ranging from classical writers, such as Ovid and Virgil, to well-known European poets like Victor Hugo, Hermann Hesse, Federico García Lorca and Primo Levi. One innovation this year was to see the text of the poem, along with its English translation, projected onto the screens at the front of the John Colet Hall, thus heightening the experience for the spectators. The judges commented that the standard of declamations was very high, with boys conveying the meaning and tone of their chosen poem in an authentic turn of phrase.

The eventual winners were:

Rayaan Ahmad (French) – Le cancre; Alex Nikolov (German) – Mondnacht ; Noah Stoll (Italian) – Il Lonfo; Hoa-Tinh Le (Latin) – Aeneid 2.547ff ; James Butcher (Spanish) – La Semilla Dorada.

Each was awarded their prize by the High Master. ❚

UK Linguistics Olympiad Advanced Level

Miss Rahim

On Monday 5th February, 37 Paulines in the 6th, L8th and U8th took part in the first round of the Advanced competition of the UK Linguistics Olympiad. It was the most successful cohort from SPS in some time, winning a total of 28 medals. Gold was awarded to the top 5% nationally, Silver to the next 10% and Bronze to the next 20% after that.

The following boys won medals, and Haolin and Adavya were then invited to take part in Round 2 of the competition a few months later, which was fiendishly difficult.

Gold Adavya Goyal

Haolin Zhao

Silver Christian Reese

Daniel Taylor

Charlie Pilcher

Aidan Meadows

Shrey Doshi

Anango Prabhat

Noah Kasolowsky

Alex Barea

Kanishk Srivastava

Luca Ranson

Oliver Burt

Max Swinnerton

Vyom Chamaria

Bronze Luca Orlandi

Rohan George

Charles Beaufour

Louis Besson

Marco Benedetti

Alexander Read

Fred Websper

Aman Parekh

Levi Cadman

Max Wiseman

Alex Toledano

Luke Magalhaes

Felix Henderson-Stewart

Intermediate Level (RKKuR)

On Monday 5th February, 35 Paulines in the 4th, 5th and 6th forms took part in the Intermediate competition of the UK Linguistics Olympiad. This was a very tough competition, with Gold medals awarded to the top 5% nationally, Silver to the next 10% and Bronze to the next 20% after that. This year the grade boundary for a Gold was 95% – so winning a medal was a significant achievement. ❚

Medal winners were as follows:

Gold Inian Dhandapani

Silver David Chong

Maxcel Murillo Sandovali

Vyom Chamaria\

Bronze Dev Patel

Neel Narayanan

Rafael Modiano

Nayan Shah

Henry Bird

Owen Tange

Kieran Mang

Yichen Yao

Arié Sabbah

Ari Pissioti Capriello

French FilmSoc summary of year

Larissa Lapaire-Adumekwe

This year, the Liberté, Égalité, Cinématé WWII in France club, primarily attended by U8th in the autumn term, screened a series of poignant war films and documentaries.

We began with “Liberation of Paris” from WWII in Colour, capturing the main events of the war in France as well as the final showdown in Paris. We then delved into a series of films known for their depictions of France during the war, such as the chaos of the 1940 Dunkirk evacuation with Henri Verneuil’s Week-end à Zuydcoote, followed by Jean-Pierre Melville’s L’Armée des ombres, a gripping portrayal of the French Resistance. Claude Berri’s Lucie Aubrac brought to life a daring rescue from Gestapo captivity, while Louis Malle’s Au Revoir les Enfants recounted the director’s wartime school experiences. The spring term also featured films such as La Rafle by Roselyne Bosch, detailing the tragic Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup. Our star attendee, Shyam Thobhani, present every week without fail, proved to be as unyielding as the French Resistance fighters we watched on screen! ❚

Linguistics Society

Alex Barea

After a rather impromptu start in the middle of the spring term, Linguistics Society got off to a smooth beginning.

We had a wonderful introductory talk from Miss Rahim on linguistics in general, giving us all an insight into the huge expanse of linguistics, ranging from historical linguistics, the study of the evolution of languages, to computational linguistics, a driving force behind AI. Having just sat the UK Linguistics Olympiad, we spent a session running through the paper now that the solutions had been released, and we all discussed our different ways of approaching the problems, learning greatly from different techniques, especially from Adavya Goyal, who achieved a gold medal and progressed to the second round (great congratulations to him).

A fascinating talk on sociolinguistics followed from Miss Musa, and we rounded off the spring term with a talk surrounded by discussion on linguistic prescriptivism by Aidan Meadows. The summer term contained the Linguistics Society highlight with a talk from Dr Krishnan Ram-Prasad, a junior research fellow at Oxford University, on language contact and change, which brought in around 30 students of different years and interests, showing the extent of subjects linguistics can involve.

We look forward to starting another successful year in the society next September, with hopefully many talks from Paulines, Old Paulines, and external speakers. ❚

EuroSoc

Nic Groeller

Eurosoc this year has been a kaleidoscopic rollercoaster, offering a vibrant way to explore European heritage and taking us on a thrilling ride through the continent’s rich and varied tapestry of cultures.

The talks spanned across Europe, delving into the nuances of each culture, and even extended to Cuba once, with Miss Musa giving a talk on the novel “Cuba, My Love: A Soviet-Cuban Romance”!

The U8th started the year off with a bang, delivering their highly engaging mini IRP projects, with Aidan Meadows exploring the legacy of tennis legend Steffi Graf and Charlie White giving a talk on le rachat du RTT – the reduction of working hours in France. Competitive spirit thrived throughout the year with events such as languages countdown, house spelling bee, Kahoot quizzes, and University Challenge competitions fostering deeprooted competition between teachers and students!

A highlight was a talk from alumnus and Eurosoc legend, Shiv Arora, who shared his linguistic journey and experiences at Cambridge after his first term, giving attendees a glimpse into university life and the intricacies of linguistic studies.

Eurosoc also had various interactive events with Gus and I taking everyone on a whistle-stop tour of the cultural context of Italian cuisine, tantalising taste buds and providing a few iconic Italian dishes to try out such as arancini, cannoli and pane carasau (many of which were eaten before the talk even started).

Overall, Eurosoc has by far been my favourite society of the year. Each week promised a different experience and adventure into a unique part of European culture, making every talk unexpected and extremely exciting. Special thanks go to Miss James, whose impeccable organisation ensured an amazing talk and speaker each week. I look forward to seeing many new faces next year! ❚

POLYGLOT

Gus Jacobson and Nicolas Groeller

Rumours circulated the languages department at the beginning of the year of the return of the coveted languages magazine – this time with a new name, Polyglot, a reflection of the diverse range of languages spoken across the school.

Nicolas and I, with the help of Miss Musa, stepped up to the plate as editors and chief. After the significant learning curve of digital design, we slowly improved our skills and began editing our first edition to be released at the start of 2024. Boasting several sections bursting with articles written by our fantastic team of dedicated writers, the magazine was generally met with positive reception, prompting a second edition to be put in the works. Highlights included creative writing pieces from Dermot Christmas and Sam Christie and the Assistants’ Corner, where the language assistants provided articles on a range of unique subjects.

The second edition of Polyglot was released in the Summer term, bigger and better than ever, featuring a plethora of fun games and puzzles as well as cultural food recipes.

A massive thanks to Miss Musa for all of her help throughout the year, as well as to the language assistants for their help in editing the articles, and of course all of the writers for their contributions (Right). Polyglot looks to return better than ever next year! ❚

Thank you to:

Inian Dhandapani

Ishaan Baijal

Kirill Volosins

Leonardo Bertolo

Elyas Efthimiou

Alexander Khosrowpanah-Falcone

Aarav Kurdikar

Josh Hammond

Alex Barea

Diego Caupers

Louis Kleinwort

Max Wiseman

Nathaniel Weldon

Inigo Conolly

David Jorge-Bates

George Vandini

Levi Cadman

James Gargiulo

Max Rainer

Laurie Shepherd

Kai Qiao

Lucas Ildefonso

Owen Tange

Charlie Pilcher

Aki Simonsen

Tolga Mardin

Gijs van Angeren

Leo Lenhard

Veer Sekhon

Finn Ng

Max Swinnerton

Thibault Lebrun

Henry Bird

Tristan Buckley

Siddharth Chaudhary

Inigo Esteve Azqueta

Thomas Lefranc

Ezra Nahmad

Parker Whiting

Aden Si-Ahmed

Apollo Andreichuk

Ariv Negi

Dermot Christmas

James Sahota

Louis Besson

Marcello Nora

Veer Kalia

Noah Kasolowsky

Sam Christie ❚

Olympiad News

It was another busy and successful year for Pauline biologists; in January, Eighth Form pupils participated in the British Biology Olympiad and were awarded 50 medals, of which almost half (24) were gold. All those receiving a gold medal (which places them in the top five per cent of the over 15,000 students from over 900 schools worldwide that took part) were invited to take part in the next round of the selection process to represent the UK team in the International Biology Olympiad. In June, members of the Lower Eighth competed in the Intermediate Biology Olympiad, with a further 19 medals being won. The majority of the Fifth Form were able to take part in the Biology Challenge in May, securing an impressive 109 medals.

Outside of olympiads, a spring term reading assignment gave members of the Fourth Form the opportunity to explore the world of biology by reading one of the many popular science books that are available; two of them have written short reviews below. The summer term saw the Fourth Form painting with bacteria that produce various coloured pigments as part of the Get Creative week; some examples of their work are shown here. ❚

We also welcomed two new additions to the department, with our axolotl proving to be a real hit with staff, pupils and visitors alike!

Biology Journal Club

By Raphael

Biology Journal Club continued to thrive this year under the direction of Dr Field, with weekly presentations by pupils on a research article of their choosing, followed by a discussion and debate of the article. A typical example was Raphael Granier-Deferre who presented superbly on the topic of DNA topology.” ❚

BioMed Society

A review of some of the highlights of the year by Sai Bhatia

We were very fortunate to hear an array of fascinating speakers from various medical fields throughout the year.

For the first time since the pandemic, all speakers could attend in person which ensured the lab was packed to the rafters every Monday lunchtime. Talks included Humera Babar-Craig, an ENT surgeon who discussed cases ranging from ear reconstructions and tongue carcinomas to extraction of nasal polyps before presenting what the future of nasal surgery might look like. Dr Michael Birch, a paediatric cardiologist a Great Ormond Street Hospital talked us through how congenital heart diseases are rapidly diagnosed and treated with the help of coloured ultrasound and specialist heart-lung machines. Thoracic surgeon Eric Lim explained to us the intricacies of keyhole lung surgery and how it compares to radiotherapy as a lung cancer treatment. Whilst doctors and surgeons delivered the majority of talks, we also heard from a bioinformatician; a clinical trials specialist; a public health expert and even a consultant-turned-filmproducer, reminding us of the broad scope of medicine and the biomedical sciences.

Many thanks to all of this year’s speakers and to Dr. Langley for his hard work in running the society ❚

Book review:

However, if you are going to read this book, I strongly recommend you learn at least a basic level of neurology.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

Leo Pissioti Capriello

In the novel, Sacks explores the complexities and the variety of neurological disorders. Sacks presents a series of case studies in which he delves into the lives of his patients and reveals how neurology can affect perception, behaviour, and identity. Sacks divides the book into four sections: ‘Losses,’ ‘Excesses,’ ‘Transports’ and ‘The World of the Simple’. Each section addresses different categories of neurological conditions. The first section, ‘Losses’, looks into cases where patients are in deficit and have lost a particular neurological function, such as loss of speech, loss of memory, loss of vision, loss of identity, and a multitude of other lost functions. The titular case, ‘The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat,’ is found in this section. In this case, the patient has visual agnosia, a bizarre condition where a person can see but not interpret visual information correctly.

In the second section, ‘Excesses’, Sacks examines disorders in which a patient has a surplus of neurological activity. One patient in this section, Witty Ticcy Ray, has Tourette’s syndrome, which is characterised by an excess of nervous energy and strange motions such as tics, jerks, mannerisms, noises, and curves. Due to his excess energy, Ray can act quickly and creatively in certain tasks, such as playing the drums. In ‘Transports’, Sacks tells us about patients who have altered perceptions of reality and are transported into their own plane of mystical experiences. For example, Mrs O’C, an 88-year-old

woman, experiences continuous musical hallucinations from her childhood created by seizures in her temporal lobes. These hallucinations have caused Mrs O’C to be transported back to her old childhood memories in Ireland.

The final section of the book is called ‘The World of the Simple.’ In this section, Sacks deals with intellectually disabled patients. Sacks discusses his work with José, an autistic child who has a gift for drawing. Sacks realised that although José was marginalised from other people, he used drawing ‘to form a connection with the external world.’

Throughout the book, Sacks highlights the resilience and perseverance of his patients, who have developed coping mechanisms that allow them to subsist with their conditions. For instance, a patient who has Parkinson’s, which causes him to become paralysed, discovered that if he engages in certain activities, such as dancing, he can overcome this paralysis. Overall, Sacks encourages us to see beyond the simplicity of these disorders and appreciate the adaptability and individuality of each patient.

He illustrates that, although two patients may have the exact same disability, their experiences will be totally different from one another.

However, if you are going to read this book, I strongly recommend you learn at least a basic level of neurology. Sacks footnotes other authors and uses many specific terms extensively. These may seem completely alien to someone who hasn’t studied the subject before. ❚

Book review:

Great Adaptations by Kenneth Catania

Gabriel Palazzo

This book was very intriguing; it was broken down into several chapters each focusing on a particular animal or interaction with an animal (e.g., worm grunting), with each chapter being broken down even further into the creatures’ hunting styles, environment, and finally an explanation of how and why the creature has adapted in that way.

This, although interesting, was not the main intrigue of the book. The author gives us this information in a very digestible and understandable way by recounting his childhood and career, all while explaining his encounters with each creature. In Chapter 1, “The Enigma of the Star”, he states how “I’m going to recount some of these adventures, along with many discoveries about animal behaviour, evolution and neurology.”

One of the most notable chapters is the third, entitled, “The Sting”. This chapter is named after a film starring Paul Newman, fittingly so, because this chapter talks about the tentacled snake, who tricks and deceives their prey, as recently discovered, in an astounding way. This is a significant chapter in the book because it is the first chapter in the book which talks about an animal’s hunting style.

Another example of a defining chapter in this book is “worm grunting”. This chapter, instead of focusing on the predator, focuses instead on the prey, in this case, the earthworm. The culture of the tradition of “worm grunting” is predominantly embraced in the Southeastern area of America. This

chapter explains the science behind the worms’ movement and gives a previously unseen deeper insight into the natural balance of the predator and prey.

Finally, the third most interesting chapter is called: “The Art of making a Zombie”. This talks specifically about his experience with cockroaches and how they restrain certain species of insect. This is an incredibly interesting chapter because it explores a previously unnoticed area of zoology and gives, yet again, a wider view of knowledge about animals.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a biology textbook with great substance and plot. Not only is this book greatly informative, but it also dives into topics such as human societal cultures, the experience of a zoologist, and how animals create a functioning ecosystem. ❚

Junior Pask Society

Lucca Strack

During the Spring Term, the Junior Pask Society ran, named in memory of a late St Paul’s biology teacher. This microbiology society served as an extension to our classwork, enabling us to experience biology in practice.

We investigated enzymes found in mushrooms, and how they convert energy stored in glucose into ethanol, a biofuel. This process could be vital for the future and the manufacture of biofuels. Not only was it an interesting workshop, but it also enriched my understanding of enzymes, a topic we studied simultaneously in class.

We also dissected a variety of living organisms. In the first week, we watched our teacher dissect a snake. It was a surprising experience as most of us had never seen a dissection, let alone the awful smell of the animals. But we soon got used to it and were performing dissections ourselves on fish, frogs and lamprey. The latter was my favourite because the anatomy was wildly different to any other organism we had investigated. Later in the spring term, we conducted a rat dissection in lessons. I felt like a true scientist as I had already done so many in Junior Pask.

Junior Pask was a fascinating experience as it brought what we read in textbooks to life. ❚

Chemistry Chemistry Competitions

Chemistry Problem Solving Club

Aditya Coondapoor

What is the age of the oldest water sample ever found on Earth?

With a few calculations and some knowledge of radioactivity, it is possible to identify this sample as a whopping 1.4 billion years old!

Every Tuesday lunchtime, a committed group of L8ths passionate about chemistry gathered to solve a range of similar problems. Through a combination of A Level knowledge, and familiarity with organic mechanisms, calculations and logic, we worked our way through chemistry that extended well beyond the syllabus.

Fresh from the 2024 RSC Olympiad, we examined the chemistry of beryllium contents in space. After confidently dealing with redox equations and standard enthalpy changes, we encountered the unit cell, and our calculations suddenly contained sextillions of atoms! These inorganic sessions allowed us to apply our knowledge of molecular shapes, structure, bonding and enthalpy to more complex molecules. They forced us to develop our reasoning beyond our initial ‘look at it and try structures until you get the answer’ method to a more logical process.

However, my personal favourite was always the organic syntheses. These involved a series of reactions that converted simple organic molecules into substances such as fexofenadine (a drug used to treat hay fever) and diclofenac. Some problems resembled a long (and at times daunting) logic puzzle, but the ultimate satisfaction of a complete synthesis made it well worth the time.

A number of so-called ‘sports drinks’ have appeared on American markets claiming to contain dissolved oxygen in the form of O4 molecules.

Information from the website of one company claims: The oxygen is stabilized using our patented process, which mixes together water, oxygen and minerals, altering the unstable O2 molecule to create a stable O4 molecule.

None of these sessions would have been possible without Mr Martin, who dedicated his time to selecting suitable questions, providing hints when required and enthusiastically explaining advanced concepts such as enolate chemistry and Grignard’s reagents.

We are all immensely grateful for his support, and end our L8th year with vastly improved confidence in our problem-solving abilities. ❚

Chemistry Race 2024

James Williams

On Saturday 10th February, the chemistry department at Cambridge, around sixty comedically-named teams, two hours on the clock.

The stage was set for perhaps the most unique competition of them all. As the clock struck 12:30, the lecture theatre turned into an outright battlefield: a constant flow of people sprinting up the stairs to reach the front of the answer queue, an effervescent cacophony of advanced chemical terminology, teams digging through all of their five-kilogram-heavy textbooks that they most certainly did not need to bring. In row 17, our heroic team of five lower eighths worked away at question after question, drawing out immense organic compounds, furiously typing into calculators, deciphering convoluted chemical jargon and trying to desperately recall an obscure fact or two from one odd lesson back in November or a page in the middle of an undergraduate textbook. Despite succumbing to numerous difficult problems about lethal doses and bananas (don’t ask), we kept charging forward until the very end. And then, when all was said and done, we had a total of 94 points, enough to achieve one of our big goals of beating the girls’ school.

Many thanks to the Cambridge chemistry department for running the competition and to Mr Martin for organising the trip. We wish next year’s team the best of luck in their endeavours to ascend higher and higher up the results table. ❚

Get Creative 2024 Chemistry Droplet Art

Pupils first prepared different coloured solutions using indicators and acids and alkalis. They then pipetted droplets of these solutions onto a hydrophobic polypropene plastic wallet to colour an underlying image. Prizes were awarded for the best three artworks.

Get Creative 3rd Place: Jacob Flax

Get Creative 2nd Place: Hugo Bergbaum

Get Creative 1st Place: Soichiro Yamaoku

L8th Presentation Prize 2024

Barnaby Martin and Matthew Smith

This year, the chemistry department ran the inaugural L8th Presentation Prize in which students were invited to submit a 5-minute video presentation on a topic of their choosing.

We received sixteen videos from seventeen students – Sai and Lachlan decided to team up – and the quality, range of topics, and depth of research on display were outstanding.

Presentations looked at the chemistry of codeine, the history and science behind ‘forever chemicals’, a talk on why humans are carbon-based and not silicon-based lifeforms alongside videos on piezoelectricity, paracetamol, hydrogen, racemism, enzymes, protecting groups, and more.

It was very difficult to select winners, but in the end, we awarded prizes to James Williams, Aditya Coondapoor, Olly Pennington, and Sai Bhatia and Lachlan Murray. Zach Tydeman, Edward Trotman, and Ben Mendelsohn’s presentations were highly commended.

Below are short extracts from the prize-winning presentations including screenshots from the videos.

Well done to everyone who entered! ❚

Aditya Coondapoor

The Chemistry of Haemoglobin

No human can survive without a steady supply of oxygen for aerobic respiration. But how is this essential molecule absorbed and released from the blood so efficiently? I will be exploring this question by examining the chemistry of haemoglobin.

Haemoglobin is a protein found in red blood cells with the primary function of transporting oxygen. They are watersoluble proteins due to their globular structure. This structure means that amino acids with a non-polar R (variable) group, such as an alkyl group, are generally found on the inside of the molecule. Whereas the amino acids with a charged or polar R group, such as one with an alcohol or amide group, are found on the outside of the protein, and these are the R groups which can interact with the solvent.

Haemoglobin is formed of two alpha and two beta subunits, and each subunit has a haem group, which is the binding site for the ligand and is wedged in by a phenylalanine residue.

There are five coordination sites around each Fe2+ ion, occupied by nitrogen atoms. There are stable interactions between the Fe2+ ion and the nitrogen due to hard-soft acid-base theory which states that as Fe2+ is a borderline acid and the nitrogen (due to its position in the porphyrin ring) is a borderline base, they will have a stable interaction.

Now in this example, we have a square pyramidal geometry complex, but in the oxygenated form, we have an octahedral coordination complex. This is because in the deoxygenated form there are only 16 electrons around the Fe2+ ion, allowing a lone pair from one oxygen atom to form a dative covalent bond to the Fe2+ ion with the other oxygen atom protruding off at an angle of about 120 degrees. Meanwhile, the imidazole of a histidine residue stabilises the O2 molecule with hydrogen bonding interactions. However, there have been some questions as to whether the Fe2+ is oxidised to the Fe3+ as part of this step, and I have provided one of the suggested mechanisms in the bottom right of the screen, but this idea remains heavily debated. ❚

James Williams

Chemical Warfare Agents

I recently read The Chemists’ War by Michael Freemantle, a dive into the impact of chemistry on World War I, and this has inspired me to create this presentation on a whistlestop tour of chemical warfare agents through history.

Now, the UN’s definition of a chemical warfare agent is ‘a chemical used to cause intentional death or harm’, which proposes the question of which point in time these really started being used. Now, many people agree that the first real instances of chemical warfare agent usage were in World War I. And, although there were many chemistryrelated weapons before that, just over a century ago seems like as reasonable a place to begin as any and so we begin with…

Chlorine gas, which reacts with water to create a mixture of acids, which – when in your airways – irritate and damage the respiratory tract. However, they soon moved on from this to phosgene, which – as well as having similar effects to chlorine gas – also reacts with alcohol, thiol, and amine groups on proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, potentially causing permanent damage to just about every part of the human body. And then, the now infamous mustard gas (or dichloroethyl sulfide) was developed. The most damaging effect of this was the alkylation of biochemical compounds, particularly of the bases of DNA. This starts with the compound cyclising to form a sulfonium ion, eliminating a chloride ion in the process. The three-membered ring has a lot of ring strain, making it highly reactive. Taking guanine as an example, the ion attaches itself to the amine group in the bottom right, stopping skin cells from replicating, and causing blisters to form.

Another chemical that was tried in World War I was hydrogen cyanide. The French tried – and failed – to use this in 1916, because they hadn’t accounted for the fact that it is very low density when

combined with this phenomenon called wind meant it couldn’t actually reach opposing trenches. However, HCN did manage to find its way into use in World War II, as part of the now infamous Zyklon B, which was used as part of the mass genocide of Jews during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.

Hydrogen cyanide is known as a blood agent because it deprives the body of oxygen that it uses in aerobic respiration. It does this by acting as a non-competitive inhibitor for the cytochrome c oxidase enzyme found in mitochondria. ❚

The Metabolism of Alcohol

Sai Bhatia and Lachlan Murray

We now see a crude animation of the alcohol molecules travelling through the body….

PRESENTER: After drinking the ethanol, it proceeds from Sai’s mouth to the oesophagus, to the stomach, where some is absorbed into the blood, and then onto the small intestine, where most is absorbed into the blood. It then travels via the hepatic portal vein to the liver. Once the alcohol reaches the liver, it is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase enzymes and aldehyde dehydrogenase enzymes into acetate, a far less toxic product. Let's have a quick look.

We cut to a fight scene clip from the Avengers with characters labelled with ADH, ALDH and ethanol.

PRESENTER: Let’s have a think about how the first part of the reaction proceeds.

We are now looking at the mechanism being drawn while the steps are being explained….

EXPLAINER: We’ve got a few things around our ethanol molecule. Firstly, we have our coenzyme, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD+. We also have key histidine and serine residues from the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme, as well as water, which will act as our bulk solvent. We also have a zinc ion on the alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme which, being very positive, will force electrons in the O-H bond much nearer to the oxygen, creating this very strong negative dipole. So, we’re going to start our mechanism with water deprotonating the histidine ring and we get a rearrangement of π-electrons here. Electrons can then take a proton from the ribose on the NAD+. This bond breaks, and electrons can move to take a proton on the serine residue, which, sitting much nearer to the ethanol, can now deprotonate the ethanol.

The weak OH bond that we mentioned now breaks, and we have carbonyl formation. This is oxidation, so we must lose a leaving group, which in this case is just hydride. The electrons here move on top of the NAD ring. And we get a rearrangement of π-electrons here as well.

PRESENTER: (chiming in) But what’s the product?

EXPLAINER: We’ve now formed our product acetaldehyde, which it should be noted is very toxic. So this is not the end of our reaction. In fact, this is definitely something that we want to get rid of in the next mechanism that we’ll look at, as acetaldehyde is one of the main causes of a hangover. We also have a reduced coenzyme – NAD plus is now NADH, which has useful properties, including the fact that it can be used in ATP synthesis. The importance of the ability to regenerate the resting state of the histidine residue should also be noted, which is what allows the enzyme to be reused. ❚

Lithium-Ion Batteries

Olly Pennington

The lithium-ion battery is found everywhere in the modern world from mobile phones to electric cars and all that credit is due to the Nobel prize winning work of three scientists.

It all began in the 1970s when an oil supply crisis – caused by problems including an oil embargo – saw prices rocket across the world. During this time Stanley Whittingham began work on new battery technology with a view to developing fossil fuel alternatives and developed the first-ever lithium battery. In 1980, John B Goodenough enhanced the battery further making it more powerful, but also safer. Akira Yoshino improved the safety of the battery significantly during the 1980s, and in 1991 Sony released the first commercial lithium-ion batteries using his enhancements.

In a battery each cell stores electrical power as chemical energy in two electrodes, the anode and cathode which are separated by an electrolyte. The electrolyte is a chemical medium that charged ions can move through and allow the flow of charge between the anode and cathode. When the electrodes are connected to form a circuit, chemical reactions occur on the electrodes that create a flow of both electrons and ions. The substance used for the anode reacts with the electrolyte to produce electrons that flow out through the external circuit and simultaneously release ions that pass through the electrolyte. The cathode then completes the circuit of electron flow and accepts electrons at the positive terminal. These electrochemical reactions are reversible in a rechargeable battery. The voltage, efficiency and safety of a battery are driven by the careful combination of substances used for the two electrodes and the electrolyte. In simple terms, the anode should be a compound that gives up its electrons easily and the cathode one that is an efficient oxidising agent. They should both be stable when in

contact with the electrolyte and relatively light. The voltage of the cell is determined by the energy difference between the redox energies of the anode and cathode, with the anode energy lying as high as possible and the cathode energy as low as possible.

Whittingham used lithium as the anode since it is a highly reactive metal with one electron in its outer shell which has a strong desire to leave lithium for another atom, and when it does it forms a more stable lithium ion. In a separate

investigation of superconductive materials, Whittingham discovered that the energy density of tantalum disulfide was incredibly high. However, tantalum is quite a heavy element which became a concern regarding the weight of the battery and so he replaced it with titanium which shared many of the same energy-dense attributes but was significantly lighter. ❚

How to Solve a Problem Like Chemistry

Ben Atkinson

I was introduced to chemistry problem solving at the end of 6th form, with the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge (CCC). An approachable organic chemistry question on degrees of unsaturation allowed me to come away with an award. This sparked my interest in the chemistry Olympiads, and through the autumn term of L8th, I did some of the RSC Olympiad past papers, which made me more comfortable with difficult problems. I also joined the chemistry problemsolving club, run by Mr Martin. Sadly I could not be in the sessions due to a clash so I did the question sheets in my own time, and I would strongly recommend joining.

The RSC Olympiad takes place in January each year, and over the Christmas holidays and spring term, I completed numerous past papers to prepare. I mainly focussed on organic synthesis questions as they were my favourite to answer, although if I had done it again I would look at a wider range of questions.

In February, I journeyed to Cambridge with 4 other L8th chemists, Mr Smith and Mr Martin for the chemistry race, under the team name ‘Friends of Erasmus’. After a tour of Trinity College from Mr Martin, we walked back to the chemistry department for the competition. We faced off against 77 other teams, including ‘Ion the Prize’, ‘Zinc Fast’ and ‘Breaking Good’, and came away 16th overall. Thanks to Mr Martin and Mr Smith for organising the trip, and thanks to Rayn, Louis, Nathan and Rahul for being a great team.

While preparing for the 2023 CCC, I completed all the CCC past papers over the Easter break and summer term. I received a Roentgenium award and was invited to the residential camp, which ran over the first weekend of September. On Saturday morning we trekked down to the chemistry department building from St Catharine’s College for lectures. We were introduced to atomic orbitals, and how their shapes were derived using the Schrodinger equation. After lunch, we completed a practical to determine the formula of an unknown compound. We used titration to find the amount of copper and chlorine in the compound, then used elemental analysis to predict the formula, which turned out to be (N(CH3)4)4[Cu4Cl10O], a quite unusual complex anion. On Sunday morning we looked at the mechanism for oxidation using acidified potassium dichromate, a common A-level reagent.

In the afternoon practical session, we determined the concentration of soap required for it to be effective, by adding concentrated ‘soap solution’ to a beaker of distilled water and measuring the conductivity of the solution. I really enjoyed meeting other chemists and extending my knowledge beyond the A-level course, and I would strongly suggest preparing for the CCC if you are considering studying chemistry at university.

After achieving a gold award in the 2023 Olympiad, I set myself a target of qualifying for round 2, which would require me to place in the top 30 scores across the country. I did the 22 RSC Olympiad past papers over the months leading up to the RSC Olympiad and scored 63/82, which qualified me for round 2. Sadly I found that it clashed with our Easter rowing camp in Portugal, and after a week of hard thought and discussion with my teachers and coaches, I decided to withdraw from round 2. I am incredibly thankful for all the support from the chemistry department, especially Mr Smith and Dr Gilks for making our lessons so engaging.

My extra reading has improved my understanding and enjoyment of chemistry. My favourite book was probably ‘The Right Chemistry,’ which explains a few everyday things using A-level knowledge.

Lastly, I would say to find a subject or even a topic you enjoy, and ‘go down that rabbit hole,’ as Eamon Coates, Old Pauline and student chemist said to me – if you enjoy what you do you are much more likely to be good at it. ❚

Top of the Bench

Jake Hope

Top of the Bench is a national competition involving secondary schools from across the UK. Each school sends a team made up of two Year 9s, one Year 10 and one Year 11 to the local heat and, this year, I was lucky enough to be a part of the school’s team.

The selection process started in early October with a multiple-choice paper consisting of twenty-five questions with the aim being to answer them as quickly as possible while still achieving a good mark. Trying to balance time and accuracy was difficult and I remember making a few careless mistakes in the rush. A few weeks later, three other students (Akshay Raj, Max Miller and James Gronow) and I received an email that we had all received the same mark and had made it through to the practical round. We had to prepare a results table for the time taken for a test tube to be filled with hydrogen from a reaction of different concentrations of hydrochloric acid and calcium carbonate. Despite forgetting to wear goggles, a mistake Miss Jeffery said deserved immediate disqualification, the practical went fairly well (I only spilt some acid) and I produced what I hoped to be a satisfactory results table. James Gronow and I were called to C5 and I was told that, by the narrowest of margins, I had been selected for the team, alongside Kieran Mang and Matthew Figueroa Duque from Year 9 and Dev Patel from Year 11.

The competition itself happened after school on the 28th of November. After the team received personalised lab coats, the practical paper began. It was an investigation into salts and involved mixing different solutions together and recording the results. Apart from a particularly difficult final question on complex ions and ligands, the paper went quite well and we moved on to the multiple-choice paper. I found this test to be significantly more challenging than the practical one and, after forgetting the hazard symbols for chemicals, I was not feeling very confident. However, the rest of the team pulled through and, after eating the delicious cakes and sandwiches kindly provided for us by the catering staff, it was announced that we had placed first in the Downlands section of South-East England, beating the ten other schools present, including SPGS. Unfortunately, Brighton, also competing in the Southeast England region, beat us by just a few points, so we did not make it to the finals in Edinburgh.

Regardless, the whole process was very enjoyable and a unique experience. I am looking forward to putting my name forward next year to try to make the team again. ❚

Stimulating Original Research

Edward Calzia

I carried out a research project over the summer at the University of Lyon, in France, where I worked on designing a new microconductometric sensor for the detection of caffeine.

I got involved by emailing a leading professor at the university who, with the help of others and I, wrote a research paper published in Electroanalysis, sharing the development and success of the sensor. The design of the sensor was based on a PVC liquid membrane including a [o-COSAN]−/caffeine ion-pair complex deposited on interdigitated electrodes, which we tested on caffeine solutions such as Coca-Cola, tea and coffee. This caffeine sensor presents a dynamic range from 10−6 M to 10−1 M and a limit of detection of 0.3 μM, presenting good reproducibility (RSD 3 %) and repeatability (RSD 8 %) with a shelf-life time of more than three months. The specificity of detection was verified versus several molecules contained in Coke (caffeic acid, citral, limonene, vanillin), in coffee (quinine, caffeic acid, quinic acid), and in tea (quinine, caffeic acid, quinic acid), where the sensitivity for quinine was 11.6 times lower than that of caffeine, showing its selectivity. ❚

Computing

The British Informatics Olympiad (BIO) is a prestigious programming competition that challenges participants to solve algorithmic problems using their coding skills.

During the first round of BIO, participants have three hours to solve three problems. Problem 1 is easier, while Problem 2 emphasises implementation skills. Problem 3 presents a problem-solving challenge. Participants may also need to provide written answers, and these often require additional programs to compute.

After the competition, programs are evaluated using a set of test cases. The number of test cases passed within the time limit determines the final score so that the participants’ solutions must be both correct and run efficiently.

The top 15 participants from BIO Round 1 are invited to the BIO Final in Cambridge, held during the Easter holidays. In the final round, participants tackle four problems within a fivehour timeframe. The top four performers in the final round secured a spot on the IOI (International Olympiad in Informatics) team. Other top contestants may also be selected for competitions such as the EGOI (European Girls’ Olympiad in Informatics) and WEOI (WesternEuropean Olympiad in Informatics).

As an example problem from the first round, we will consider the first problem from the 2023 BIO Round 1.

Question 1: Zeckendorf Representation

In the Fibonacci sequence, each number is generated by adding the previous two numbers in the sequence. We will start with the numbers 1 and 2, so the sequence is 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, …

The Zeckendorf representation of the number n consists of the distinct numbers from the Fibonacci sequence which sum to n, where no two adjacent numbers from the Fibonacci sequence are used. There is always a unique representation.

For example:

• 21 is represented by the single number 21;

• 21 is not represented by 8 13, even though they sum to 21, as those numbers are adjacent in the Fibonacci sequence;

• 100 is represented by 3 8 89.

The Zeckendorf representation for n always includes the largest number from the Fibonacci sequence that is no greater than n

1(a) [24 marks]

Write a program that reads in a number n (between 1 and 1,000,000 inclusive) and outputs the numbers (in any order) in the corresponding Zeckendorf representation.

To solve this problem, first, it is necessary to generate the Fibonacci sequence. This can be done by creating a list of the Fibonacci numbers and repeatedly adding the sum of the last two Fibonacci numbers to the end of the list:

n = 100 # sample input

fibonacci = [1, 2] # Fibonacci sequence starting with 1 and 2 representation = []

# Generate Fibonacci sequence up to n while fibonacci[-1] <= n: fibonacci.append(fibonacci[-1] + fibonacci[-2])

Now, the list fibonacci definitely contains all Fibonacci numbers up to n. The next step is to determine, given n, what Fibonacci numbers should be contained in the Zeckendorf representation of n.

Reading the problem statement, we see this interesting line: ‘The Zeckendorf representation for n always includes the largest number from the Fibonacci sequence that is no greater than n.’ This fact can be proved, however for this problem, since it is given in the statement, it can be assumed.

This implies that we can always choose the largest Fibonacci number that is at most n, subtract it from n, and repeat this process. The final sequence will have sum n. This is a greedy algorithm: it chooses the largest Fibonacci number possible at each stage, and it can be proved that this leads to a Zeckendorf representation that does not include adjacent terms in the Fibonacci sequence. Can you see how to prove this?

Having found the solution to the problem, now it is necessary to implement the solution. Here is an example implementation in python:

def zeckendorf_representation(n):

fibonacci = [1, 2] # Fibonacci sequence starting with 1,2 representation = []

# Generate Fibonacci sequence up to n while fibonacci[-1] <= n: fibonacci.append(fibonacci[-1] + fibonacci[-2])

# Traverse the Fibonacci sequence in reverse order for i in range(len(fibonacci) - 1, -1, -1):

# Check if the current Fibonacci number can be #used in the representation if fibonacci[i] <= n: representation.append(fibonacci[i]) n -= fibonacci[i] if n == 0: break

return representation

# Read input number from user n = int(input())

# Calculate and print the Zeckendorf representation representation = zeckendorf_representation(n) for value in representation: print(value, end=’ ‘)

After doing well in the BIO competition, we got invited to a selection weekend in Trinity College, Cambridge, where we completed a 5-hour test (the BIO final) to determine who participates in the IOI. Having done this test, we were selected for the IOI team and also to participate in the WEOI.

The WEOI was held in London this year, over a weekend. 70 students from 10 countries participated. In addition to the contest, there were practice sessions for programming, a brilliant talk about networks, and presentations of the solutions to the contest problems. These activities were very interesting and educational. Also, there were social activities to have fun and to get to know contestants from other countries. Overall, the WEOI was an enjoyable experience, as it allowed us to make friends while learning and competing together. ❚

The Computing Society

Anango Prabhat and Adavya Goyal

This year, the Computing Society (Compsoc) was primarily composed of talks on various computing projects completed by the U8th students.

Every Thursday lunchtime, an U8th student ran a talk. Prominent talks included one on the computer science behind solving the Tube Challenge, presented by Victor Liu about his NEA (non-examined assessment), as well as a talk by Dillon Rahman on various algorithms employed in chess engines. Other talks included various fields such as cryptography and steganography, as well as general software development.

For LGBT+ History Week, a special talk was organised by the committee, focusing on the life of Alan Turing and his struggles in his field due to his sexuality. This was one of the most attended talks of the year and covered in detail his advances in the field of computer science, such as Turing machines.

After the talk, most sessions ended with informal discussions between students on different projects, including focus on various programming challenges running externally, such as Advent of Code. These discussions allowed students to gain each others’ perspective, and for different years to discuss their love for the subject. ❚

Engineering

Last November, we celebrated something of a milestone –40 years of Engineering, in its various forms over time, being taught as a subject at St Paul’s School and St Paul’s Juniors. Over the course of a celebratory evening in the Dining Hall, more than 300 parents, students and staff came together to mark this anniversary with exhibitions, displays, activities – and cake!

The centrepiece was the curriculum journey; an exhaustive 20 metre-long display detailing every project our students enjoy, from the Lower Second all the way to the L8th, with example pieces, video and project work on show.

Visitors also got the chance to test their reaction times, racing CO2-powered dragster cars along our race track –a favourite project amongst Juniors students, and one that shares many elements with the cars our F1® in Schools teams design and manufacture.

There were also – of course – larger race cars, too, with all the Firefly Racing cars on display along with the team’s latest championship trophy: just a few weeks before, the team won the Ford International Engineering Championship at the Greenpower Goodwood International Final for the third time. Visitors could also test their driving skills in the Firefly Racing simulator – not as easy as it looks!

Our other co-curricular Engineering teams (which you can also read about in other sections of the Pauline) were also well represented. We have had the highest-ever number of students taking part in our co-curricular offering this year, including 53 SPS Space students across Balloon Sat, CAN Sat and Ascension, completing one of the longest-ever Balloon Sat flights – all the way to Germany!

63 students led Firefly Racing to their first senior race victory at Lotus Hethel in May, as well as winning a Greenpower Sustainability award and wowing the judges at the race at the Ford Dunton Technical Centre in June, winning another Ford Engineering award. All this whilst also designing and manufacturing their next-generation carbon fibre car, using innovative new composites techniques, developed in-house by the team.

We also had our inaugural SPS Robotics teams competing in two levels of First® LEGO® League. A fourth form LEGO® League team – the Hammersmith Pythons– and a 5th Form team – The 1509ers – worked hard during the autumn and winter designing, building and coding robots made of LEGO® to try to complete thirteen unique missions on a large game board in just two-and-a-half minutes. After months of work, they travelled to north London to compete in the First® LEGO® League London Regional Final.

After some very impressive scores, the 1509ers won the robot game competition, bringing home our first robotics trophy. Next year we will once again compete in First® LEGO® League and we will also be starting a team in the next level of the competition – First® Robotics – in which teams have to design and build a robot using more complex materials and mechanisms.

Whilst we have loved looking back this year at how much the department has altered over the last 40 years, technology and manufacturing techniques continue to rapidly change and improve. So this year we have also implemented new machinery and manufacturing processes – which were introduced into this year’s GCSE projects. From Bambu 3D Printers which unlocked an exciting new range of materials, including carbon fibre PET and flexible TPU, a new laser cutter which has a camera inside to enable you to accurately position where your cut will be on the material to a CNC lathe, which enables repeatable accurate manufacturing of cylindrical parts, this new machinery means our pupils can manufacture products and parts with industry-standard manufacturing. ❚

Firefly Racing at Lotus Hethel

James Williams

Sunday the 12th of May was the date of the Greenpower F24 and F24+ races at the Lotus test track. Although this race is the furthest that we go to, being hidden away in the provincial nothingness of Norfolk and having to go through three and a half light years of minor A roads to get there, we – as a team – really do quite like this track. This race day would be interesting though, for we wanted to try a couple of new upgrades to the car and get a lot of data to help us when we would go back there later in the season, but – with a relatively small number of teams attending – we also felt that getting a decent result here would be very possible. Oh, and none of the Upper Eighth would be coming because of A-levels, so what could possibly go wrong?

Since we retired our two older cars, FF01 and FF02, at the end of the 2022 and 2023 seasons respectively, we were only going to run one car, FF03, which would race in both categories.

The resident optimists in the team would have liked our two new cars, FF05 and FF06, to have been ready for this race, but at the time of writing they still haven’t been built. The day consisted of a free practice session in the morning, followed by the first F24 race (F24 being the junior category). There would then be the F24+ race (the senior category), followed by the second F24 race. I should also mention that FF03 is a kit car, meaning that it races in the kit car competition and only competes against other kits (the lightning-fast scratch built cars didn’t need to worry about us for now). This raceday report will mainly focus on the F24+ race as it’s the part which I was most involved in.

The day began and we immediately had a delay because someone had forgotten to turn up to board the coach at the meeting time of 05:25 (I won’t say who this was but their name starts with ‘L’ and ends in ‘ouis’). Thankfully, however, a few team members had stayed at a hotel near the track the night before, which meant that while the majority of us were still late, trundling up the A11, they could suit up and get the car through scrutineering (pre-race safety inspections) and ready for practice. This meant that – perhaps for the first time in the team’s history – we were first in the queue to get out on track for free practice.

Free practice was incredibly important because we needed to run some tests to see how to set up the car for the races, namely the tyre pressures and gear ratios that we would run, as well as how we would configure the ECU (electronic control unit and masterpiece of James P) to ensure we wouldn’t run out of power well before the chequered flag, which totally hasn’t happened before. Additionally, we needed to set up our telemetry rig to send data from the car to the paddock and see whether it was working (it was, thanks to the genius of Myles and James B!). We also wanted to try a couple of aerodynamic

modifications, such as the new rollbar fairings. Surprisingly, everything went very smoothly: the ECU didn’t catch fire, we received a huge amount of data, no battery cassettes were deposited at any hairpins (bad memories), and the car came back in one piece, ready for the first race of the day.

F24 race one went relatively smoothly for the whole field, with FF03 getting well into the top ten out of around thirty kit cars, expertly piloted by the fourth form trio of Ehan, Matt, and James B. We were also able to see whether or not the pre-race adjustments we had made were beneficial or not. However, we were thoroughly beaten by our rivals, Priory Racing Team (PRT), which meant everyone was hungry for more in race two.

I was also quite hungry at this point, because I was driving in the F24+ race and had not eaten breakfast. My thinking was that this would not only save weight, making us faster, but would also encourage me to drive as well as possible to get to the finish line in record time to get to the very enticing burger van (a carrot on the stick method if you will). Since the Upper Eighth were all away revising, the job had fallen to myself to take the F24+ race. Although ➦

I had never driven FF03 before, who knows – with a reduced field and the car setup just about as perfect as possible, maybe we could challenge for a podium?

The flag dropped and it was instant chaos. The F24+ field had a mix of very fast scratch-built cars and some very slow kits, which meant that it was a real challenge to get past the slower ones without getting in the way of oncoming scratch cars. The strategy we employed here was to try and follow some of the faster cars and essentially let them create an opening to get through, like following your fullback through the opponent’s defensive line. This worked relatively well until we found ourselves side by side with the car with some of the most uncontrollable steering I’d ever seen, and just when I thought I had got past them, bang! It had steered right and clobbered our left rear wheel (I use ‘it’ because I honestly believe that car was turning by itself with no bad input from the driver). Don’t believe me? You can watch the onboard on the Firefly F24 YouTube channel (shameless plug) and make up your own mind. Thankfully, there was only superficial damage to the wheel cover and we could keep going. From my point of view, things were going rather well as we had got past what seemed like the vast majority of the kit cars by the end of lap one, but upon asking my race engineer for a more detailed update on which position we were in, I only received back the helpful message of, ‘Yeah, you’re really flying here.’ Thanks Theo.

The second lap was also quite eventful as we rounded the hairpin and I found myself approaching a car that was upside-down and appeared to have rolled. Thankfully, I also caught a glimpse of the driver trying to crawl out of the cockpit, indicating to the marshalls that they were ok. We only realised after the race that this car happened to be the one with the uncontrollable steering from before, perhaps making it clear that making a smooth and controllable steering system is paramount to both safety and performance. The race was red-flagged for fifteen minutes following this, which the team thought would actually be in

our favour, because we often tend to run out of energy slightly before the end of the race; a neutralised period with no power loss that still counted towards the overall race time would mean that we had a bit more energy in reserve.

After the restart, the race followed a very lonely theme – we didn’t really come across any of the other top kit cars, and were only lapped by the fastest scratch cars (who were not competing against us). It was only around 45 minutes into the race that Theo (the race engineer) came on the radio and said that we were actually in first place and were lapping faster than all the other cars. In other words, ‘We can win this!’ Without much overtaking to do, I continually asked for our lap times, the lap times of the cars behind, how long would be left in the session, and roughly how far ahead we were. Afraid that the batteries would degrade towards the end of the race, I started to try and do some maths in my head to

Yeah, you’re really flying here.’ Thanks Theo.

figure out whether we could actually hold onto this first place and claim Firefly’s maiden race win.

But in the end, as the car pulled into the makeshift parc fermé on the start/finish straight, we had done it. At last, after many years of racing in this competition, Firefly Racing had won their first ever race. Absolute euphoria our section of the paddock. It was like the final bell from Rocky II or a final-minute goal in a cup final. And how on earth were we so quick? The new motor? The ECU? All the correct setup on the day? In hindsight, it was probably a combination of a range of factors, but I like to put it down to a burning desire to get to the burger van.

However, there was little time for celebration as the car and new drivers had to be prepared and ready for the start of F24 race two, which started a mere twenty minutes later. Ian, Dhilan and Aarav would be taking the controls for this race. This race was odd. The car came off the line and around lap 1 at unbelievable speed, which was strange because we were more or less running the same setup as race one. However,

this inevitably came at an energy cost. Even after the first pit stop (thirty minutes in), we could see on the live data that the batteries were not going to last until the end, meaning that holding onto a podium place was unlikely. And – as expected – the car came to a halt at the end of the start / finish straight with around twenty minutes to go in the session, and all we could do was watch the live timings as our position dropped from third to fifth, as PRT took the win.

This was disappointing, because we really wanted a podium in F24 after all of the hard work that went into making the car as good as possible. However, when prize-giving rolled around, there was still very much a sense of excitement as they brought out the trophies and medals. In addition to receiving the winning trophy and having a memorable team photo for the ages, the team picked up the Siemens Sustainability Award for Mingyo’s fantastic sustainability report, which I would highly recommend reading. The trophies and the report can be found in the engineering corridor (in the trophy cabinet and on a poster respectively).

All in all, a highly successful day out and one which puts Firefly on the radar for all the other teams. I’ll also say that I perhaps haven’t done the F24 races justice in this article simply because I wasn’t that involved in the running of those races – I think it’s brilliant for the more junior members of the team to really take charge for those and so I would speak to some of them if you’re interested in the specifics of what went on there. On behalf of the entire Firefly team, I would like to thank Arthur Jenkins and Ms Douglass for their unbelievably hard work and support in making what we do possible, as well as Mr Boydell and Miss Eadie for coming with and supporting us throughout the day, and having to endure an unbearably hot three hour coach ride back to London with us. But in the end, the resounding message I’d like to say is that WE WON A RACE!!! ❚

Physics

The physics department has been extremely active both inside and outside of the classroom with numerous opportunities for students to demonstrate their abilities and enthusiasm in problem solving and research.

Led by Dr Still, there is also a huge amount of physics partnerships work being carried out by students, some of which is in collaboration with the girl’s school.

A special congratulations to our Senior Physics Technician Andres Tretiakov for his award from the Institute of Physics for “a passion and commitment to science education that has inspired young people, teachers and parents through school, outreach programmes, science festivals and social media.” Andres is a core member of the physics department and continues to produce many exciting opportunities for practical physics for both our students, but also for our partner schools.

Physics continues to be an extremely popular subject at St Paul’s and many students decide to continue their studies at university. In 2024, 29 Paulines received offers from UK universities to study Physics-related subjects; 15 for Engineering (various) courses, 7 for Physics, 5 for Natural Sciences and 1 for Earth Sciences and 1 for Chemical Physics. 24 Paulines from the 2023 cohort are currently studying physics-related degrees. 6 at UCL, 6 at Cambridge, 5 at Imperial, 4 at Oxford, and 1 each at Durham, York and Southampton. 13 Engineering (various), 4 Natural Sciences, 4 Physics, 1 Astrophysics.

Here are some updates from numerous physics teachers who coordinate these efforts. As ever, we have been blessed with exceptionally talented and motivated students allowing our teachers and technicians to share enthusiasm for exploring the physical world! ❚

British Physics Olympiad Competitions

Dr Gane

This year over 640 St Paul’s students across all year groups took part in the competitions of the British Physics Olympiad. The Olympiad is organised by The University of Oxford in close collaboration with the University of Cambridge and is supported by the National Physics Laboratory; it is the UK’s premier platform for the encouragement, development and identification of young physics talent.

Our 4th and 5th formers took part in the Junior Physics challenge which is aimed at students in their penultimate GCSE year. Collectively, our young physicists achieved 180 Bronze, 144 Silver and 51 Gold awards.

Competing in the Intermediate Physics Challenge, our 6th form students achieved 74 Bronze, 29 Silver and 11 Gold awards. With over 3000 students taking part nationwide, 5% of all gold awards in this competition went to St Paul’s boys.

Our L8th Physicists competed in the Senior Physics Challenge where they achieved 44 Bronze, 26 Silver and 11 gold awards. This year we also had a talented 5th form student who received Gold awards in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior Physics challenges, a very impressive achievement indeed.

In round one of the British Physics Olympiad competition, our U8th physicists, plus five exceptional L8th students, secured 5 Bronze II, 20 Bronze I, 18 Silver, 13 Gold and 13 Top Gold awards. Our Top Gold competitors were invited to the second round of the Olympiad where they achieved 3 Gold, 6 Silver and 1 Bronze awards. Based on their collective round 1 and 2 performances, two of our students were invited to take part in the British Physics Olympiad training camp held at the university of Cambridge.

Congratulations to all competitors that took part in these notoriously challenging competitions, these are awards to be proud of and should fill us all with hope for future success in the Olympiad competitions. ❚

SPS Astronomy Society

Dr Gane

The weather has not been kind to us this year, SPS AstroSoc has been unable to observe the night sky in person. We have instead focused our efforts on daytime and remote observation.

This year, AstroSoc members have given talks on topics ranging from advanced astronomical image processing techniques to Supernovae events. We have also welcomed visiting speakers who have presented on topics such as string theory.

AstroSoc students from all SPS years took part in at least one of the competitions of the British Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad. In the Junior Challenge, senior Challenge and the full Olympiad, Paulines achieved awards ranging from Bronze to Gold. As part of British Science week, Astrosoc held a ‘time’ themed event, which consisted of talks on astrotemporal concepts such as black holes and relativity, demonstrations of gravity wells and ancient timepieces, and activities for all students such as creating sundials.

Unable to observe the night sky due to terrible weather conditions, AstroSoc students have undertaken much solar observation this year with our Hydrogen alpha filtered solar scope, we have observed prominences, filaments and an ever-growing number of spots. The highlight of our observational season was observing sunspot cluster AR3664. This enormous magnetically active region was the origin of the coronal mass ejections that caused the geomagnetic disturbances on Earth that drove the fantastic displays of aurora borealis that were seen in London a few days later.

SPS Astronomers will keep their scopes trained on the Sun and their cameras trained on the night sky as the we are likely to see more aurora this winter in the approach to solar cycle maximum where the amount of solar activity will maximise. ❚

Keep looking up!

CERN April 2024

Led by Mr Pollock

During the Easter holidays, a group of lucky L8th physictics embarked on an exciting trip to the CERN particle physics laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. Widely considered as the largest science experiment in the history of humanity, the particle colliders at CERN can accelerate protons up to 99.9999991% of the speed of light and smash them together to recreate the plasma conditions at the start of the universe.

After an early flight from Gatwick, we arrived in Geneva to the sight of the United Nations building and famed Lac Léman. A guided tour of the Red Cross Museum followed, where we learnt of the humanitarian aid and relief efforts of one of the world’s largest NGOs.

An enjoyable yet competitive evening of bowling concluded the first day which saw Toby Williams narrowly pip Dr Buckingham’s score, hitting an impressive 3 strikes!

The second day began with a full tour of the facilities at CERN including the ATLAS and ALICE reactors, the control room and an in depth look at some of the ongoing experiments. Paulines learnt of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC),which is so large that it extends into France! We also learnt about the electromagnetic fields, semiconductors and advanced sensors required for particle accelerators.

Following a quick lunch, we visited the CERN exhibitions. My personal favourite exhibit was on the antihydrogen created at CERN – the most expensive substance on Earth.

Finally, we attended a talk from physicists who spoke about quantum theory and the science being implemented by the different experiments.

An incredible experience and many thanks to Mr Pollock and co for running this trip. ❚

Article by Kian Khoubehi

International Young Physicists Competition

Dr S Parsons & Mr A Tretiakov

Lower Eighth Paulines have been hard at work tackling 17 mind-bending physics problems, from splitting atomic energy levels to crafting their own metal detectors. This real-world research, far exceeding the A-level curriculum, required not just understanding complex principles but also designing and conducting experiments.

Their impressive work has earned them a coveted spot representing the UK at the International Physics Tournament in Budapest. In July, they’ll face off against 37 other nations in five gruelling rounds of “Physics Fights”, vying for a historic place in the finals.

A huge congratulations to Alex Harring, Kirin Bhatnagar, Ollie Wang, Jack Wang and Behruz Ahmedov for their outstanding achievement, and a special thank you to Haruki Matsanuga for his valuable contributions.

We wish them the best of luck in Budapest – go Team UK! ❚

SPS

Rocketry

[Dr Gane]

In its inaugural year, the SPS Rocketry Society learned a host of new skills and honed some existing ones. Our Rocketeers began the year by constructing model rockets from cardboard (structural body parts), plastic (nose cone and chute), expanded foam (fins), Kevlar (shock cord) and Nomex (fireproof wadding). Measuring almost 0.4 metres in length, their rockets were built with sustainability and reuse in mind.

Our goal for the year was proof of concept, could we build, launch and analyse the flight of a rocket? Once we had constructed and stability tested our rockets, we simply had to wait for the right conditions to launch so we waited …… and waited, the weather was not kind to us. We used this time to create simulations of the flight paths of our rockets, students used either spreadsheet or Python Euler iteration and the fundamental equations of motion to produce flight paths that considered the thrust profile of the solid rocket motors we were to use, and the free flight and post chute deployment phases of our rockets. Our most advanced models were capable of considering the launch, flight and “potential” orbit of our rockets, not that we were actually going to get anywhere close to orbit but it was still nice to be able to model the possibility.

Despite the never-ending rain of the past 9 months, we eventually found a launch window and successfully launched and recovered all of our rockets from the SPS site. We then

set about analysing the flight of our rockets using video analysis, from which we were able to determine the velocity of and acceleration experienced by our rockets.

We compared our video analyses with our simulations and found a reasonably good degree of agreement (with a modicum of “real-world” calibration).

We now look forward to next year, in which we hope to integrate payloads into our rockets and explore more creative designs and multistage capability. Keep reaching for the stars! ❚

JET Visit May 2024

Mr Pollock

In the Summer term, 10 Physics students were given the opportunity to visit the JET fusion reactor facilities in Culham at the UKAEA. Following an early meet at school, we departed as a group to the facility near Oxford and were welcomed by the friendly team who gave an insightful talk about the importance and future of nuclear fusion energy. Once the talk had finished, the group were given a tour of the site, and were able to see a range of interesting features. Highlights included seeing an operational robot within one of the prototype reactors, disassembling and reassembling part of the central reactor section. A short journey across the facility brought us to the remote team of robot controllers, who were instructing the robot’s every movement from their computers.

The reactor is being decommissioned, but we were fortunate enough to be able to get close to it and appreciate the sense of scale required. Perhaps the most impressive part of the tour was not the machine itself, however, but the people who work to construct it and control how it operates. The guides were able to answer every question that our pupils asked, regardless of how niche or complex the questions were; the depth of knowledge and understanding demonstrated was extraordinary and something that I hope our pupils were able to aspire to.

Whilst the trip was a short one, and we were back in time for afternoon lessons, the experience was certainly a fascinating one, that I hope the pupils will look back upon fondly. ❚

A Celebration of Physics: Award Ceremony 5 June 2024

Andres Tretiakov

On a sunny and windy Wednesday morning on 5 June 2024 I travelled to Silverstone racetrack, the home of the British Grand Prix and MotoGP, to attend the IOP’s 2023 award winners’ ceremony. Entitled ‘’A celebration of physics: on the road to a sustainable world’’ it gathered an exhibition of companies and organizations expanding from IOP’s history of physics group, educational kits suppliers, British Airways, Engineering and physics students from various universities to Formula 1 VR simulator and a replica of the 1989 Batmobile.

The following excerpt was taken from Physics World magazine online blog:

The day was opened by IOP chief executive Tom Grinyer, who discussed the IOP’s new five-year strategy and outlined its efforts to get science on the agenda during the UK’s generalelection campaign. Current IOP president Keith Burnett handed out medals and prizes to more than 40 of the 2023 award winners before speaking about his career, the IOP’s new strategy, and its new Physics Inclusion Award.

I was very lucky to listen to some interesting talks, meet other technicians from different universities and I was congratulated by a few old Pauline parents present who were delighted to hear about the award.

The IOP Technical Skills award photo:

For a passion and commitment to science education that has inspired young people, teachers and parents through school, outreach programmes, science festivals and social media. ❚

Extended Projects Qualifications

As an independent piece of work, assessed at A Level standard only one year after GCSE, there is no denying that the extended project qualification (EPQ) is a challenge. And yet every year, Paulines continue to embrace the opportunities it offers to pursue innovation, creativity and scholarship beyond the syllabus.

This year we had our highest numbers ever – 67 in total –since the EPQ was introduced back in 2010: that’s a remarkable 1 in 3 of the L8th, the majority of them taking their EPQ alongside 4 A Levels. The quality of the work they produced is simply extraordinary – an embarrassment of riches – and I hope that the brief overview of their projects here gives readers a sense of their extraordinary range of scholarship, imagination, creativity and intellectual ambition.

For many students, the dissertation EPQ is a chance to take a deep dive into a field of study about which they are particularly passionate, whether it’s quantum physics, as in Dara Daneshvar’s defence of Bohmian Mechanics, or orthodontics, as in Kaiwen Chen’s comparative analysis of traditional fixed braces and clear aligners. History and politics are perennially popular. This year, Titas Stasiunas and Charlie Kirby focussed on the Eastern Front in the Second World War, Titas examining what led to the failure of Operation Barbarossa, and Charlie – whose research took him into the German Military Archives in Freiburg to examine primary sources – analysing Hitler’s obsession with Stalingrad. Some EPQs addressed recent political events, such as Yusuf Hassan’s forensic analysis of personal and systemic failures in the British evacuation of Afghanistan in 2017: others – such as Henrik Helsen’s assessment of Trump’s electoral prospects in Florida this autumn –looked ahead. Henrik’s EPQ had to

evolve rapidly in response to daily developments in Trump’s criminal trial, and his conclusion wisely offered two possible projections, depending on whether or not Trump campaigns as a convicted felon or not. Aarav Kurdikar’s analysis of maritime relations between Ancient Rome and India might – on the surface – appear to have little in common with Archie Rowland’s study of the 2022 US Chips Act: but supply chains, economic resilience and technological innovation linked these two projects together, with both suggesting that, ultimately, it’s the country that controls the technology (whether cargo ships or semiconductors) that calls the shots.

Contemporary tech innovation also generated a wealth of excellent projects, with many students exploring what new technologies can offer traditional institutions: for instance, bitcoin’s potential as a reserve currency (Behruz Ahmedov) or the role electronic planes might play in the commercial aviation industry (Mingyo Kim), or whether asteroid mining might prove an attractive prospect for venture capitalists (Armaan Malhotra). Artificial Intelligence was a popular topic, with EPQs examining its impact on a range of areas, including investment (Ollie Wang), biomedicine (Tommaso Beber), mental health (Dhruva Suraj, Rufus White), and football, in Sameer Shukla’s fascinating investigation of how AIbased statistical analysis could revolutionize the beautiful game. Sameer’s was one of a particularly strong crop of sports EPQs this year,

which also included Seb Jones’s highly original comparison of upsets in football and cricket, Aidan Malhotra’s in-depth analysis of the relative influence of geological and atmospheric conditions on spin bowlers and Kamran Baghai’s exploration of the role genetic testing can play in sport, and the ethical issues this raises.

This was also an outstanding year for philosophy EPQs. The ethics of giving to charity came under scrutiny from Lev Shabalin, revisiting Peter Singer’s famous paper ‘Famine, Morality and Affluence’, and Adam Zimmerman, who analysed the use of ‘nudge’ behavioural economics in charitable campaigns. Amaan Mathur and Oli Bloch explored the complexities of the human unconscious, Amaan through Dali’s response to Freud, and Oli through accounts of near-death experiences. Lachlan Murray’s fascinating project on infanticide investigated whether an instinctive moral aversion to something could also be justified philosophically (and it was a relief to know that – in the case of infanticide at least – it can).

Concepts of personal freedom were central to Rory Todd’s dissertation on how Plato’s ‘Kallipolis’ looks through the prism of contemporary beliefs about gender and social status. Arthur Hamill also examined the intersection of personal freedom and social obligation, assessing how universities can support academic freedom while protecting the rights of their staff and their students equally.

Economics EPQs continue to be extremely popular and wide-ranging: this year’s dissertations included a study of the Eurozone as an optimum currency area (Raphael Hibou), the Earned Income Tax Credit’s impact on inequality in the US (Aleksa Djajkovic), and the impact of interest rates and Quantitative Easing on inflation (Jaime Peres Duarte and Charles Beaufour respectively). Geopolitics also continues to generate some superb work, including Aditya Jayaram’s exploration of how demographic factors will shape India’s growth in the next century, and Lucas Nahal’s evaluation of the successes and failures of China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Sustainability and environmentalism were central to Gus Jacobson’s analysis of what Singapore’s Green Plan could offer London, and Jacob Bethell’s appraisal of different possible solutions to the UK’s energy trilemma – fracking, it seems, is the way forward.

Sustainability was also at the heart of our first ever fashion artefact EPQ. Theo Frankel designed and made a garment that visually represented environmental issues in the fashion industry through its decoration and design, while also addressing them through its fabrics and minimal waste construction. Theo’s was one of a high number of creative projects this year, and it’s fantastic to see so many Paulines continuing to take advantage of the opportunities the artefact EPQ offers.

Writing and film-making remain popular options. Henry Smith channelled Miller, Mamet and McDonagh in his tense and powerful short play ‘The Red Room’, and Adam Seydo unleashed his inner Wes Anderson in his deadpan and delicate short film, ‘The Look’. Thomas Monro drew on his own extensive experience with hordes.io to produce progressive video tutorials aimed at boosting the skills and knowledge of

gamers at all levels, and Max Clapham’s ‘Gaffer’ was a highly entertaining TV comedy, shot in mockumentary style and set in the world of football. Sanil Ganguly produced a collection of macabre short stories, influenced by Roald Dahl and Shirley Jackson, and Finn Johnsson drew on Joan Lindsay, Agatha Christie and Donna Tartt to explore different perspectives on murder and art forgery.

This year also saw some stunning art projects. Richard Eichhorst’s extraordinary triptych of paintings fused Renaissance Biblical iconography with expressionist form and colour, while Sai Bhatia’s EPQ drew on a wide range of sources, including Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomical drawings and specimens from the Wellcome Collection, to create a leg sculpture that illustrated different medical conditions.

There were two superb print-making projects: the painstakingly calculated perspectives and high precision etching of Thomas Hill’s PORTICO, and Aidan Wong’s beautiful evocations of the moon, as represented in Japanese poetry, and filtered through imagery developed by English and German Romantic artists. One of the things students often value most about the EPQ is the opportunity for creative and

DEPARTMENTS

imaginative fusion, something which was perfectly illustrated in all the creative projects, and similarly in the music EPQs, where Chris Wang experimented with turning one short sample into a range of different musical pieces, and Kyle Hunt set himself the challenge of recording songs in the style of a range of artists, among them Frank Ocean, Ed Sheeran and Otis Redding.

Although EPQs are independent projects, the relationship between students and their supervisors is an absolutely fundamental part of the process. Many thanks must go to all the exceptionally dedicated teachers who helped to supervise this year’s projects, and generously gave their time to support, inspire and encourage their students.

Thanks are also due to Mrs Cummings and the librarians for all their help and consideration, and for their guidance in navigating the labyrinth of online research resources. Copies of each year’s EPQs are deposited in the Kayton Library for reference, so if you’d like to read any of the EPQs described here in full, that is where you can find them. ❚

Theo Frankel EPQ Designing a Garment that Illustrates and Embodies Environmental Issues

Sai Bhatia EPQ Experimental Studies

Richard Eichhorst – Isaac and Abraham

Thomas Hill – Portico

Aidan Wong

THE HOUSES

House Overview

House competitions continued to be fiercely contested this academic year, with a whole range of competitions to choose from. From Perudo to penalties, from chess to croquet, and from tennis to touch rugby: there was something for everyone. Ultimately, Gilks House secured a victory for the second year in a row, building a formidable reputation. At the end of the year, two Undermasters will be leaving the role: Dr. Field, who leaves for a new school, and Ms Gill, who will be staying at St Paul’s as Director of Admissions. They have both led their houses admirably.

HOUSE ACTIVITIES WINNERS 2023/24

Event Winner

4th Kwik Cricket Gilks

Senior Basketball Blurton

Junior Penalties Nilsson

Junior Unihoc Gill

Petanque Gill

4th Languages Passport Field

Choral Gill

Senior Penalties Blurton

4th Contact Rugby Harrison

4th Touch Rugby Warner

Junior Kwik Cricket Harrison

Cross Country Warner

Debating Gill

4th Basketball Cloete

Junior Perudo Blurton

Senior Perudo Blurton

Maths Nilsson

Senior Unihoc Gilks

Junior Basketball Gill

Bridge Blurton

4th Kahoot Warner

Masterchef Field

4th Table Tennis Gill

6th Table Tennis Cloete

Commendations Gill

Drama Harrison

Senior GeoGuessr Gilks

Senior Philosothon Gilks

4th Volleyball Warner

Junior Volleyball Gilks

Art Gilks

Senior Badminton Warner

Senior Fives Blurton

Swimming Gilks

Junior Squash Cloete

Junior Fives Blurton

Event Winner

Magic: The Gathering Warner

4th Badminton Gilks

Senior Squash Cloete

Speed Chess Gilks

4th Fives Harrison

Senior Volleyball Nilsson

Junior Badminton Warner

Junior Philosothon Blurton

Biswas-Hawkes Classics Field

Indoor Athletics Warner

4th Try Something New Harrison

Computing Gill

Senior Football Warner

Junior Football Field

Spring Commendations Gill

4th Football Warner

Croquet Blurton

Senior Tennis Gilks

Senior Table Tennis Harrison

Junior Tennis Cloete

U8 Softball Gilks

Pointless Field

4th Tennis Blurton

4th Triathlon Field

L8 Triathlon Cloete

5th Triathlon Nilsson

Science Harrison

Build Something Warner

4th Softball Blurton

5th Ultimate Frisbee Harrison

L8 Touch Rugby Gilks

MFL Spelling Bee Blurton

4th Ultimate Frisbee Warner

L8 Softball Warner

5th Touch Rugby Harrison

Languages Countdown Field

Event Winner

4th Touch Rugby (Summer) Warner

L8 Ultimate Frisbee Gilks

5th Softball Gill

4th Sports Day – Athletics Warner

5th Sports Day – Athletics Field

L8 Sports Day – Athletics Warner

4th Sports Day – Football Nilsson

5th Sports Day – Football Gilks

L8 Sports Day – Football Warner

Commendations – Summer Gilks

Blurton

It has been a thoroughly enjoyable year for the members of Blurton House. Despite hitting the top spot just before Christmas we have learned that the competition is a marathon, not a sprint, and this is one of our work-ons for next year. It goes without saying that as a collective group admirably led by Will Freebairn and Rohan Suri, we have had a lot of fun and have given this year’s competition our best shot.

There are several highlights of this year’s competition, however, two, in particular, stand out for me. The first would be winning House Athletics. It is one of the best competitions the school runs and it was great to see the House in full support and cheering everyone on. The other was when our junior Perudo mastermind, Avery Gowen won his age category and then two days later our senior Perudo genius, Lucian Manic won his age category. When the House started last year, I certainly never expected us to demonstrate such expertise in Perudo!

Celebrating the pupil’s success this year is very difficult to summarise as there are so many pupils in the House that have achieved something special.

However, it is important to recognise that we consist of National Champions in Fives and Rackets, one of the most talented pianists in the country, and numerous Prize winners. It is great to hear about the achievements of pupils across the whole school but there is something special about hearing that the pupil is a member of your House.

I have mentioned awards and winning quite a bit in this year’s summary, however, it is important to note that these are not the values of our House. I was taught a long time ago that you do not need to win to be successful and it is this philosophy that underpins what we do as we continue to build a culture and community that all members feel proud to be part of.

Before you read further about all the wonderful things we have been up to, I would like to say thank you to all the pupils for their hard work this year and for competing for the House, in particular the triathletes, cross country runners and swimmers. A special mention should also go to our Pupil Voice and Pauls4All reps who do plenty of work behind the scenes. I would like to say a special thank you to Will and Rohan for their unwavering commitment to the

House – they have been fantastic role models to the younger pupils. Finally, I would like to thank the tutors of Blurton House who are relentless in the support, care and guidance of their tutees.

Cloete

It has been a year of ups and downs for (the once mighty) Cloete House. We started off strong with a win in the first double point event – House Choral – which proved to be the highlight of our year.

However after a brief high at second place, we found ourselves back in the lower regions of the table once again. Enyu (renowned Cloete House rhetorician) once wisely likened this situation to Icarus, who flew too close to the sun and had his wings burned. Indeed our temporary high of second place was never matched again and we sat idly in 6th place for the rest of the year. Yet to us, results will never define Cloete House, it is about the collective Cloetonian family formed and the memories made at House events. Freddie Katzenellenbogen and Moxuan Liu, Co-captains

It has been a real pleasure to take the reins of Cloete House since January. I knew that there was some serious talent in the house after I saw them sweep to glory with ‘Viva La Vida’ in House Choral back in October, so it has been a pleasure to experience more of that first-hand. I have been very impressed by the standard of tutor group assemblies on Friday mornings, with Mr Gardner’s group’s Animal Kingdom XI, Mr Garnett’s conspiracy theories and Dr Holmes’ greatest console just some of the many highlights. We have had some great moments in house events, most notably in both the junior and senior squash events, junior tennis and L8th triathlon. Dr McDonnell has sadly called time on his tenure as Head of House Activities for Cloete; I thank him for his care and commitment over the last two years and as Club President of G Club before that; he will be replaced by Mr Wishart as Miss Cloete returns in September. The greatest joy of this role has been getting to know a different cohort of the school more closely– both pupils and their tutors– and I now have a second house that I will always be rooting for, provided they’re not up against the light blue of Field/Stewart!

Alex Stewart, Acting UM

Cloete House started off the year strongly. The House Choral performance of Viva La Vida, accompanied by piano, saxophone, and full string quartet was outstanding and it was lovely to see many of the older boys get involved. Results over the course of the year have been variable. Whilst Cloete House has dominated in rackets-based sports, too many 7th and 8th places elsewhere has led to a decline as steady and inevitable as the collapse of the Roman Empire. The cynical amongst Cloetonians might blame a certain temporary change in leadership that occurred at Christmas. Still, I too must bear some responsibility and will fall on my proverbial sword to make way for the enigmatic Mr Wishart next year. I have no doubt things will improve under his leadership and the return of Miss Cloete; after all, the only way is up! My personal highlight of the year was hearing about the development and number of iterations required for James to perfect his chocolate globe for House Masterchef. Unfortunately, the judges were less impressed. Dr Ian McDonnell, HoHA

Field

This year has been a bitter-sweet one; my second as Undermaster of Field house, and my last after a wonderful eight year career at St Paul’s School.

I am grateful to have worked with such an incredible group of pupils, parents, and staff over the best part of the last decade. This year I have been overwhelmed with the breadth and depth of the skills possessed by the pupils in this house. They are talented athletes, brilliant game players both indoors and out, top engineers, musicians and artists, and wonderful supporters of each other. I have been delighted to see tutor groups flourish and pupils reinforce the bonds between year groups that were broken during COVID bubbles. The continuing success of the house has largely been due to the incredible tutor team, bolstered this year by the addition of new tutors: Erica Schirripa-Musa and Charles Irons. Tutors are such an important part of a Pauline’s life at the school and the tutor team in Field house are second to none. They are the day to day platform that allows your children to flourish in school. As well as the tutor team, our house had great support from the pupil run house leadership team, this year fronted by Co-Captains Nicolo and Elliott. These kind and supportive young people have been instrumental in ensuring house participation across all events and I know that pupils looked forward to their segment of the house assembly every week. House Captain is a major undertaking and I am deeply grateful to Nicolo and Elliott for doing a great job this year. They left the house in second place overall – a superb achievement! I know that the Paulines who have been the lifeblood of this house will have exciting and successful futures. I will miss each and every one of them –Mr Stewart will be taking over a house populated by incredible young people. I wish him, and them the very best of luck in their future endeavours.

Dr Field, Undermaster

The members of Field house built upon their fantastic first year of house competition in which they finished third, by pushing participation numbers to even higher levels than seen before. Thanks to the enthusiasm of Co-Captains Elliott Gaudaire and Nicolo Marcello,

the house has thrived with huge participation in events.

With the members of Field house possessing a blend of sporting prowess, showmanship and quizzical intellect, it was clear from the beginning of the year that there was a good chance of claiming the house cup. With Mr Stewart overseeing matters as Head of House activities, the pupils started the year with great success in House Drama (1st) and Choral (tied 2nd) in the Winter term.

A reshuffle in house structure at the start of 2024, meant that I would replace Mr Stewart for the remainder of the year – big shoes to fill given his enthusiasm and support for the house. Thankfully, the Field house pupils continued to push with great cohesion as the year progressed, and I have loved witnessing their successes in various activities. Highlights from the Spring term include members of the house succeeding in house “Pointless” and the Classical Biswas-Hawkes Quiz, as well as our sports stars finding success in the house triathlon, and swimming. Writing this with a few weeks left of term, we find ourselves second in the table, with a good chance of catching Gilks house for the trophy.

Due to Mr Stewart replacing Dr Field as the new house Undermaster, we will welcome a totally new team of house leaders next year. Following Mr Stewart’s leadership will be Rohan George and Atom Lucenet as the new Co-Captains, as well as Miss Milanova as the new Head of House Activities. I am sure they will do a superb job and continue to bring fun and success to the house.

Mr Pollock, HoHA

We knew that stepping up to the plate and becoming this year’s house captains would be no easy task, especially since we had to carry on the great legacy of James and Nathan. Last year we came 3rd overall, which was good but not good enough, and we knew we had to do everything in our power to do even better. The first term was very rough; we were suffering defeat after defeat and we ended the term in 7th place, quite the opposite of what we were hoping. However, we were not phased by this minor setback, because we knew that the spring term is when we would start to show our true selves. The thing about Field House is that we aren’t only good at one thing, but instead we shine in many different aspects such as sports, music, drama and many other extra-curricular activities. This is why we were able to waltz through the rest of the year, gradually picking up lots of points, until we found ourselves in a respectable 2nd place. We are especially thankful to all the lower years, who have demonstrated that Field House will continue to prosper in the years to come. We also want to wish the very best to Rohan and Atom, our worthy successors, who will hopefully be able to lift the trophy next year. It’s coming home! Elliott Gaudaire and Nicolo Marcello

Gilks

This year things in Gilks House have really come together. Winning the competition last year helped us get off to a good start this year, but under the New House leadership the bar was raised.

House assemblies were handed over to them and they kept us entertained every Friday morning. Nate was in charge of rounding up the week and celebrating successes and Rufus came up with a new and creative speech each week. We also developed a House song which the boys sing with pride. As each week went by, House spirit continued to grow and I am incredibly proud of the community we have created in a relatively short period of time. We will really miss the U8th leavers, but I am confident that the new leadership team will put their own mark on the House and will continue to strengthen our House spirit. At the time of writing, we are also on track to win the House competition for the second year in a row – let’s see how sports day pans out on Thursday!

Dr Gilks, Undermaster

Head of House Activities

It has been another superb year for Gilks House, culminating in winning the house competition for the second time in a row. Whilst it was fantastic to see that result delivered, it was the manner in which it was achieved that has given me most pride. It was brilliant to see the Gilksonian ideals of commitment, superbly encouraging support and first rate sportsmanship being shown across the events and year groups and in the face of some very tough competition. Finally, I was delighted to see the win achieved through success across a huge range of events and with a very large number of Gilksonians being involved, a true full house effort.

What a year it has been for Gilks House.

After the legendary victory in the 2022-23 season the pressure was high on Gilks to deliver once again and boy did we deliver.

Gilksonions stepped up to bring home 8 points (a win) in over 15 events this year including in: the controversial but crucial win in Senior Unihoc; the utter domination and destruction of all other houses in 4th Form Table Tennis; the masterclass of the underdog mentality in House Speed Chess and numerous others.

However, although it is always nice to get a victory there are things more important! Having fun is, of course, paramount but even more so are the GIL Derbies. There is no greater feeling of satisfaction than facing up against Gill House and winning. These wins have been a joy to watch, hear about and be a part of.

It has been our honour to be able to stand up in front of the House every Friday morning and both speak to and hear from those who have represented the house as well as the occasional joke of the week volunteer.

I doubt that any Gilksonian will be able to forget that whatever the event has been, a metaphor for the Gilks House spirit can always be made up from it (as Rufus demonstrated every week). For example, House Basketball where notably the ball, just like Gilks House, always bounces back.

Thank you to Dr Gilks, Mr Jones, all the committee and most importantly all you Gilksonians for a memorable, successful and enjoyable year.

Most importantly, good luck in the future and Gilks could not be in safer hands than with the captains of Jacob Bethel and Adam Seydo.

Up the Gilks!

Nate Bottomley and Rufus Goodman

As soon as Simon Roberts and I interviewed John Moretti and Harry Webber, we both knew that they would be a formidable combination as co-captains for Gill House.

Harry and John’s calm double-act in our weekly Assemblies always featured quick wit and self-deprecating humour and it never failed to bring smiles and laughter to a Thursday morning. As I enter my final half-term as an Undermaster, I feel very lucky that I experienced these two years of the new House system. The role of an Undermaster is certainly demanding and sometimes an emotional rollercoaster, but it is also a real privilege to build relationships with pupils and their parents as they journey through their exciting five years at St Paul’s School. My heartfelt thanks must go to Simon Roberts as my Head of House Activities – his energy, enthusiasm and kindness are unrivalled and I was very lucky to work alongside him. I leave the role with so many warm memories and I am very much hoping that the shields will be allowed to stand proudly in the corner of my new office. I wish Alex Langley every success as he takes over the reins – I could not be leaving the House in safer hands and I shall always be cheering from the sidelines for the boys dressed in green tabards!

Undermaster

Having finished 2nd place in last year’s House competition, we knew that we needed two of the best to build upon this momentum. In come Harry and John heading the leadership team of Arun Gayner, Angel Ellis, Anthony Hillman and Muhammad Hasan. The team’s complementary skills and personalities created great collaboration and really boosted House spirit. They led with the ethos of ‘giving it a go’ and ‘sign up, turn up.’ This, along with the weekly presentation of our GOAT of the week, allowed us to shine the spotlight on those who had truly demonstrated House spirit.

Finally, being a member of Gill house and representing the name can only happen with one person at the helm, Miss Gill. We all owe one of the greatest debts to the support received under her tenure, and we hope as she moves on to pastures new, the green flag will always be flying, leaving our boys with the best memories and a sense of immense gratitude for the countless hours given to make their day to day that bit better. Simply put, passion = Miss Gill. Thank you Caroline.

Head of House Activities

Harry:

Being elected as Gill House Co-Captain has truly been a highlight of my last year at this school. Getting to stand up on stage and do weekly recaps, as well as handing out the prestigious GOAT of the Week award and rushing around school to watch all year groups commit 100% to the wide array of events that are put on has been a welcomed and exciting break to the busy and work-heavy U8th year. From kickstarting the GIL derby between Gill and Gilks house to cheering Ned Bowman as he launched a home run in our last event at the school, I can honestly say I have cherished every minute.

John:

The role of co-captain has certainly been a highlight of the U8th. Seeing the house buy into our vision of bringing Gill to the top was truly rewarding, from strong performances in events across the year groups to our weekly meetings. The house system is an excellent way to engage with and build the school spirit that massively contributed to the Pauline community and it was a pleasure to be able to contribute to this. Although that elusive top spot evaded us this year, I hope that all of the members of Gill House made some enjoyable memories along the way, because I certainly did.

Harrison

It has been such an enjoyable year for the House in terms of participation, enjoyment and success. Our objective from day one, was to try and be as inclusive as possible and encourage everyone in the House to try to get involved and represent the House.

We definitely achieved this and motivated pupils to get out of their comfort zone evidenced by our victory in the Autumn term’s ’Try Something New’ competition–this win resulted in us having the privilege of the High Master play Saxophone to the House in our assembly – an inspiring example to the pupils, as she had literally only just started to learn the instrument and it received a tremendous ovation from the pupils. The assembly was very relatable to the spirit of Harrison House which was magnificently led by the House Prefects with special mention to Marco as Captain who not only led by example, but cared deeply about our success. It was a clear objective of the leadership team to continue with our inclusive approach, but try and aim to move up the table – it has been astonishing to see the improvement and all the pupils were proud to come 3rd this year which is a significant jump up the table! The addition of year group leaders has certainly helped us organise, motivate and select the right teams and their work has been hugely appreciated!

There were many highlights, but I always enjoy the House Choral and House Drama – they involve a huge amount of work and creative energy from many people and we did so well in singing ‘ Good vibrations’ and performing the ‘History Boys.’ Max Swinnerton was instrumental in leading both these major events and I am looking forward to working with him and Daniel Taylor who have been selected as House Captains next year – I have no doubt they are going to lead with high energy and care for all the pupils in the House. We are hoping to do more social events to complement the completions and build further on the house spirit and the lovely community we have developed!

Finally a huge thank you for all Dr Langley’s wonderful work as Head of House Activities over the last two years and we all wish him luck as Housemaster next year! I also look forward to working with Natalie Dillon, who is replacing Alex in this role. RGH, House Master

Harrison House had a successful year in the inter-house competition, finishing third overall. Our guiding principles this year were mass participation and ensuring that we had complete teams for all events, which we certainly achieved. Although we did not win that many events outright, our approach meant that we always accumulated points which built up over the course of the year. My thanks must go to the House leadership team, and in particular House captain Marco Sicheri who made my job so much easier. The boys in the 5th form have also been superb both on and off the sports fields. It has been a pleasure being part of the House for the last two years, and I wish Mr Harrison, Ms Dillon (who takes over my role) and new co-captains Daniel Taylor and Max Swinnerton the very best of luck. I will enjoy competing against you!

Alexander Langley, Head of House Activities

Nilsson

It has been a privilege to lead Nilsson House for another year. Ties of kinship have deepened and esprit de corps has continued to develop.

I have particularly enjoyed seeing how tutor groups have become such nurturing and welcoming places for new Nilssonians, and how tutors all have their own way of developing such positive environments. We are saying goodbye to Mr Fairbairn and Mr Kemp this year who have done so much to look after their tutees and offered so much to the house. They will remain Nilssonians in their heart. On the other hand, we are also delighted to welcome Dr Pryce and Ms Sandars to Nilsson house as tutors. I look forward to a new year, full of possibilities. No Man is an Island.

There has been a somewhat seasonally cyclical nature to Nilsson House’s second year of existence. We welcomed a new committee and thoroughly enjoyed Luke Magalhaes’ uplifting and enthusiastic assemblies, especially the meticulously researched, SPS-themed game shows. The Nilssonians started the year strongly with 2nd place in the prestigious House Choral, where the 4th and 5th form belted out Shotgun by George Ezra, along with some lovely harmonies organised by Mr Fairbairn, and with Haolin Zhao’s incredible accompaniment once more. This early lead dwindled slowly as the year went on, with our bête noire (Indoor Athletics) once more haunting the burgundy troops. There have, however, been some fabulous moments, and for all that we lack in enthusiasm for Shuttle Run, we more than make up for in other sporting and non-sport related competitions; highlights for me have been Seb Brown’s (4th) delicious Iranian entry for House Masterchef, where he came 2nd, beating most of the (largely 8th form) competitors, and the enthusiastic Senior sports team who came 1st or 2nd in basketball, volleyball, softball etc. We also elected a House Mascot through a detailed and democratic process: The Orca now lives proudly in my classroom and attends House Assemblies and House Events to bring luck to the competitors. Special mention must also be made of the new 4th form, who have signed up for House events in droves; the future of Nilsson House is bright. No man is an island.

RKKUR

The second year of Nilsson Houses’ existence has been a rollercoaster. A lightning quick start to the year saw us as initial frontrunners in the title race, thanks to brilliance in senior basketball, as well as the juniors making a real statement as they came runners up in kwik cricket and won junior penalties. Our focus soon shifted to one of the most highly anticipated events of the year, and my personal favourite: house choral. After impressing last year in the event, we again brought dedication and enthusiasm to the event, in particular our fourth and fifth formers, whose intense rehearsal schedule of George Ezra’s ‘Shotgun’ bore fruit to see us through to second place, coming second only to a full orchestra that pushed the limits in what can be considered a ‘choir’. Despite this early success, what ensued was an extended lean period, punctuated by a few moments of brilliance. These included a dominant performance in House Maths, an area in which Nilsson boasts undeniably the two best pound-for-pound Mathematicians in the school in Haolin Zhao and Mike Sydorenko. Also, an inspired cooking performance by Seb Brown in the fourth form, who produced an exceptionally flavourful massaman curry, restored some pride to our badge in the middle section of the year. In the latter half of the year, our departing upper eighths brought some grit to the sports fields, with a flurry of second places in Fives, Table tennis and softball, capped off with a dominant Volleyball victory in which we didn’t drop a point in the final. Particular credit too must go to John Conte Ireland in the fifth form who, in one of the most mentally and physically testing solo house events, won the triathlon for Nilsson house. Ultimately, regardless of our positioning in the house table, our house spirit has been exceptional from start to finish, with Mr Nilsson and Luke’s assemblies doing an exceptional job at instilling our motto: ‘no man is an island’, into the minds and actions of all Nilssonians. It has been a pleasure to be part of the house committee this year and I wish Nilsson house all the best for future endeavours, both in reaching the top of the leader board and in further strengthening our community.

Darshy Pandey

Warner

Even despite our position on the table, Warner House can be proud of its commitment in all sorts of events this year. Everyone got involved in a wide range of competitions – from football to drama to the Pointless game show.

Highlights of the year included the House Choral and Drama, two large operations involving pupils from many year groups, with special thanks to Richard Eichhorst and Eli Joseph for their leadership in the two events respectively. Warner saw particular success in the Basketball and Football competitions across all years, as well as a Mirko Barat masterclass winning Magic: The Gathering for a second year running. Every week of the year we had multiple events and multiple teams trotting out to compete for the House, even if at times we had to chase some around in order to fill the team sheets. For me the best thing about Warner House in the competitions this year has been seeing all types of people getting involved in things which they would never typically do, and having all the more fun for it. We must also thank both Miss Warner and Mrs Cotton, as well as all of the tutors in Warner House, for their hard work put in to allow us to continue to have such fun opportunities as the House competitions.

Our intra-house event, the Warner House University Challenge provided weeks of entertainment filled with friendly(ish) competition. Starting with the dominant performance of Mr Maguire’s tutor group to kick off the competition in week 1, the tournament has shed light on some of the brightest minds in Warner House, with the grand final providing a blockbuster clash of titans starring world class quizzers Gabe

Joseph and Max Miller. In a close fought battle, ending 90 points to 80, Dr Hemery’s tutor group prevailed over Mr Maguire’s, becoming our inaugural champions. Special thanks again to Miss Warner and Mrs Cotton for providing buzzers and a gavel along with their constant support and enthusiasm, and most of all to the tutees who took parts and the tutors willing them on!

Charlie White and James Wilson, Co-captains

As Roosevelt once said: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena […] who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly….” Looking at our final position (joint seventh), it is easy to overlook the fortitude and spirit of fun that has come to characterise the Warner community: without a doubt, win or lose, Warner House pupils have always ‘dare[d] greatly.’ Ms Cotton and I have been continually impressed by the talent, energy, warmth and stoicism of all students. Particular highlights for us were Sports Day, where we triumphed over our rival houses with terrific shows of sportsmanship across all years; and Fourth Form Football, where we secured victory against the odds. As we reach the end of the academic year, we wish all our U8 the best of luck, but we must give our special thanks to Charlie White and James Wilson and the rest of the committee for their strong, compassionate and kind-hearted leadership. Looking ahead to next year, we welcome Eli Joseph and Richard Eichhorst as Co-Captains for Warner as well as committee members Mingyo Kim, Chris Leaver, Adam Zimmerman, and Milo Jones, who have already made a fantastic start in their new roles leading us to a nail-biting neck and neck finish with Cloete. Next year, watch out! We have our eyes on the top of the leading board and we can’t wait to battle it out.

Miss Warner and Ms Cotton

PARTNERSHIPS AND PUBLIC BENEFIT

Charity and Partnerships

PARTNERSHIPS AND PUBLIC BENEFITS SUMMARY

I’m writing this as we conclude our residential summer school programme and I am delighted that we’ve managed to partner with UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory for our inaugural Space School – which compliments our long-standing magic materials and particle physics schools. Next year we hope to add a Humanities school to the portfolio.

Whilst this doesn’t conclude the year for partnerships – we’re looking forward to hosting the St Mary’s Ukrainian School and FUEL (free school meals holiday programme) camps, we can reflect on what has been another busy and productive year for partnerships, as you’ll be able to read in these pages. As well as embedding ourselves more deeply in the West London area (more than 10 or our teachers have been working regularly in partner WLP state schools during the year and more Paulines than ever have volunteered), we are building links with a number of national MultiAcademy Trusts to widen our impact across the country through our residential summer schools and digital offering. Many thanks to all staff and pupils involved in this important work for St Paul’s and to our donor community for making many of the programmes possible! ❚

LIFE ON THE PAULS4ALL COMMITTEE

Henrik Helsen

This year has been a busy one for the Pauls4All Committee. Our Thursday meetings have been filled with frantic activity as we’ve planned charity related events and run through details for Non-Uniform Day collections. However, all our efforts have paid off, with a number of rewarding events taking place throughout the year. In October, we ran an enormously successful food drive, collecting over 500 kilograms of packaged items for City Harvest, a local charity partner that helps provide essential supplies to families in need in West London.

Our main focus throughout the spring term was directed at Charities Week. We put together a full program of events for the week, including a fascinating talk about the importance of NGOs delivered to Polecon. In addition to a charity related quiz, we also produced an informative video about the different local causes that the school has been supporting. Combined with the Charity Walk, the week was a great success, raising money and awareness for our local charity partners – Man and Boy, Barnes Common, London Sports Trust and West London Zone. We raised an impressive £12,000 overall, which was managed only thanks to the generous support of the entire school community.

In the latter weeks of the summer term, with exams out of the way, we turned our attention to the Ruth Strauss Foundation’s Charity Day. This was a particular highlight for those members of the committee with a passion for cricket, and the day was filled with charity-related fun. Thank you to all who attended and wore red!

Overall, a productive and enjoyable year! ❚

WHOLE SCHOOL CHARITY WALK

Fred Websper

On Friday, 22 March, our entire school community came together for the grand finale of the Pauls4All Charities week: a Charity Walk from Barnes to Putney and back. This is the third time we have run this event, and it saw pupils and staff unite to raise funds for this year’s four worthy causes: Barnes Common, London Sports Trust, Man&Boy, and West London Zone.

In the spirit of solidarity, it was also a non-uniform day with everyone wearing pink. This is the colour of the volunteering and fundraising team’s shirts, so this showed our collective commitment as a school to making a difference.

Teachers, strategically placed at regular intervals, ensured that everyone stayed on the right path. The sea of pink-clad walkers set off in fine weather, and were undeterred by a bit of rain later on. The walk proceeded smoothly, with each tutor group sticking together, fostering camaraderie and school spirit. Lots of people also picked up litter along the route, showing our school’s commitment to environmental stewardship as well as charitable giving. There were also rumours of some hikers indulging in a quick break at a burger stand for a vital refuel.

This year’s Charity Walk was not just a fundraising effort; it was a celebration of our school’s ethos of caring, community, and collective action. As we walked together, we showed that when we come together, we can achieve great things for those in need.

We look forward to continuing this tradition and making an even bigger impact in the years to come. ❚

LIFE ON THE SLT AT FBS

Keri Cloete

For the past two terms, I have spent time working at one of the West London Partnership Schools – the Fulham Boys’ School. Much like St Pauls’, FBS is an all-boys school which is pastorally set up around a House System with vertical form groups. This opportunity has been an excellent example of Partnerships work at play; I have been able to both offer my experience of working at a bigger, more established school (FBS is only recently 10 years old!) whilst also learning more about working with boys’ and the pastoral care schools can offer. This experience has been wide-ranging; from teaching classes and supporting new teachers, to working on complex pastoral cases, to digitising the behaviour and rewards system – I have learnt so much and look forward to implementing some of what I learnt back at SPS.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the incredible support offered by both staff bodies and the warm welcome I received at FBS. One particular highlight for me was helping to organise the first FBS Staff vs SPS Staff sports afternoon in the Summer term where staff battled it out on the football pitch and netball court – well done to FBS who were victorious in both games, I do look forward to this being an annual part of the calendar.

I have learnt so much from my counterparts at FBS and very much look forward to continuing working with them in the future after I return to SPS in September. My sincere thanks to Dave at FBS and Sally-Anne at SPS for making this possible. ❚

STEM PARTNERSHIPS

Tom Lyster, Maths Partnership Lead

Going into Space!

We have expanded and evolved STEM partnerships in 2023/24, reaching the widest and most diverse community ever.

As ever our year began as the St Paul’s School year ended, with two residential summer schools. From July 10-12 2023 we welcomed year 10 students from across the UK to immerse themselves in the seventh Magic of Materials Summer School. Academics from the University of Birmingham and Imperial College London as well as industry experts from De Beers, National Composites Centre and Innoval Technologies delivered talks and workshops at a university graduate level. Between July 12-14 2023 academics from Queen Mary University of London treated a second group of students to workshops and talks covering the breadth and depth

of the field of particle physics. The talks during this week were also shared internationally via live zoom webinar.

This was our second year working on the Magic of Materials School programme with the Discover Materials group of five universities. The team of academics, postdocs and PhD students from the University of Birmingham and Imperial College built upon last year’s new workshops with yet another addition to the programme. The programme for the Particle physics summer school was tweaked slightly and workshops delivered on the whole by early career researchers (PhD students and Postdocs).

For the first time, we piloted teacher CPD linked to our summer school programme. We held a particle physics CPD day on Thursday 13 July, welcoming around 20 teachers from

across London; physics specialists and non-specialists. Teachers attended lectures offered for the summer school that day and were then treated to a collection of workshops linked to the curriculum. Feedback from teachers was overwhelmingly positive and this coming year we plan to run a similar CPD day but focused on materials science. Each year we will rotate the specialism of such CPD.

The STEM summer school partnerships team were first shortlisted before being announced finalists at the Independent Schools Awards 2023 in the Education Partnerships category. We were pipped to the winning post at the awards ceremony by the worthy Royal Grammar School, Newcastle but were proud to play our part in the whole school award for Independent Boy’s School of the Year. We were also given a Certificate of Excellence by the Pearson

National Teaching Awards for the summer schools programme in recognition of the fantastic work we do towards Impact through Partnership.

Off of the back of the summer school’s continued success we forged a new partnership this year to run a third summer schools programme. This summer saw the inaugural Space School run from July 15-17 2024, in partnership with Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL. We are excited to be working with MSSL and UCL and honoured to join their esteemed outreach and public engagement programme.

Through the summer schools programme we have also forged partnerships with three multi academy trusts this year; AET, E-ACT and Star Academies. Each academy trust will be sending 24 students across the three ➦

2024 summer schools. These MATs represent schools in areas of marked deprivation across the UK and offer exciting opportunities to work in partnerships to support their higher ability learners in STEM and beyond.

From January to April 2023 we hosted our Science Saturday courses. The Biology course for year 12 allowed students to take part in university level practical work. Over the course of three weeks they genetically modified bacteria to include the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene before analysing their resulting bacteria. In Physics year 12 students applied physics concepts to spreadsheet based computer models. Year 10 physics students were provided with a LEGO packed whistlestop journey through the history of the

Universe; from Big Bang to modern day. Four weeks of chemistry introduced year 12 students infrared spectroscopy, a variety of organic chemistry reactions and ended with a chemiluminescence glow stick creation.

On the back of initial funding from the Mercers, We have also been able to continue running the GCSE and A Level revision STEM courses which pupils from Christ’s School have been attending since the COVID restriction was removed. Teachers from Christ’s worked in partnerships again with SPS teachers to devise and deliver revision on the topics that the pupils needed the most. We are still crunching the final numbers but indications show a marked improvement in student results compared to pre COVID levels. ❚

SPS Maths in West London

This year we have had four St Paul’s maths teachers working for one afternoon each week in three of our partnership schools; Christ’s School, Hammersmith Academy and Fulham Boys School. This has been a superb experience for everyone involved. While the teachers have gained expertise by teaching in a different school and working with their respective maths departments, the real beneficiaries have been the many students who have had regular extra maths sessions. These have included problem solving for year 10, GCSE maths intervention for year 11 and maths enrichment for years 12 and 13, including preparing students for university entrance tests and interviews, as well as further STEP support for one FBS pupil who successfully gained an offer to study mathematics at the University of Cambridge. By providing these sessions over a whole year or longer, the maths department is really making a difference in each of these schools. We also continue to provide a range of maths events throughout the year, the highlight being the two day Maths Circle in June attended by forty year 10 students. ❚

CHASE THE SUN

Sebastian Allon, Teacher of Mathematics

On 22 June 2024 a team of six staff, with the invaluable support of Dr Chris Harrison, managed to Chase the Sun.

It was indeed the longest day, waking at 3:15am, driving to the start and finally getting underway around 5:15AM from Minster. The Isle of Sheppey merged into South London, but once past the London sprawl, we enjoyed the glories of the Vale of Pewsey and Cheddar Gorge.

Various stops were made for intake of tea, coffee, sausage rolls, sandwiches, and Coca-Cola, fuelling us to a strong finish in the sunshine at Weston-super-Mare at 7:45pm.

Total time: 14H30M, 330km/205miles, and just shy of £3000 raised for the bursary fund.

Thank you to all those who supported us with donations and words of support. Have a lovely summer and we hope you enjoy some cycling of your own. Tom, Becky, Sam, Tom, Rory and Seb. ❚

RUTH STRAUSS FOUNDATION CHARITY EVENT

As part of our block cricket fixture against Dulwich College, both schools turned red to support the Ruth Strauss Foundation. The Foundation, named in honour of Ruth Strauss the wife of the former England cricket captain Andrew Strauss, supports families facing the death of a parent. Players across both school sites wore red caps and red socks and a range of fundraising events took place.

Entrepreneurship

Expanded from just St Paul’s to include St Paul’s Girls’ School (SPGS) and Cardinal Vaughan School, the Year 10 Entrepreneurship Day saw students brainstorming to come up with an original restaurant concept, before mocking up menus, store designs and pitching in front of a team of judges. Key concepts learned include an introduction to simple financial terms, the importance of sustainable practices, collaboration and presentation skills.

Building on this and occurring after GCSEs in the final week of June, over 200 students from 11 schools (both state and independent sectors were well-represented) attended this year’s 3-day Summer Entrepreneurship Course event which sees students brainstorming a sustainable business concept before presenting to a judging panel of Venture Capitalists. Particular emphasis is placed on teamwork, research and SWOT analysis to justify the business concepts that individual teams may come up with. This event aims to build on the Y10 Entrepreneurship Day and prepare students to begin real-world income generation through either their own initiative or via Young Enterprise or the school’s alumni routes, i.e. the ESTER incubator and Capital Angel Network. MD Avinash Ehathasan lead his team BRIKD to the top prize of best overall company for their polished and professional recyclable materials concept.

This year the course also included inspiring speeches from THIS founder, Andy Shovel, Re-Balance Earth founder, Rob Gardner, and Charles Tyrwhitt founder, Peter Higgins in addition to being introduced first-hand to real start-up companies, such as the Sports Data Tech company, Ai.io. Feedback from the students was extremely positive:

The opportunity to present to and hear from experienced and knowledgeable figures within the field of entrepreneurship was my highlight.

I thoroughly enjoyed the external talks and ability to develop the mindset of an entrepreneur throughout the course, especially during activities and competition.

I enjoyed the partnership schools and making new friends – as well as the food provided.

Encouragingly, a large majority of students also were open to continue their entrepreneurial journey, with around four fifths of participating students open to pursuing the Young Enterprise programme in Y12 or working with companies like Ai.io in future.

In Young Enterprise this year we have successfully created two new joint teams of SPS/SPGS students, in addition to entering four boys only teams from St Paul’s., MetroGro – an innovative indoor gardening business, successfully advanced through several stages of the competition and secured a place in the Greater London and Essex Final, narrowly missing out on progressing to the National Final. ❚

This year also saw a trial of the LSE Generate Schools Programme

Thanks to the extra funding available from the Mercers’ Company we have been able to send Y12-Y13 students from Cardinal Vaughan, Hammersmith Academy and SPS to the LSE’s pioneering school’s programme which puts them into direct contact with founders and innovators in the surroundings of the GenDen, in the heart of the LSE’s campus. This programme has proven very popular and complements the work that Y12 YE students are carrying out. It also allows those who do not have the time commitments for YE to participate in an entrepreneurial programme during their Y12. ❚

Students from this year’s LSE programme

Produfresh, a joint SPS/SPGS YE Team wins Best Sustainability award at the West London Company Awards

Radians win Best Overall Company at the pan-London YE Spitalfields Tradefair

MetroGro win best overall company at the South London regional finals of YE

ESTER Incubator

In 2023, with assistance from SPS alumni (OPs), we launched the first ever school incubator initiative, called ESTER. The ESTER incubator programme provides funding, mentorship and professional services advice to early-stage companies over a 12 month period (founders must be over 18 at time of application). Currently we have four companies benefiting from the programme, all of which are OP entrepreneurs. Next year we intend to make the incubator available to a far wider audience including alumni of WLP schools. This is an incredibly exciting initiative which is designed to utilise the entrepreneurial talent fostered by the Start It programme and provide a tangible route for those who really want to pursue a start-up career path. Current companies on the programme are:

1. GreenStar

Founded by Kayyan Elmasry OP, a student at the LSE, GreenStar aims to provide a chrome extension to identify the true sustainability of products.

2. Life

Founded by Huw Siddle OP and his business partner Calum Miller, this personal assistant service aims free up the valuable time of professionals at relatively low costs compared to current competitors.

3. CorpusAnalytiX

Founded by Ansh Tandon OP, this start up aim to deliver a B2B SaaS healthcare data-brokering platform that helps users retrieve inaccessible biomedical databases.

4. The Root.co

Founded by Will Englander OP – sells organic premium ginger beer and has made great strides in recent months with proven sales and an appearance on Channel 4 for Aldi’s next big thing. ❚

Concluding remarks

The overall mission of the Start It programme is to foster and support young, sustainably-minded entrepreneurs from a diverse range of backgrounds. The programme has allowed young entrepreneurs to flourish in West London Partnership schools while the foundation work carried out over the last year has put us in a position to significantly increase the scale and accessibility of our

entrepreneurship offering while also ensuring we are leading the way as a pioneer in entrepreneurial education. Many schools have built or created innovation centres, or courses designed to teach entrepreneurial concepts and skills – the Start It programme allows St Paul’s and the WLP to truly lead as a centre of excellence for entrepreneurship education and support. ❚

THE 2022 THOMAS CLARKSON AWARD

Esa Dhanani, Thomas Clarkson award winner 2023/24

COLET CLUBS

Alessandro Zaccaria

“Sij – Solar Initiative for Justice”

In 2022, Pakistan, and notably Sindh, suffered from the devastating impact of intense flash floods and monsoon rains. Appalled by the immense damage to infrastructure, I started a distribution effort to deliver decentralised energy solutions to remote areas across Sindh. Partnering with Bboxx, I helped distribute their highly affordable, reliable, and easy-to-install entry-level products, part of their Flexx line, which are designed for rural customers at the bottom of the energy pyramid. This product targets the rural population that earns below $2 USD per day. Our first phase of powering 12 homes through the installation of Flexx12 products was completed in July 2023. The impact was immediate –children were able to study in the evenings, but I knew more advanced solutions could be utilised to bring further gains.

With funding from the Thomas Clarkson Award, I was able to cover product costs, despite import tariffs, and bring in a new range of eight versatile multi-light solar systems (Flexx40) to rural communities at the bottom of the energy pyramid. These pay-as-you-go energy solutions include mobile phone charging, a 12W solar panel, and a lithium battery designed to minimise lifetime costs. This funding has helped reduce energy poverty and inequality, aiding in the sustainable rebuilding of Sindh.

Challenges such as protectionist obstructions for importing solar into Pakistan and the issues of power load shedding taught me the importance of knowing when to be resilient and when to give up and look for alternative answers, spurring me to continuously seek creative solutions to tackle the energy poverty crisis.

I am excited to learn more about the energy sector and how I can impact the world positively. I am planning to study Economics and Data Science this year and look forward to evaluating how data science can be used in the growing renewables industry in developing countries. The future looks bright. ❚

Sij Instagram: instagram.com/sij.pk/

Two years ago, I was fortunate to be part of a class that trialled a new app designed to help students with their homework and academic tasks. That was my first of many experiences with Colet Mentoring. Today, this app is well-known at our school, used regularly by both mentors and mentees. Since September, there have been 1,152 individual Colet sessions, lasting a total of 13,363 minutes. The app allows students seeking help to send a request and be connected with a mentor in a virtual, one-on-one session, which can be ended once no more help is needed.

Following this experience, I began attending the weekly Colet Club, which runs lunchtime mentoring sessions with primary school students at schools like St. Paul’s CE Primary School and St. Mary’s Magdalene. We received significant training as mentors and had weekly opportunities to help students with challenging work in fun, interactive sessions. There are four sessions each week, assisting a variety of mentees, from 70 Year 5 and 6 students in local primary schools to 15 Grade 8 students in Zambia, connected to us through the Limapela Foundation. These sessions allow mentors to develop valuable communication and mentoring skills.

Over the past academic year, I, along with over 70 other Pauline volunteers, have enjoyed the opportunity to mentor younger students with big ambitions, even if they are in less fortunate situations. When we asked pupils what they learned, responses like ‘I learned that patience is key and trying your best is essential’ highlighted our success in positively influencing their lives. We all find it to be an extremely rewarding experience, and I believe anyone considering it – whether for enjoyment, volunteering, or other reasons – should definitely try it. It has been truly fascinating to be involved with Colet Mentoring for so long, and I hope to encourage more people to seize this great opportunity. ❚

SPS ZAMBIA TRIP

At the beginning of July, 18 6th formers and five teachers travelled to Zambia, as part of a school volunteering trip. Over the next 11 days, we would learn about Zambian culture and religion, work with a local school and try our hand at teaching lessons, and learn about the problems that Zambians face, and meet those who worked to find solutions to them. This was all arranged by a charity called Beyond Ourselves, who help improve the quality of education and literacy in schools across Zambia.

After an arduous 20 hour journey from Heathrow Airport, we arrived at our first stop of the trip: Nsobe Game Camp. Over 2 days, we were treated to the sights of numerous animals, including giraffes, monkeys and water buffalos. As part of this segment, we were also given a cultural orientation, where we learned about the strong Christian faith of the country and the unwavering sense of community. Tentatively, we began to practise and use the Bemba phrases that we had glossed over, prior to the trip, as we spoke to workers at the game camp. On the first night, we were given a rather uncomfortable introduction to the conditions in Zambia, as there was no hot water to shower, because of load-shedding.

On the second day, we visited a school in the area and played football with the local children, who, despite being on school holiday, came to play with us. A lot of these children had no shoes to

wear, yet had so much fun and ran us ragged! We would see a lot of joy as we interacted with Zambian people, amidst the toughness of daily life and the challenges it brought.

From Nsobe, we moved to Kitwe, where we would stay for the rest of the trip. We spent one and a bit days with the youth group at Gilgal Pentecostal Church. The first day consisted of many games and discussion with the children from the youth group, as we learned about them, their lives and their interests. We were pleasantly surprised with how keenly they followed the Premier League! We also practised a tuneful Bemba-English song, that we were expected to sing the day after,

The second day consisted of a superb church service at Gilgal, which was opened by the song that we had practised. As we sang to the backdrop of a vastly-skilled band of musicians, the crowd of church-goers clapped and danced along to the tune. It was a sight to behold. After a second rendition, as requested by the crowd, we listened to the rest of the service, and after, played a few games with the youth group. What was most striking was the level of joy and passion seen in the church service, which was a contrast to the slightly-drab church services seen in England. Church and Christianity played a pivotal role in Zambian life, and was an example of the togetherness of the people.

After a few days of settling into Zambian life we started our work at Limapela Cedric’s school. A school founded by a farmer, Cedric, to help educate children living around his farm. It has since evolved into a school equipped with incredible facilities such as a well-stocked library and a computer room. This provides children from deprived backgrounds in Zambia with opportunities far greater than those they would receive in government schools where class sizes regularly exceed 100 pupils (compared to 20-30 in Limapela).

During our time in the school we worked with a wide variety of age groups, from preschoolers to children our own age. We were split into three groups, each working with the same classes throughout the visit, allowing us to form friendships with the students whom we were helping. We would start our mornings working with the youngest children, typically playing an outdoor game with them before helping to teach skills such as literacy and numeracy. We then moved on to grade 6 and grade 7 classes with whom we enjoyed many different activities including cooking, paper maché crafting and revision for their upcoming exams. In the afternoons we led sports sessions, coaching the oldest students (grades 8 and 9) netball and cricket, a completely new sport for many Limapela pupils.

On our third day at Limapela we were given the opportunity to teach Maths and English lessons to the grade 6 and 7 pupils. This was certainly a highlight of the trip for many of us as we got to experience the love for learning and curiosity of the Limapela students. In the afternoon we had a cultural exchange with grade 9 pupils during which we discovered the strong sense of community within Zambian culture and both of our nations’ passion for football!

On our final day at Limapela we were treated to a series of incredible performances by the pupils before giving our own rendition of ‘Let it be’ by the Beatles. We ended our time in Limapela with a friendly football match against 11 of their students. Eventually we bade farewell to the new friends we made in Limapela and thanked them for being so warm and welcoming to us all.

In the afternoon we were given a tour of lifesong farm, a social enterprise where all profits support a girls

orphanage. We were guided around their vast fields where fruits including strawberries and blueberries are grown.

The following day we visited another social enterprise called treetop honey farm where profits from selling honey to large-scale confectioners are distributed fairly to the farmers who produce it.

The social enterprise now manages over 115,000 hives across Zambia producing two varieties of high quality honey while also providing farmers with an additional source of income. We then headed to Ndola stadium, Zambia’s national football stadium with a capacity of over 40,000 where we played a quick game of football after touring its interior. In the afternoon we visited Gigabonta gelato factory, a social enterprise which supports a home for street children who have experienced trauma and abuse. Here we were able to learn how to make gelato and Sorbet whilst also learning about the vital work of the children’s home they support. ❚

SPORT

Adventure Sports

The highlights of SPS Adventure Sports this year were a ski touring trip to the Écrins National Park in the French Dauphiné Alps at Easter and a multi-activity trip to Plas y Brenin in Eryri, North Wales, in July.

The ski touring conditions were good, with fantastic snow on the final day. The weather was kind to us in Wales too, which allowed for an ascent of Tryfan’s (918m) world-class scramble, the North Ridge. We also got to sample the exotic slate climbing of the eerie Dinorwig quarry, once one of the largest quarries on Earth. We got wet too gorge scrambling, paddle boarding and kayaking.

Adventure Sports play a crucial role in character development, inculcating resilience, perseverance, self-reliance and teamwork skills. They also foster an appreciation of the natural environment and its vulnerabilities. Time spent exercising in nature is correlated very highly with good mental health and the development of self-control and willpower. Next year, we hope to reinstate our winter climbing trip to Fort William, Scotland, as well as mountain biking and climbing trips to Wales. ❚

The 2024 summer athletics season was a particularly successful one for the St Paul’s athletes with school records rolling in almost as frequently as the thunderstorms, during what was a notably unsettled summer.

Athletics Captain Max Bishop and Benjy Street (L8) exchanged the senior 1500m record to and fro between themselves, with Benjy running 3:57.98 before Max took back the record with a time of 3:53.96, more than 15 seconds faster than the record which stood prior to the 2023 season. Indeed, one suspects that once the current crop of athletes moves on, this particular record could stand for a long time! Max also improved his own 800m record, running 1:52.76 and Benjy lowered the 2000m steeplechase record below 6 minutes for the first time with 5:58.32 and, for good measure, also claimed the 3000m record with a time of 8:36.44. There were also some relay records broken, more details of which to follow later.

The summer programme got underway at Harrow on 27th April with the traditional season opener of the Guy Butler Shield. There were plenty of spirited performances including Thomas Darke, who rolled back the years to showcase his wide range of athletic abilities including a highly impressive 200m run. The team eventually finished in 6th place overall behind Eton College who took a highly acclaimed victory denying Harrow of the trophy for the first time in well over a decade. There were individual wins for Sol Inglis in the senior 110m hurdles A string, running a personal best of 15.90 sec; Cam McConnon in the senior 1500m B string on the comeback trail from injury; and Louis Nuthall in the intermediate high jump A string with a leap of 1m70. Also of note was Charlie Pama’s second place in a high-quality intermediate boys’ shot put competition with an impressive distance of 13m32.

The following week saw a trip to Oxford for the Achilles Relays on Thursday 2nd May. Under some rather grey Oxford

skies the St Paul’s athletes really set the track alight with some fantastic running. The junior boys’ 4x100m squad of John Gunn, Ethan Piric, Zac Lam and Luke Gleason set the tone for the day by qualifying for the final with a fine run in the heats before improving by over a second to take silver in the final, pushing the winners to a new record in the process. Their time of 47.0 took a tenth of a second off the previous school record. The same quartet also went on to finish 3rd in the 4x200m relay later in the afternoon to cap off an excellent day’s work.

The junior boys’ 4x800m relay team of Kai Trench, Joachim Strabo, Alfred Chen and Leau Roch left everything out on the track with each runner giving their absolute all to finish 3rd in a competitive final consisting of 11 teams with excellent pedigree. Despite a really gutsy final leg run from Leau, taking the team from 5th to 2nd in the first lap, he eventually had to yield to a strong finish from the ACS runner but held on valiantly for bronze in a brilliant time of 2min11.

However, the highlight of the day was undoubtedly the senior 4x800m relay where the team of Edward Trotman, Cam McConnon, Benjy Street and Max Bishop blew the field (and the school record) to smithereens. Edward got the team off to a good start, Cam moved up through the field, Benjy broke 2 minutes for the first time to pull the team into the lead before Max put the icing on the cake, running well under 2 minutes, to anchor the team to a stunning victory in a time of 8:15.0 taking more than 6 seconds off the school record in the process. This performance earned the squad the Chris Chataway Trophy for the first time in the school’s history, a truly wonderful result celebrated by the whole team and a number of OP athletes who had come out to watch.

The last full team match was the Lord Burghley Trophy which took place at Eton on 11th May. On a wonderful afternoon of athletics that saw Eton retain the ‘Burghley Bucket’, the overall standard of the performances on show was very high, cementing the status ➦

Sol Inglis Hurdles

of this competition as the premier athletics event on the school calendar. Despite some last minute changes, the St Paul’s senior team finished a creditable fourth out of the eight schools attending, made up of Eton, Harrow, Tonbridge, Epsom, Brighton College, Charterhouse and Marlborough College.

There were individual wins for Sol Inglis and Max Bishop over 400m; Cam McConnon in the 1500mB along with a second place in the 800mA – both in personal best times; Leau Roch in the junior 800mA; and finally Benjy Street who took a comfortable win in the 2000m steeplechase before coming back to win a tight 1500m race on the line, edging out a highly accomplished opponent from Harrow.

On Thursday 16th May, St Paul’s held an inaugural quadrathlon event for the 4th and 5th form, hosting teams from Fulham Boys’ School, Hammersmith Academy, RGS Guildford and St Benedict’s. Despite the rain, spirits were high with a number of excellent performances being posted. St Paul’s ran out winners in both the U15 and U16 team competitions, with Zac Lam finishing second individually in the U15 event and Noah Malley taking an U16 victory.

On the last Wednesday before half term, six intrepid fourth form athletes travelled to Lee Valley to compete in the Middlesex pentathlon championships. Luke Gleason, John Gunn, Josh Guttman, Zac Lam, Ethan Piric and Kai Trench were all embarking on their first adventure into the world of combined events, uncertain of exactly what they had in store. During an enjoyable day of competition Zac, John and Ethan distinguished themselves by finishing first, third and fourth respectively and, as a result of these performances, Zac and John were selected to compete in the South-East regional pentathlon championships in Bracknell the following month.

After half term, the race for English Schools qualifying performances intensified and the athletes enjoyed

more success at the Middlesex schools championships at Lee Valley on Saturday 8th June with Louis Nuthall taking gold in the intermediate boys’ high jump with a leap of 1m80, before attempting an English Schools qualifying height of 1m88. Leau Roch won silver in the junior boys’ 1500m and John Gunn narrowly missed out on a medal in the junior boys’ long jump despite setting a big new personal best of 5m48. At the South of England U20 championships on the same weekend, Cam McConnon took another 6 seconds off his 1500m PB running 4 minutes 15 seconds for 6th place to further confirm that SPS middle distance running is in a very healthy place at the moment.

The South-East Combined Events Championships took place in Bracknell over the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd June with Sol Inglis, John Gunn and Zac Lam representing Middlesex Schools. In the junior boys’ pentathlon on Saturday John finished in 18th place out of a field of 26 setting a new PB score of 2061 points. Also competing in the pentathlon, Zac Lam was in fine form producing personal bests in all five events to finish in a brilliant 8th place with 2560 points, an improvement of over 400 points from his previous pentathlon in May. The decathlon involves undertaking five events per day (including the pole vault!) and, despite a big week of A level exams in the lead-up, Sol produced no less than seven individual personal bests to finish 7th overall with a score of 5503 points, more than 450 points better than his previous best. Sol was part of the winning Middlesex team and therefore qualified for the English Schools Combined Events Championships in September with Zac also qualifying as an individual.

On the final Thursday of term, Sports Day took place in a similar format to usual but with a few innovations which included running around the perimeter of the cricket pitch before finishing up the athletics track. The two lap “steeplechase” event in particular caught the attention of the spectators and brought a sense of drama to proceedings. There was some

Louis Nuthall High Jump

Benjy Street Leading 1500m at Harrow

Leau Roch and Joaquim Strabo 1500m

exceptional sprinting on display with Ethan Piric taking the junior 100m in 11.8 seconds, Constantine Kondylis winning the inter 100m in 11.5 seconds and Ka Lum Chew burning up the track in 11.2 seconds to take the senior 100m gold. In the team competition, Warner House won the 4th and L8th events with Field House taking the 5th form meaning Warner became overall champions for the second year in a row.

The season finished with the English Schools Athletics Association Championships being held in Birmingham on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th July. Three Paulines earned selection to represent Middlesex, led by captain Max Bishop rounding off a highly acclaimed athletics career at St Paul’s by finishing a creditable 4th in his 800m heat in a time of 1min54seconds. Going from the oldest member of the team to one of the youngest, also racing on Friday afternoon was Leau Roch who finished in 25th place in the junior 1500m (well above his national ranking) with a time of 4min20seconds to further emphasise that the future of athletics is in good hands. And last, but by no means least, Benjy Street finished a brilliant 5th in the senior 2000m Steeplechase on Saturday, cruelly being denied a medal after clipping the final hurdle, but without a doubt, he will be back again next year to set the record straight.

So with the competitions completed and the season at an end, we have to say goodbye to some remarkable talents and long-time servants of St Paul’s Athletics in the form of Max Bishop, Sol Inglis and Thomas Darke. We wish them all well as they embark on the next phase of their journey, but as the sun sets on their school careers there is a dawn of the next generation and I, for one, cannot wait to find out what is in store. ❚

Dr Adrian Hemery, Head of Athletics

Achilles Relays Winning 4x800m Senior Team

Athletics Team 2024

Achilles Relays Record Breaking 4x100m Junior Team

Max Bishop Relay

Cricket

1ST XI

Fresh from our tour of Desert Springs, and with a potentially unchanged side from last year, the 1st XI was looking forward to more success. Unfortunately, a combination of exam pressures, injuries and other factors resulted in a difficult season.

With the Old Pauline match sadly washed out, the first Saturday of term saw the opening match against Berkhamsted. In very cold conditions, it proved to be a frustrating day with the team losing by 3 wickets, although Rory Walter impressed making 50. We continued to struggle over the subsequent weeks, losing first to Brighton College, then to Cranleigh, and then to Merchant Taylors’, although Seb Jones impressed on debut scoring 52 runs. We did have success in a mid-week fixture beating Tiffin School by 10 wickets with Ned Bowman taking 5-20.

The final two Saturdays before Remedy saw us in Croydon. At Trinity School, winning the toss, and putting the opposition into bat, we bowled them out for 126 in 31 overs, with Fergus de Mestre taking 4-32 off 10 overs. The chase started positively but then we got into some trouble, but fortunately Sai Bhatia and Jones, impressing for the second week with both bat and ball, saw the side home to win by 4 wickets. The following week, Whitgift School won the toss and chose to bat amassing a formidable 304-6 in their 50 overs. Despite chasing such a mammoth, and seemingly unachievable total, the team was determined to put up a good fight. Openers captain Nikhil Malik and Sam Francombe got the innings off to a good start, before both falling in quick succession, leaving the score at 69-2 off 12 overs. This brought Anthony Hillman and Walter to the crease, who batted maturely together putting on a 99-run partnership before Hillman fell for 44, with the score at 168-3 after 29 overs. Despite still requiring 137 runs to win, Walter realised the game was in his hands and was determined to see his side home. The 4th wicket fell after 38 overs with the score on 216 which brought Darshy Pandey to join Walter

in the middle. Shortly after this, Walter brought up his second century for the School off just 91 balls, but his celebration was muted as he realised the job was not yet done. Ably supported by Pandey, who finished on 25 not out, Walter then powered St Paul’s to victory by 6 wickets with 9 balls remaining and finishing on 146 not out.

After Remdey, we struggled to replicate the success of Whitgift. At Hampton, we lost by 68 runs although Rohan de Silva impressed taking 4-25 off 10 overs. Against RGS Guildford we lost by only 19 runs in a very close match, with Malik making 90, and Pandey and Bowman both taking 4 wickets. The next two Saturdays also saw us lose, first to Reed’s School and then to Dulwich College by only 19 runs. At Dulwich, both Walter and Bhatia scored half-centuries, and debutant Tamash Raaj impressing behind the stumps and with the bat. During the block fixture with Dulwich, both schools collaborated and ‘turned red’ to raise funds and awareness for the Ruth Strauss Foundation.

In the last week of term, we hosted the annual 1st XI festival for the first time in six years. The visiting teams were The Leys School, Monkton Combe School and Fettes College. On day one, St Paul’s beat The Leys by 6 wickets in a 50-over match. On day two, in the morning T20 the team beat Monkton Combe by 128 runs with Malik scoring 75 and Francombe 59. In the afternoon T20 St Paul’s beat The Leys by 9 wickets with Pandey taking 4-13. On the final day St Paul’s beat Fettes College by 9 wickets to make it four wins from four matches. Malik led from the front scoring 60 and taking 4-10. Francombe also scored a very composed 71 not out. The season culminated with the traditional match against MCC on the last day of term. The MCC made 214-8 before declaring, and we were in a strong position looking to chase the target before rain brought a premature close to the match, and the St Paul’s cricketing careers of Bowman, Pandey, Hillman and Walter. ❚

Dr A. R. Langley, Head of

Cricket

PLAYED 16 WON 7

LOST 8

DRAWN 1

1st XI Squad 2024 (minimum 3 matches): Amar A. Ali, Sai S. Bhatia, Ned Bowman, Nikolai A. J. O. Dahl, Fergus E. de Mestre, Rahul K. de Silva, Rohan S. de Silva, Samuel G. Francombe, Anthony R. Hillman, Sebastian A. Jones, Nikhil Malik (captain), Darshy R. W. Pandey, Aaryan Patel, Tamash N. Raaj, Sameer Shukla, Rory R. Walter. Mr N. E. Briers (1st XI Coach and Cricket Professional) and Dr A. R. Langley (Head of Cricket).

1ST XI CRICKET TOUR TO DESERT SPRINGS, SPAIN

The 1st XI travelled to Desert Springs in Almeria, Spain during the first week of April to play in The Cricketer Magazine School’s Hundred competition against five other English schools. It was a novel experience playing 100 ball cricket, and not our preferred format, but it was great to get out in the middle to play competitive cricket with some early season sun and dry weather. The team won against Westminster, Bloxham and Dean Close, and lost to Canford and a strong Epsom side thereby recording 3 wins and 2 losses. Match reports were published in The Cricketer and can be viewed by following the links above. ❚

Alexander Langley, Head of Cricket, Teacher of Biology

2ND XI

The start of the season saw some impressive cricket from St Paul’s. A mighty 77 by skipper Niko set the tone, but some late heroics by the Berkhamsted batters meant that they snatched victory in the last over. After a rained-off fixture at Brighton College, Tiffin School was the midweek encounter. The Pauls had been asked to field and a strong bowling effort, led by Seb Jones, restricted Tiffin to 102. Seb also scored a commanding 50 on his way to victory. The Pauls were set into bat by Cranleigh on a pitch declared by Mr Roberts to be of ‘county championship standard’, and managed only 79. On such a treacherous surface, it almost proved too much, with Cranleigh limping over with one wicket and nine balls spare. Seb once again was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets. Merchant Taylor’s was a disappointing outing with most of the side choosing to focus on upcoming exams. Trinity the following week brought a fresh start. Choosing to bat, Niko took the onus upon himself and struck an imposing 97 before unfortunately missing a straight one. Trinity were never in the game with an injured Kanishk sealing it taking three wickets with some dodgy part-time medium pace.

After the half term (and exams), Hampton was the next obstacle. Tight bowling from the youngsters restricted them to 154, and although a stubborn tail, led by Tom, almost rescued St Paul’s, they fell to a narrow 13-run defeat. A frustrating day out at RGS Guildford followed; having been put in the field, captain Sameer did a stellar job with the ball taking 5-17 on our way to skittling them for 70. The rain came in just two overs into the batting, bailing out RGS.

The Pauls chose to bat against Reeds under sunny skies, and the tone was

set by Amar and Vishnu, both of whom scored statement 100s. Another Kanishk 3-fer meant Reeds left the hunt early on and a 67-run victory was secured. For the last game of the season, Dulwich and St Paul’s partnered for the Ruth Strauss Foundation. Losing the toss and choosing to bat on a sweltering day, Dulwich could only manage 123 in 30 overs due to Theo’s fine spell of spin bowling. Gabriel El-Guindi led the chase with a strong 64* and the season ended with a thumping victory. Many thanks to Mr Roberts and Miss Warner, who both supported the team unconditionally. ❚

3RD XI

As the season draws to a close, it’s time to reflect on the rollercoaster ride that was the 3rd XI cricket team’s year. From stunning victories to heartbreakingly close defeats, our journey was nothing short of exhilarating.

We kicked off the season with a bang, notching up two consecutive wins that had us dreaming of trophies and glory. Our first match against Berkhamsted was a spectacle to remember. Nikhil Dhar put on a masterclass, smashing a century off just 60 balls, leaving the opposition bowlers in disarray. Not to be outdone, our captain Luke Magalhaes displayed his prowess with the ball, taking a brilliant 4-fer and leading by example. Buoyed by our initial success, we continued our winning streak with a solid performance against Fulham Boys. The team was buzzing with confidence, and visions of a perfect season danced in our heads. But as cricket often reminds us, it’s a game of glorious uncertainties.

The next seven matches brought us back to earth, testing our resilience and determination. Despite our best efforts, we found ourselves on the losing side more often than not. The match against Reeds was particularly memorable, if bittersweet. We posted a formidable 278 runs, thanks to Chiran Perera’s blazing 85 off 55 balls and Mahin Meta’s solid 53. It was a nail-biter till the end, but Reeds managed to sneak past our total, leaving us to ponder what might have been.

Our game against Trinity was another highlight, showcasing the brilliance of Dev Patel. His spell of 6-fer left the opposition in tatters, a display of bowling that would make any coach proud. Yet, despite his heroics, victory eluded us once more. Just as the clouds of despair began to gather, we found redemption in the final match of the season against Dulwich. With Aidan Malhotra taking four wickets, we managed to end the season on a high note.

Throughout the season, several players stood out with their performances. Mayur Apte, our ever-reliable keeper, was a wall behind the stumps, and ➦

Daniel Taylor and Aditya Jayaram provided crucial contributions with both bat and ball. Aditya Coondapoor, Thomas Abrahams and Shiven Sahoo demonstrated their skills and enthusiasm with the bat, always ready to step up when needed. While Mohammed Hasan, Aarush Ranjan and Alex Eakins consistently delivered crucial breakthroughs with the ball, and as always, no batsman was able to drive the dependable Kurdikar.

Finally, a heartfelt tribute to our coach, Mr. Taylor. After eight glorious seasons, he is stepping down, leaving behind a legacy of passion, dedication, and countless memorable moments. His guidance and wisdom have shaped us, not just as players but as individuals. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, for everything you’ve done for the team. ❚

Aidan Malhotra

U16 T20 COMPETITION

This year St Paul’s hosted the annual U16 T20 competition with Dulwich College, KCS Wimbledon and Hampton School. In the first round, we beat Dulwich College by 49 runs with captain S. Francombe scoring 54, A. Ali 31, S Datla 25* and T. Ritchie taking 4-16. In the final, we beat KCS Wimbledon in a hard-fought match by 11 runs to retain the title from last year. Francombe and Datla again contributed with the bat, while Rohan de Silva and S. Gani took two wickets each.

The players involved were: Sam Francombe, Amar Ali, Vishnu Datla, Fergus de Mestre, Rohan de Silva, Gabriel El-Guindi, Saahil Gani, Theo Katzenellenbogen, Dev Patel, Tamash Raaj, Tom Ritchie, Krish Sornalingam. ❚ Dr A. R. Langley, Head of Cricket

The victorious U16A. Back row: Mr N. E. Briers, Gabriel El-Guindi, Tamash Raaj, Rohan de Silva, Dev Patel, Tom Ritchie, Amar Ali, Fergus de Mestre, Dr A. R. Langley. Front Row: Sam Francombe (capt), Krish Sornalingam, Theo Katzenellenbogen, Vishnu Datla, Saahil Gani.

U15A

This summer the U15As had a season of ups and downs, winning 8 of our 13 games. We got underway with a win against Berkhamsted, with Tamash Raaj scoring 82 and Arnav Bhargava taking 4-19. The following week, in the first round of the ESCA T20 Cup we put on 151-5 off 20 overs against Ibstock place, with Krish Sornalingam making 57. Anuj Shukla then took an impressive 5-3 to help us secure the win. Following a win against Brighton the next week, we lost three tough games on the trot against Cranleigh, Merchant Taylor’s and Trinity. After some difficult losses, we headed into our second round of the cup, where we played St James School. Fortunately, we returned to winning ways after restricting St James to 119-3, which was well followed up by a composed run chase, taking us into the quarter-finals against KCS Wimbledon. However, a poor batting display meant that we were bowled out for 61. Despite our disheartening performance with the bat, we showed great fight with the ball, with Fergus de Mestre taking superb figures of 4-7. The game narrowly slipped out of our hands, but although the result

did not go our way, it was a brilliant effort to claw back what seemed to be an unwinnable game. Nevertheless, just a few days later we went on to play our best game of the season against a talented Whitgift side. Raaj worked hard for a well-made 55*, taking us to 127. After a fabulous bowling performance from our attack, Whitgift were left with three to win off four balls with one wicket in hand, where a direct hit from the boundary by Armaan Bhatia saw us home to a truly unforgettable win, which was celebrated at home by many Paulines watching the live stream. Much to our dismay, we were soon knocked back down with a loss against Hampton despite Raaj again making 50. This was followed up with a win against Reeds (starring Sathi Balaguru’s 5-25) and Tiffin Boys. Unfortunately, our season ended with a loss to a strong Dulwich side, but this did not at all dampen the equally successful and enjoyable season we had. The team appreciates all of the hard work put in by Mr Slaney and Mr Wishart, who have helped us all develop as both players and people, whilst having a lot of fun along the way. ❚

U15B

With a new squad raring to go, our season started against a strong Berkhamsted side. With cold conditions, we unfortunately came out with a loss. We came back strong with comfortable wins against Brighton College and Harrodian, including contributions from Tom Bonomini 32 and Charlie Pockney 4-17 against Brighton College. Unfortunately, our next few matches against Cranleigh, Westminster and Merchant Taylors resulted in well-fought losses.

With these losses in our minds and a few changes in the team due to injuries and unavailability, a truly outstanding win rose from the ashes against Trinity. We batted first, posting 145 on the board, with Jackson Pound getting 33. The true magic happened when Charlie Pockney got 4-22, getting two wickets in his penultimate overs and two wickets when the scores were level! This led to a super over. We scored three in the ➦

super over but this didn’t stop Charlie Pockney from getting two wickets and defending this in his over. A certain highlight of the season!

After the half term, we unfortunately lost a close match against Hampton but there were still strong performances from Tom Bonomini and Armaan Martins with a strong partnership and scoring 55 and 42 respectively. Brodie Russel Fraser also bowled well with 3-23.

Unfortunately, Tom and Gaurav, captain and vice-captain suffered injuries and were out for the rest of the season. With new squad additions, we had a tough loss against Reeds but both Jake Hope and Brodie Russel Fraser got three wickets each. However, we successfully came back with a dominating win against Tiffin with both Armaan Martins and Aadi Patel scoring in the 30s.

Our last game was the highlight of the season for me. As a spectator, it was like an IPL game. This included a tremendous century off 59 balls from Armaan Martins which had the whole crowd celebrating with a supporting

56 from Wilbur Mudie on his return from injury. Charlie Pockney solidified his strong bowling performances all season getting 3-30 as well.

Overall it was a great season for U15Bs with many players impressing throughout the season. An exciting statistic is that both Charlie and Brodie are amongst the highest wicket-takers in the school with 20 and 16 respectively! Many thanks must go to Mr Vickers who taught us many new skills and was there for all the exciting moments a cricket season has to offer. ❚

U15C

Our season started with an away game at Berkhamsted. We just about got a full team, thanks to Nico, George and Henry for coming. Our opening partnership of ten between Zen and Nikash was arguably our highlight of the game before we collapsed to 56 all out. Berkhamsted chased it in five overs. Big thanks to Mr Harris for spending his Saturday on the game.

After a washout against Harrodian, we redeemed ourselves with a win against Brighton with a 112-opening partnership between Zen and Nikash. Nadim took 3-10 and Zen three stumpings. We then lost a hard-fought game with Cranleigh by six runs with Nadim (43), Zen (41) and Jake 4-9.

Against Merchant Taylors we were the closest SPS team to win, losing by five runs. Chasing 205 Zen scored 62, losing the ball in the bush six times. Three balls later an outstanding innings from Nico, 42 off 27, with good support from Nadim, nearly took us to victory before we fell five runs short. The game finished about an hour late. Thanks to Mr Wheatley for filling in as coach.

We got our second win by three wickets against Trinity, Matthew got 3-27 and Zen 32 before Arjun finished the game with a huge six over cover (rumoured to have landed on the tracks in West Croydon causing the train delays that hit some of the team on the way home).

After exam week we played on Junior Square with boundaries about 25 yards back. Jake and Nik bowled well, both with three wickets, to restrict Hampton to just 143 all out. We chased it down quickly largely thanks to Nico’s incredible 54* off just 22.

After a washout against Guildford, a largely depleted side took on Reed’s. Nadim filled in for Zen as captain and with the gloves, keeping exceptionally well, while Anta bowled five solid overs. A Reed player scored 103, the difference between the teams as we lost by 105. It was a good effort for the team to reach 100 all out, helped by Ivo’s 29 in just his

3rd game. Also thanks to Aidan and Mr Wishart for filling in for other absences.

A big thanks must go to all the players who turned up week after week to training sessions to allow the team to play – this is what C team cricket is all about! Thanks to Jai, Anta, Toby, George, Arjun, Nikoaus, Theo and the whole team for a great season. ❚

U14A

This was a promising season with some very talented players. After a really enjoyable tour of South Africa, the team hit the ground running, winning their first four games. Superb wins against very strong Berkhamsted, Cranleigh and Brighton College teams were evidence of their ability, enthusiasm and willingness to learn and enjoy their cricket. The team also had magnificent victories in the Surrey Cup against Epsom and Tiffin – at this stage of the season, we were able to score enough runs for our strong bowling attack to defend – Yash Dashama captained the side magnificently and as well as leading the bowling attack superbly, he also was crucial to building batting partnerships with the top and middle order which essentially meant we won games. Yash was well supported by Joe Burch, Neev Bansaal and Ridmeet Puri with flashes of brilliance from Ranvir Puri, who also kept wicket extremely well. The win against Cranleigh had to be the highlight, with Vivaam Sharma hitting a four of the last ball to win a great game! The bowling attack was exceptionally strong – Zach Martyn was exceptional, along with Yash, Neev and the promising leg spin of Ishan.

Momentum was lost over the half-term exam period – a time that also coincided with Yash breaking his arm and a run of fixtures which included Whitgift, MTS and Epsom in the cup – in truth all these teams were better than us, but in defeat and missing Yash, we developed new players who finished the season magnificently. Special mention must go to Malaki New who was one of our best bowlers at the end of the season along with Vansh Rathi who trained superbly and played really well for the team.

There are some very good players in this team and many will play for the first team at different stages and when they do, the players we developed in adversity at the back end will step up and fill their boots over the next few years. Well done to all those who represented the team and good luck in the future years of Pauline cricket, whether it is in the first team or year group cricket! ❚

RGH

U14B

The U14B team had a very successful season under Mr Van Vuuren’s guidance. A tricky start saw two losses in our first four games but against very strong opponents in Cranleigh and Merchant Taylors. After a tricky defeat to MTs, Mr Van Vuuren knew that our batting needed some work; a fantastic opening partnership between Sanjay Iyer and Rayaan Ahmed (49) led us to a total of 161. We defended this easily and started a brilliant run. Hampton was our game of the season. We won the toss and elected to bowl, Hampton put 185 off 30 overs which looked far above par. Rayaan had yet another solid performance up top getting a quick 30. Max Warrack came in and hit a big 58 (62) putting the pressure back on the opposition. We ended up winning on the last ball for a massive upset. Two easy victories against RGS and Fulham Boys lead up to Reeds away. Fancying our batting chances, we bowled first and skittled them for 156. Brilliant top order batting from Sanjay Iyer (39) and Aarav Bhalodia (53) saw us to a surprisingly easy chase. We then bowled out Dulwich College for 75 and finished a fantastic season with a derby win.

This season was a real team effort. Vyom Kurup was the standout bowler, bowling left-arm off-spin and taking the new ball. Rayaan was the top run scorer opening the batting. Rafi Malhotra was our standout fielder, normally found at catching extra cover, getting unnervingly close to the batsman and taking numerous catches.

All in all, we had a very good season and the best win percentage in the school. We were lucky to have Mr Van Vuuren’s no-nonsense South African coaching style to help us over the line in matches. ❚

U14C

There is depth in the 4th Form Cricket this year and the Cs enjoyed a good season, winning four games convincingly, being beaten by the rain in another when certain to win and losing four competitive games against good opposition.

Some good bowling in the first game saw Berkhamsted defeated by 77 runs. Next after scoring 216-4 off 25 overs with 50s from Arav Bhalodia and Daksh Mahajan, Brighton were 85-6 off 20 when the rain became too heavy. Cranleigh were a step up in quality in the next game and 106 runs was never likely to be enough on the Tank Astro but SPS fought hard to take Cranleigh into the 23rd over before a 4-wicket defeat.

A midweek 90-run win over the City of Westminster came with Rohan Kapur, who was a consistent opener all season showing his all-round skills and taking four wickets. Next Merchant Taylors away, the home side batted first and after looking set for a big total some full-length bowling from Rohan Jha and Raymond Guan restricted them to 142. In the face of accurate bowling SPS were behind the run rate but some late hitting by Captain Rupert Lattner took us close in an 8-run defeat. The last game before half term saw Trinity beaten by nine wickets with some astounding catches by Lattner, Adam Lobo, whose glove work was excellent all season, and Dhilan Cortesi.

After half term, the trend of close defeats to good sides continued with a 1-wicket loss at Hampton. Against Reeds it was our turn to squeeze home by four runs, George Vandini scoring 76 to post 167-4. Reeds passed 100 in 10 overs but a great fightback led by Mohammed Siddique culminated in Reeds only scoring 3 in the last 2 overs. The last game saw a much-changed side travel to Dulwich. Some quality batting by Dulwich put SPS under pressure in the field but led by Nathaniel Weldon everyone made a great effort in very hot conditions for 30 overs. Good top-order batting gave us a chance but a late-order collapse brought a 22-run defeat.

The group have been a pleasure to coach with a strong work ethic in the lunchtime nets and fielding practice. There is room for development in fitness and fielding and then many of this group can go on to play good cricket for the senior teams. ❚

Mr Steve Lawrence

U15 & U14 CRICKET TOUR TO CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

At half term, the U15 and U14 cricketers toured Cape Town in South Africa. It proved to be a trip of a lifetime, with some fantastic games of cricket interspersed with cultural highlights, and amazing scenery. The tour started with a mini-safari at a game lodge in the Western Cape where we were lucky enough to see the ‘Big-Five’ close up. We returned to the city for two training sessions, as well as African drumming lessons, before a week of matches against the following schools: Bishops Diocesan School, Boland Landbou High School, Wynberg Boys’ High School and Pineland High School. The two teams acquitted themselves extremely well, with various notable individual performances, and are now in good shape ahead of the start of the English season. In between the cricket, we explored the highlights of Cape Town, including taking the cable car to the top of Table Mountain, exploring Robben Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 18 years and visiting the largest African Penguin colony at Boulder’s Beach. There was also a very keenly contested inter-squad game of touch rugby on the beach at Camps Bay. ❚

Alexander Langley

It proved to be a trip of a lifetime, with some fantastic games of cricket interspersed with cultural highlights, and amazing scenery.

Cross Country

It was a year which broke new territory for the St Paul’s cross country team. Led by captain Hamish Chapple, there was a strong contingent of 8th form runners keen to demonstrate the improvements they had made since the previous season with the seniors making it through to the regional round of the English Schools XC Cup and a record three athletes qualifying for the English Schools XC in March. At the other end of the age group spectrum, the 4th form runners were also impressively strong, indicating a bright future ahead for St Paul’s XC.

The season got underway on 9th September with the relaxed atmosphere of a paarlauf during the whole school open day. Athletes from SPS were joined by a cohort from SPGS in order to form teams of 3, 4 or 5 runners, based on age and experience. A paarlauf, for the uninitiated, is a type of relay race in which each team has to cover a fixed distance but without any constraints on

the number or location of changeovers.

The athletes can choose to run longer intervals – and hence maximise recovery between efforts – or instead run shorter, more intense, intervals with less recovery time. It also allows for stronger athletes to run further if that benefits the team so tactics become an important factor.

The first race consisted of 3.2 km (2 miles) after which the teams were reworked in order to provide good competition for everyone for the second race, which was 6.4 km (4 miles). The sun shone and the general sentiment was that it had been an enjoyable way to dust of the spikes ahead of more significant challenges to come.

The first serious contest took place on Thursday 28th September when the team travelled to Harrow for the English Schools Cross Country Cup. The competition was fierce but all the runners performed impressively with the inter team consisting of 4th and 5th formers Alfred Chen, Max Dormandy,

Leau Roch, Alex Schwimmer, Owen Xu and Max Williams finishing in 3rd behind Harrow and Grey Court and the senior team consisting of 8th formers Sai Bhatia, Max Bishop, Hamish Chapple, Thomas Holmes, Amaan Mathur and Benjy Street taking a brilliant win over a stacked Harrow team. There were standout performances from Leau Roch (4), who finished 3rd in the inter race, Max Bishop (U8), who finished 4th in the senior race, and Benjy Street (L8), who finished 2nd in the senior race. As a result of their win, the seniors qualified for the regional finals in St Albans on 11th November for the first time.

The penultimate week before the October Remedy was a busy one with the King’s Trophy in Wimbledon on Wednesday 4th October followed by The Charterhouse Cup on Saturday 7th October in Godalming. The King’s Trophy is a tough 4.5 mile course around Wimbledon Common complete with trees to hurdle, branches to dodge

and some killer hills! There were 16 schools competing and St Paul’s managed a creditable 9th. Top performer was Benjy Street who finished in a highly impressive 3rd place.

Fast forward to Saturday and some equally brutal hills were awaiting the boys as they attacked another 4.5 mile course around the picturesque grounds of Charterhouse School. Once again Benjy led the team charge with an overall 3rd place, followed closely by Max Bishop in 8th, Thomas Homes in 18th and Hamish Chapple in 19th. With the top four runners to score, it was a strong team performance with the team finishing in 2nd place narrowly beaten by The Judd whose 44 points edged out the 48 from SPS. However, the gap had closed from Wednesday and the team travelled back to Barnes in high spirits.

Friday 13th October proved to be good luck for Warner House as their team won the inaugural inter-house cross country relays which took place around the playing fields on Bigside. The team

established a new record for the two-mile course of 12mins 12 seconds.

After qualifying through the first round at Harrow in September, the senior team of Benjy Street, Max Bishop, Thomas Homes, Sai Bhatia, Amaan Mathur and Hamish Chapple travelled to St Albans on Saturday 11th November for the English Schools Cross Country Regional Finals. A demanding course (3.5 laps, 5km), but beautiful clear skies awaited. Among some of the best running talent in the southeast, the team performed very well with especially fine performances by Benjy Street (2nd) and Max Bishop (7th) out of a field of 82. Overall the team finished in 6th place, narrowly missing out on qualifying for the National Finals with only the top two teams going through. This is nonetheless an impressive performance especially given it is the first time the school has competed in cross country at this level.

With the top seniors taking some recovery time, the Harrow 10 Schools’ Race on Thursday 16th November was

a chance for the next generation to shine. A team of fourteen runners went to north-west London to compete, with the junior team producing a collection of sensational performances to win the whole event! Their score of 43 points was well ahead of Dulwich’s 73 points in second with Abingdon third on a total of 83 points. The team was led by Leau Roch, who finished 2nd, followed by Max Williams in 5th, Joachim Strabo in 6th and Alfred Chen in 9th. Following the excellent performance by the senior team the previous week it proved to be a brilliant week for the St Paul’s Cross Country team.

Unfortunately, poor weather conditions led to the postponement of the Richmond Schools Cross Country Championships to the Spring Term so the next competition was the Hampton Paarlauf event on Wednesday 6th December. St Paul’s entered four three-person teams (two junior, two senior) where the goal for each team was to run as far as possible in 24 minutes around a 1.6km lap of Hampton’s playing fields. Teams of three had to decide how best to allocate the time and distance between them, leading to some interesting variations in tactics. 10 schools took part in total, around 170 runners, on a beautifully clear but chilly afternoon. The SPS Junior A team, following their win at Harrow on 16th November, won their Paarlauf event by covering a distance of 7552m in 24 mins, ahead of Dulwich College in 2nd and RGS Guildford in 3rd. Congratulations to Leau Roch, Max Williams and Owen Xu. The SPS Juniors B team also finished in a creditable 8th out of a total of 18 teams with 6854m covered. The SPS Seniors A and B teams came 6th and 8th in their race respectively.

The twice postponed Richmond Cross Country Championships finally took place on a beautiful day in Richmond Park on Friday 25th January. Ten runners took part with the goal of qualifying for the Middlesex Championships to be held at Harrow 11 days later. Leau Roch led the way in the junior race finishing 5th, and hence securing automatic qualification, with Max Williams narrowly missing ➦

out in 10th. In the senior race, Max Bishop showed that his comeback from injury was going well with a strong 2nd place finish. Thomas Homes also secured his place on the team for Harrow finishing 5th senior with SPS also taking 10th and 11th in the form of Hamish Chapple and Armaan Mathur respectively.

On Tuesday 6th February, the SPS cross country runners had a fantastic afternoon at the Middlesex Schools XC Championships, hosted at Harrow School. On a blustery day, all the athletes were vying not only for the pride of winning a county title but also at stake were qualification places for the national championships for the top 8 finishers in each age category.

Leau Roch (4th) was the first to run in the junior boys race (4.5km). He started well and was even leading the field with only half a kilometre to go, but a cruelly timed stomach cramp thwarted his ambitions to win his first county title, eventually finishing in a still respectable 7th position. Despite the disappointment of having victory so agonisingly taken

away, he did secure one of the coveted qualifying places for the English Schools Championships to be held in Pontefract on 16th March.

However, the best was yet to come. In the senior race (7km) Benjy Street put together his best race of the season so far, tracking a talented Harrow runner with proven credentials on the national stage for much of the race, he flew past him with 800m to go and continued to go away to take a commanding win and book his ticket to Leeds. Close behind him, in 5th, Max Bishop was also having a strong race, beating the Richmond runner who got the better of him a week earlier and making it three St Paul’s runners on the Middlesex Team for the national championships. Thomas Homes achieved his goal of finishing in the top half of the field with a strong run, finishing 19th out of 42 runners.

On Saturday 9th March Benjy and Leau were once again in action representing Surrey at the CAU Inter-Country Championships at Wollaton Park in Nottingham. Benjy finished 17th out of 290 runners in the U17 event and Leau

finished 75th out of 295 runners in the U15 contest. With all of the top UK cross country athletes turning out for this race, these both represent exceptional achievements. Closer to home, Dermot Christmas (L8), competing in his first XC race for the school, finished a creditable 29th in the ten schools XC event hosted by Harrow.

The climax of the season was the English Schools Cross Country Championships in Pontefract on Saturday 16th March. Congratulations to Benjy finishing in 24th and Leau in 34th, among fields of more than 300 runners at the championship. These are the best performances SPS has had in at least a decade and it consolidates this season as one of significance. One of the most encouraging aspects is the number of athletes who will still be around next year, particularly those in the 4th form for whom this is only the beginning of their journey. The future certainly looks bright and we await the start of the 2024-25 season with great anticipation as Dr Hemery steps down and Mr Fagan takes over the reins. ❚

Leau Roch with Harrow trophy and medal from 10 schools event Roch, Williams, Xu – Hampton Paarlauf

The St Paul’s fencing club has had tremendous success this year. In the Autumn and Spring terms, we were undefeated in league matches, beating Latymer, Westminster, and St Benedict’s, among others. In the Quadrangular tournament, the team finished first in Foil, second in Epée, and third in Sabre.

Moving onto the final and largest tournament of the year, the Public Schools Fencing Championships, with around 100 competitors per category, St Paul’s entered with 14 fencers. In Senior Foil, we finished with Sam Mewawalla in 9th, Kevin Wang in 19th, Sasha Georget-Roukline in 27th, Alex Tonkin in 40th, Harrish Shivakumar in 68th, and Berk Demir in 78th. In Senior Epée, Ilias Fhail came 26th, and Aidan

Wong 98th. In Senior Sabre, Wei-shun Pham finished 63rd. Our junior fencers did similarly well, with Harry West coming 33rd and Maxcel Sandoval coming 65th in Junior Foil, as well as Xan Leventis coming 22nd, Luke Harrington coming 42nd, and Matt Xiao’s spectacular 2nd place finish in Mount-Haes Epée – the highest placement in this competition ever achieved by a Pauline fencer.

Fencing tournaments within St Paul’s have been no less competitive, with Sasha Georget-Roukline winning the Foil championships, and Altan Mardin the Epée and Sabre. ❚ Altan Mardin, Fencing Captain

Fives

At the start of the season, at the West of England Schools tournament in Sherborne in January, Freddie Hammond Giles and Josh Ferro, both U16s, cruised to victory in the U18 doubles, winning the final against Winchester 11-5, 11-1, with a marvellous display of power, accuracy, inventiveness and focus. We think this is the first time an U16 pair has ever won this event! This victory came a few hours after Freddie had won the U18 singles, 11-2, 11-3, with his phenomenal anticipation and speed around the court neutralising whatever his opponent tried. In the U16 tournament, 6th formers Tom Ritchie and Elyas Efthimiou showed great maturity to win a marathon semi-final against the Winchester second pair, before running out of steam in the final against their first pair. 5th former Nadim Cortas got better and better as the weekend went on – winning the singles plate and then the doubles plate with his fellow 5th former Nick Fezer Brown.

As the Spring term unfolded, we were facing the prospect of a very exciting National Schools tournament as the grand finale…

Sure enough, to round off a stellar season in which he has not lost a game

to any school opponent, at the end of the Spring term Freddie duly won the National U18 Singles, three years early whilst still an U16 – one of only a handful of players ever to achieve this. Even more remarkably, Freddie and Josh then won the National U18 Doubles. So much of doubles success depends on hitting the ball very hard, and Josh’s power and accuracy were at times absolutely astonishing. Freddie and Josh have both continued to improve even after the school season has ended, learning by playing in adult tournaments against some of the best players in the country, and there is every chance they will dominate school fives for the next two years. The two U18 finals can be found on YouTube.

We had a few other successes at the Nationals. Tom and Elyas made it to the final of the U16 Doubles. Josh lost in the semi-final of the U16 Singles, and Tom won the U16 Singles Plate (although he was understandably disappointed to lose narrowly in the round of 16 in the main competition). Nadim & Daniel Curry won the U16 Doubles Plate –which bodes very well for next year as U16s. Our U14s battled hard, often against opponents who took up the game as U13s. Ranvir Puri, consistently our stand-out player in the 4th form,

made it to the quarter-finals of the singles but was knocked out by the tournament favourite and eventual winner. Credit also to Aarav Bhalodia, who used all his guile and calm precision to reach the last sixteen, before succumbing to a very hard-hitting opponent, and to Alex Ponte and Ian Song who made it to the last sixteen of the first plate, despite various injuries. In the doubles, with Ranvir unavailable, we struggled to progress – but our 5th and 2nd pairs each won knockout matches.

There were many other moments to savour through the season.

Our seniors were led by Will Freebairn and, a new convert to fives, Euan Lim, supported by a great group of players keen to represent the school and improve their game: Luke Taor, Zach Magne, Rahul Vashisht-Pigem, Mahin Mehta, Toby Williams and Ollie Wang. The “Captain’s Cup” award for most improved senior player went to Euan, who brought great footwork and a competitive attitude from his tennis playing, but then made the effort to practise and take on board advice, particularly in doubles – culminating in a great game with Will against the Alleyn’s top pair in the school fixture. Will ended up winning our internal U18 singles

Freddie and Theo, U18 Singles finalists, Nationals 2024

tournament, to claim the Conway Cup –narrowly defeating Euan, with Luke in third place.

In the juniors, with Freddie and Josh playing for the senior first team in school fixtures, the spotlight fell on others for our U16 and U15 fixtures. Once again, Patrick Monro-Davies produced flashes of brilliance (if only he had found time to practice more and improve his fitness, who knows what he could have achieved), Tom Ritchie developed his tactical nous and increased his power in the doubles, and Elyas Efthimiou worked hard to sort out his court position in doubles (and was his own harshest critic!). There were also brief contributions from Edward Calzia (who showed that his many hours of rowing had improved his speed and agility), and rackets players Ishan Madhok and Aryan Sankaye. Our 5th formers suggest we will have a very strong U16 team next year. Twelve players represented the school, with left-hander Nadim Cortas establishing himself as the strongest player. Across all school matches this season, Nadim remained undefeated, only losing in the quarter-finals of the National U16 Singles to the eventual champion. Our award for the most improved junior player might have gone to several U15s: Alex Pennington and

Nick Fezer-Brown (especially given that he turned up to play a fives match shortly after winning a rowing regatta) were strong contenders, but Nadim showed the greatest improvement in tactical awareness and precision over the year. Thanks to all those who were keen to play for the school (even the away match to Tonbridge): Ed Ludgate, Victor MizzoniSchmidt, Zen Okada, Marmaduke Constance, Seb Holden, Tamash Raaj, Max Rainer and Daniel Curry.

Our U14s were an exceptionally keen year group, using the courts during most lunch breaks. Several players picked up the game very quickly and made excellent progress – Ranvir the best of the lot, but as well as those mentioned at the Nationals, Om Khanapurkar, Nathaniel Weldon, Neev Bansal, Vyom Kurup and Angus Ludgate all showed great promise for next year.

Thanks, as ever, to Mr J T Harrison for all his help coaching the U14s, running fixtures and helping at the West of England and National tournaments. ❚

Freddie and Josh

Football

1ST XI

Upon returning from a preseason tour that not only made the team coalesce but also saw us becoming better padel players, the boys were ready to kick the season off successfully with a friendly against Epsom. Unfortunately, this thinking did not pan out for that game and despite two masterful penalty saves by Andreas Hadjiloizou we suffered our first loss of the season. The team remained in high spirits as we looked forward to a rematch against Ardingly in the first round of the London Cup. After losing to them in the second round of the ISFA cup in October, a beautiful team performance with a highlight 25-yard strike from Aris Alexandridis left us at 1-1 at full time. The entrance of goalkeeper Nikhil Malik into the team had kept us level with a few spectacular savers but after an inconspicuous first half of extra time, an agonising own goal two minutes before penalties was the deciding factor. This, paired with an unfortunate loss at home to Tonbridge in the first league game the following weekend would have been enough for most teams to put their heads down.

But here is where the tides would change. This started with our last chance at a potential cup run in the ISFA shield, and a few wins in the early rounds resulted in a matchup against the American School in the quarterfinals. A comfortable victory with a hat-trick from Thomas Evans-Alcantara was the spur of momentum needed and helped catalyse a dominant win against local rivals King’s College right before half-term. A week of intense revision before mocks (partially unapproved by Mr Warriner) for the Upper 8th meant that the first game back against schoolboy football Titans Charterhouse was not looking promising. However, another fantastic team performance which included perfectly executed tactical adjustments from the first half of the season saw us being level with 5 minutes to go. A couple of our missed chances seemed to conclude the match before a stunning 40-yard cross-field pass by Jamie Marks induced a cross and a simple finish from Raiyaan Hussain. This was the biggest win of the season until that point and as results were starting to come our way, we were

eager to depart on our overnight trip to Wales to face Monmouth School in the semi-finals of the ISFA Shield. A fivehour coach journey culminated in a disappointing loss for the team and our heads hanging low for the remainder of the week.

This major setback did not hamper the performance against Berkhamsted in our second league fixture as we dominated the scoreline with a standout outing from Tomasso Beber. Our attention was now focused on the ‘Lonsdale Cup’. This is a single match against Harrodian School and after losing last year, bringing the coveted trophy home would earn us our first piece of silverware. Despite being up at half-time, the match ended up resulting in penalties, where all four takers would score to finally seal the victory. With two games left of the season, other fixtures’ scorelines meant that the league was still within reach. However, going 3-0 down in our last home game against Dulwich with a few unforced errors could not have been a worse start. An impeccable free-kick from right-back Rory McConnon gave us hope before the break and in the second half, the team launched an onslaught of attack. It was 3-3 with a few minutes left on the clock before Jamie Marks decided this was an appropriate time to score his first goal of the season after dribbling past two of their defenders. An improbable win for the team after the first half is a testament to the undeniable character that has blossomed throughout the season. The final test of the season came against Harrow School and it was a league-deciding game for both teams. The development of season-long relationships on the pitch was on full display and the tactics that had been ingrained in us since Spain were shining through. It was a great start and we went up after 20 minutes with a crucial goal from vice-captain Nicholas Tredre that left us in the driving seat. With 10 minutes to play, Harrow had equalised and the league looked out of our reach, but not before Aris Alexandridis scored another from outside of the box. With that, the season ended with a historic win for St Paul’s as it was the first time

that the 1XI, 2XI, 3XI and the U16As had all won their respective league titles. A massive thank you goes out to Mr Vickers and Mr Warriner as well as all the coaches for making this possible and for being the backbone of the success of St Paul’s football. ❚

Lorenzo Massi

2ND XI

The 2023/2024 season was a historic landmark for the mighty 2XI. Coached expertly by Mr Vickers, this team of warriors won the Southern Independent League unbeaten and amassed a win percentage of 65% throughout the term.

The 2XI kicked off the term with a thrilling victory against Epsom, with Rakan Sharaia making it 1-0 with 50 seconds left to play. With a couple of new additions to the team, we went into the Tonbridge match running high on confidence.

The game ended 2-2 with both Krish and Raiyaan taking credit for what was some dubious defending from the opposition. Even though the match felt like a defeat for many, as we had fought so hard for only 1 point, it marked a turning point for 2XI school football, as Mr Vickers implemented a new 3-5-2 formation, which played to our strengths.

We then met Harrow in the first round of the London IS Cup. Conrad Gardey headed home the only goal of the match and inspired us to be up at half-time. After fighting talk at half-time, Harrow came back strong, and it was an enormous defensive shift from Billy Davies and Finn Carter, as we barely touched the ball in the second half. We were impenetrable on Pitch 1 and left that day wondering if we had a cup run on our hands.

Unfortunately, 2 days later we woke up to play our local rivals in a friendly, against KCS. A frustrating game, as we struggled to find the back of the net, was summed up in a literal defensive slip from De Facto captain Andreas Tassi, which led to a simple one-on-one, resulting in our first loss of the season.

This was a minor setback and was met with a major comeback. We welcomed the Emmanuel 1XI to our mighty fortress, pitch 5. Moyo Lawani starred, scoring the goal of our season and was close to qualifying for the Puskas Award with his acrobatic efforts. The match ended 2-1 and gave us momentum heading into the ‘hardest’ game of the season against Dulwich.

With kickoff being delayed, we weren’t mentally locked in and our sluggish performance in the first half reflected this. Nonetheless, after some motivating words from Mr Vickers and senior members of the team at half-time, we stepped onto the pitch as different players. Goals from Kam Baghai, Moyo Lawani and Luke Jefferies subsequently followed resulting in a 3-0 victory. Due to poor weather, our next two games against Haileybury and Berkhamsted were cancelled. As frustrating as this was, we knew what we had signed up for with spring-term sport, and this allowed us to enjoy a well-deserved rest before what we knew would be a title-deciding match against league titans Harrow.

Having had the upper hand on Pitch 1, we knew what they would be about, and prepared accordingly. We stuck to our mighty 3-5-2 formation, and with success in training matches, hopped on the coach for the last game of the season, and for some of us, our last game in an SPS shirt.

None of us could have expected the game to pan out the way it did. Some of the best football we’ve played, despite playing in tricky conditions, was masterminded by Lucian Mandic

in the midfield. Cosmas Karageorgis pushed higher and higher up the pitch and offered several goal-scoring opportunities before we eventually got into the game. Despite chants from some of the Old Harrovians, we played out of our skin, capping off the season with an incredible 4-1 win. Our team’s camaraderie and fighting spirit were unmatched, particularly in the face of injury and personnel changes, as we kept ticking throughout the season, so when put back together with a full-strength team, we were difficult to stop. This, combined with the tactical insight from Mr Vickers, allowed us to play some ruthless football throughout the season. An enormous thanks must go to Mr Vickers for not only coaching us but also running an incredible football program this year. Along with this, thanks to Mr Blake and Mr Kirschstein-Smith for keeping us fit and healthy throughout.

From the U8th, we thank the sports department for some incredible memories over the last five years and hope to see what lasting damage the introduction of a 3-5-2 formation will have on the South London Independent School’s League. ❚ Andreas Tassi and Billy Davies

3RD XI

After a successful 2022/23 season with a full L8th team, the 3XI were back again, now a year older and bolstered by the addition of tactical mastermind Dr McDonnell and a string of talented L8th players looking to help continue the form from the previous year. After a successful tour in Valencia with two wins under our belt, the team returned to the muddier and colder pitches of South West London where we faced a physical and athletic Epsom side. Gabe Hoffman opened the scoring with a 40-yard screamer into the top left corner but we failed to hold the lead conceding two scrappy goals soon after. Jonah Collet however rose above everyone else on a corner late in the second half and planted a header into the back of the net, a common occurrence in our season. Soon after, in the dying minutes, a long shot rebounded out to Thomas Holmes who coolly tapped the ball in to get us our first official win of the season.

Two weeks of intense training later the 3XI returned to the Fortress (the 3G) for our first league game of the season against Tonbridge. Back on our home ground, the smooth 3G surface allowed us to really show off our technique and

passing ability, allowing Tristan Buckley to slot an early goal before Alex Wadhwani and Seb Jones rifled two pens into the corners in quick succession. Although Tonbridge managed to convert the few chances that star centre-back duo Westye Hoegh and James Wilson allowed them to have, another goal from Tristan and an impressive brace from Moyo Lawani gave the Pauls a comfortable 6-3 win. A week later we were back on the Fortress for a friendly against King’s College School, although due to the local rivalry, the game mattered as much as ever. After a close-fought first half, where expert performances from Davide Forni, whose style was ‘Ndombele-esque’ according to Mr Allen, and Will Pyper, who shone throughout the season at left-back, we were frustrated with the game only being 1-1, our only goal coming from another Jonah header. After an injection of passion in the half-time team talk, we scored three goals in the second half, one from Alex W and Moyo scoring his second brace of the season.

Our next fixture took us away from the familiarity of the 3G onto a much smaller, bumpy pitch for our first away fixture against Charterhouse. The boys were not put off by the conditions, ➦

as we dominated for the whole 60 minutes, winning 5-1. Gabe Hoffmann opened the scoring with his second stunner of the season from next to the corner flag and our striker Dara Daneshvar, clearly fed up with not making the scoresheet yet, opened his tally with a scorpion kick and scored again by deflecting a shot from Alex Toledano. Matteo Salford slotted a beautiful strike from the edge of the box and Alex W stole a goal off James Wilson on the goalline after which you could hear claims of ‘it wasn’t going in’. Our next fixture was the toughest of the season against Hampton (A) and came at an unfortunate time as some of our players had been called up for cup games to the teams above. Although the replacements slotted straight into the team unnoticed, not even heroic saves from Luke Magalhaes could prevent a difficult 2-1 loss with Alex W grabbing our only goal in the first minute.

Next up the 3XI had a midweek fixture against Emmanuel College’s 2XI and hearing that it was going to be filmed, the boys’ goal-scoring ability and questionable celebrations were on full display, as we smashed 12 goals in, Alex W, Seb and Jonah all grabbed one but the stars of the show were Conrad Gardey, who scored four and Dara Daneshvar who silenced all his doubters from the beginning of the season, scoring five.

The 3XI now looked towards the last two fixtures of the season and the excitement from both the players and the coaches was palpable in the school corridors and during training as the league title was in sight. Dulwich were up first and the U8th boys were filled with emotion walking out onto the 3G for the last time in their school career. The game was tough from the get-go, Harry Webber and Davide Forni had to work tirelessly in the midfield to try and control the game and get our talented wingers, Kamran Tomlinson and Alex W, on the ball to try and create some chances. Our central defensive unit of Westye and James with Luke in goal behind them put in a performance for the history books, stopping almost everything that came their way. After a

goalless first half, an awkward deflection fell to the Dulwich striker for an easy goal and the Pauls, for the first time at home all season, were losing. Undeterred however, super-sub Gabe produced another wondergoal, scoring an incredible freekick which unsurprisingly ended up all over his social media and we knew we were back in it. In the dying seconds, the rapid press of Alex W caused their goalkeeper to panic and he failed to effectively clear the ball out, leading to Dara Daneshvar flicking a lob over him which seemed to roll into the goal in slow-motion before the boys, parents and coaches erupted into celebrations. With just one game left to secure the title, the 3XI trekked to Harrow where even though goal machine Gabe and captain Harry had been fairly benched for poor punctuality, we continued to play our fluid and effective football even managing to get centreback James Wilson minutes at striker. We managed a comfortable 3-1 win with goals from Seb Jones, Jonah Collet and Dara Daneshvar allowing us to claim the title. Mr Allen and Dr McDonnell gave a tear-jerking speech to sum up the season to the elated boys, many of whom had been together for two whole years and celebrations continued the

whole bus journey home joined by the 2nd XI and 1st XI who had also won their respective leagues.

A huge thank you goes out to all the parents who tirelessly came to watch our games as well as all the staff involved from training and organising fixtures to keeping the pitches in order and cooking some delicious match teas. A special thanks goes out to all the boys who put on the shirt this year – we will forever be remembered as ‘the most in-form team in West London’ and of course to Mr Allen and Dr McDonnell who turned up to every session and game, no matter the weather and coached us to not only a successful but incredibly enjoyable season of football. ❚ Harry Webber

4TH XI

With the pool of players that St Paul’s had on offer this year before the first game had even started, we knew that the 4th team was destined for greatness. This team was a perfect blend of the experience of the U8th, and the drive of the L8th, and with Mr Troen at the helm, the season did not disappoint. There was no better way to kick off the season than with a simple win against Epsom. Goals from Riccardo SDB, Khem Dhillon and Nico Weeks, helped us cruise to victory, setting up a positive feeling about the season to come. Our only setback was an unfortunate injury, picked up by Ethan Howard, sidelining him for most of the season and leaving a gaping hole in our midfield. Then came our first league game against Haileybury, where we fought hard but came up short, picking up only one point against them. Unfortunately, our second league match wasn’t any better; in fact, it was worse. With Mr Troen absent, there was no one to steer the ship and we ended up losing 3-0. A heart-breaking defeat which turned out to be our only loss of the season. Despite having been physically beaten, mentally we were stronger than ever, and we easily bounced back with a convincing 4-2 victory against our South West rivals, King’s College Wimbledon. Two notable performances

from Alex Pelling, as well as our new signing Nicholas Dyer, the band-aid to our wound in the midfield, meant that we were able to come away with a win, as he cemented his position in the 4ths.

The following two games, Hampton and Berkhamsted, both ended in draws, with Rory Walter, the ruthless attackdog of the 4th team, scoring our only goal in that two-week span. The last two weeks of the season were a completely different story however: first, we had a midweek fixture against the Emanuel 16A team, which seemed like an easy task but turned out to be much harder

than we thought, as we scraped a 4-3 win. A graceful dive from the star Tim Hinkis in the penalty box allowed us to come away with the victory. Then came arguably the best match of the season, against our long-term rivals Dulwich. The battle was legendary but we came out on top, thanks to some top defending from Kanyin Ishmael (and myself), as well as brilliant goalkeeping from Joshua Brown. The referee was unfazed by Dulwich’s complaints about passbacks, and we marched home with a 2-1 win. For our final match of the season, we were pitted against Harrow and what a way to end the season, as we comprehensively won 9-0. The two standouts from this game were Nico Weeks, who ran rings around Harrow’s back-line, earning himself a shirt swap at the end of the game, and Rory Walter who netted four luscious goals. This haul brought Rory’s total score tally up to 16 goals, two shy of the school record.

In the end, we weren’t able to win the league, due to games being postponed, but it was still an excellent season. The camaraderie on the team was unmatched which was a joy to witness. None of this would have been possible without Mr Troen, who ran the show from the sideline, having to teach our ‘nonchalant’ centre-backs how to not panic when playing out the back. Well done to everyone who played in the team; it was an honour to captain this side. ❚

5TH XI

This year the school fielded possibly the strongest 5th team the school has ever seen. This was clear to see in the first game against Epsom where we had an emphatic 6-0 win. This was followed up by another strong 6-0 win against Tonbridge. Throughout these 2 wins, Rory Walter scored enough goals to put him on track to equal the school season scoring record, and there were strong performances all around, especially from Thomas Chittenden, Nicholas Dyer and Henrique Sa Couto Lince De Faria. The defence was impenetrable and Gus Jacobsen looked assured in goal.

After a strong training game against the 4th XI, Mr Troen decided it was time to call up half of the 5th XI team to the 4ths. With Rory’s aggression and love of finishing gone, I thought that the sure stream of goals upfront was over but Louis Besson stepped up and kept the philosophy going, coming close to a hat trick against fierce rivals KCS. Despite having the most suspect finishing I’ve seen, he managed to put himself on the scoresheet consistently during the season.

After the big change to the playing squad, we still had a comfortable win against KCS despite losing 6 key players.

This was followed up with a 4-0 victory against Hampton, a game where the 5th XIs never-say-die attitude and reserve of character was particularly on display, having been on the back foot for most of the first half.

Up next was Emanuel School at home, and we weren’t sure what to expect as we were playing their 3rd XI. No one expected an 11-0 win, with scintillating liquid football on display. The opposition coach was left marvelling at the final goal, a fine header by Tim Brian, saying “My lads wouldn’t think of whipping a ball in like that, and certainly wouldn’t put it away so well”.

Going into our penultimate game against Dulwich we were unbeaten and we were yet to concede a goal. We were missing 5 key players, and this combined with being assigned pitch 2 meant we couldn’t exploit our pace and skill, which resulted in a scrappy game which we lost 2-0.

The final game was against Harrow and it was clear from the beginning that our reputation preceded us. Their team was set up to play a physical brand of football, with the likes of a 6’5 centreback called Anakin, who was certainly

attempting to use the dark side of the force. Alex Pelling ran circles around their defence, pulling them to pieces and creating space for the rest of the team. Shyam Thobhani gave a masterclass at false 9, scoring a cheeky chip to wrap the game up 4-1.

The coach’s player of the season was Dan Lam who was a complete unit in defence and the players’ player of the season was Aiden Malhotra who linked up beautifully with Rishi Shukla, Oli Bloch and Shyam Thobhani in midfield.

We had the best goal difference in the school of +32 over 7 games which was a cumulative effort of an unbelievable defence which consisted of Yuvraj Chahal, Sameer Shukla, Dan Lam and Tim Brian, a skillful midfield and a prolific attack.

Overall, I genuinely had a great time playing in the 5t XIs and I’m glad that I played my final school season with a group who were a great team on and off the field. A big thank you to Mr Orr for being an amazing coach and creating a great team environment. ❚ Enzo Beattie

6TH XI

An unforgettable season from the mighty 6th XI began against Epsom. With what might have been the most dominant schoolboy score ever, we beat them 11-0, with memorable performances from Alex Eakins, who scored a hat trick, and Will Palmer and Kian Khoubehi, who scored braces. Two weeks later we arrived for a huge game against a strong Tonbridge side. We conceded deep into the first half, but the team responded quickly with a goal from Alex. A delicate floated ball from Arvin Sahota to the back post saw Jad Farrell finish emphatically not long after to put us into the lead. We then conceded, but a dagger shot from Sanil Ganguly put us up 3-2. For the last 20 minutes, we fought for every ball, with a special performance from Tom Abrahams, a master of defending the midfield.

Away at KCS Wimbledon, a stellar performance from Amir Dudhia, contributing to all four goals with two goals and two assists, was enough to see us prevail 4-3 and maintain our unbeaten record as we went home for half term. After three weeks without a game, a midweek fixture against Hampton’s 5th XI awaited us. With the

tried and tested cross-field switch from myself to Alex not coming to fruition, we went into half-time still at 0-0. I then stepped up in the second half, scoring two and assisting the last to win the game 3-0. We were then unable to beat a tough Emanuel U16B team and left the game with a 1-1 draw.

In our final game against rivals Dulwich, having lost our two top scorers, we fielded a weaker side and had some unorthodox position changes. Fortunately, goals from Raphael Granier-Deferre and Kian and a heroic penalty save from Zach Tydeman were enough to seal the 2-1 win. We ended the season unbeaten with a 5-1-0 record, 24 goals scored and 7 conceded. ❚ Jack Morris

SENIOR TOUR TO VALENCIA, SPAIN

The foundation for winning all 1st, 2nd and 3rd XI league titles is a successful preseason, and the 2024 Valencia Tour certainly proved to be the case. While a meet time of five in the morning at Gatwick Airport was not everyone’s ideal way to start the new year, after a nap on the plane and arrival at a stunning pitch the boys were itching to play football. What we didn’t realise was that the coaches had twenty challenging drills planned for us before anyone could touch a ball. This became a tour theme – a focus on getting us up to full fitness and removing any rust before the season began. We had several intense training sessions, played multiple games against some skilful local opposition and found time for a fiercely competitive padel tournament. Injuries are often picked up during preseason, so we were very fortunate to have both Mr Blake and Mr KirschsteinSmith with us; their demanding yoga sessions and individual support kept the majority of us injury-free.

When we weren’t on the pitch, we were still immersed in football, witnessing the extraordinary passion of the fans in a derby march between Villareal and Valencia, viewed from high up in the stands, as well as pitchside for a lower league game where we experienced the intensity of professional football up close. It was also great fun to be able to watch and support the other school teams in their games, a rare event during term time and making us feel like we were all one big club. The tour was rounded off with an enjoyable awards ceremony that saw rap battles, some questionable dance moves and a heartfelt rendition of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ from Mr Warriner and Mr Vickers. A personal highlight was the night we arrived back at the resort late, hungry and exhausted, and enjoyed fifty-odd pizzas on our balconies in the cool January Benidorm air. A big thank you to all the staff members on the trip, in particular to Mr Vickers who organised the whole thing and always made sure we were enjoying ourselves. ❚

U16A

Our season did not begin in the way we had expected, with a loss to Epsom, despite beating them 6-0 the year prior. Fortunately, this game was a friendly one, but with the league beginning soon our hopes of winning had already started to diminish. The opening league game against Haileybury started as we had worried. We had conceded early. However, with some inspiring words from Mr Nilsson at half-time, as well as a brace from Kai Petersen, the game ended 5-1 in our favour. The following two weeks our momentum continued, winning against Tonbridge and KCS 5-1 and 5-2 respectively. It seemed now that the League title was not impossible but instead inevitable. Our next opponent was Berkhamsted, a game filled with goals, and late in the second half the Berkhamsted number 9 put them ahead to make the score 5-4. Alessandro Salford, although, was not ready to accept a devastating defeat and scored with the last kick of the game a precious point for St Paul’s. Thanks to this dramatic ending the team now only needed a win and a draw to claim the title. Nevertheless, we knew this would not be easy, as both Harrow and Dulwich had convincingly beaten us

during our U15 season. The bus away to Dulwich was filled with an atmosphere of nervous anticipation, a feeling that was not reassured when Dulwich took an early lead. A late St Paul’s goal at the end of the first half kept our hopes high, and an inspiring message from Mr Nilsson motivated us, coming into the second part of the match. His words had clearly made an impression, as when the final whistle blew St Paul’s had won 7-1, with 5 of these goals coming from Sam Francombe. A man of the match performance! The stage had been set for the last game of the season against Harrow. If Harrow won, the league would be theirs. If St Paul’s won or drew, the League would be ours. It had all come down to this.

During Friday lunch, the day before the final, Mr Nilsson brought us into room 207 to watch an inspirational YouTube video, a video that continued to play in our minds throughout the game itself. We began on the back foot and despite a fantastic save by Henry Whittaker, the Harrow striker put a goal away on the rebound. At this moment we were not worried. We had been in this position before, and we knew what we needed to do. We equalised the game early in the second half, and thanks to

an astonishing defensive effort the game ended as a draw. We had etched history into the ground of the first team pitch, becoming the first St Paul’s U16 team to win the League. ❚

U16B

After a great preseason tour to the Northwest, the U16B team looked sharp in training and ready to take on Epsom in the first match of an eagerly anticipated season. Unfortunately, a severely depleted team were well beaten 3-0; not the opening we were expecting.

The next two games against Tonbridge and KCS saw us come up against two physically much bigger teams and our free-flowing style of play suffered as a result, narrowly losing both matches. Although defensively we were solid, moving the ball through a packed and physical midfield was rather a problem.

After the half-term, we switched to three at the back to be more competitive in midfield. This proved to be the change we needed, beating Wellington College

7-1 and following that up with a 6-2 victory against London Oratory School, with Sam Steeden grabbing a hat trick.

With our spirits buoyed, we headed over to Dulwich for a very hard-fought, nervy encounter coming out the wrong side of a 1-0 loss with Dulwich scoring in the last few minutes.

We then found ourselves against Harrow for the last game of the season. A match that summed up the U16B rollercoaster of a season. After going 3-0 down in the first 10 minutes we looked dead and buried, but showed fantastic skill and determination, taking the fight back to Harrow. Playing Harrow off the park for the remainder of the game, we managed to miss several open goals and many, many more clearcut chances. Finally bagging a consolation goal off Marcus Wisden’s shin.

The boys worked incredibly hard and improved tremendously as a group throughout the season, showing great character as well as ability. ❚

KPS

U16C

This was a very hectic season for the U16Cs, with many games cancelled for exams and the weather. However, in the end, we lost one game and drew three, creating an enjoyable season for all.

We started the season off with an away match at Tonbridge, which was an end-to-end game with many chances for both sides, although after falling a goal down, Gijs van Angeren slotted home to earn us a hard-fought draw, with our centre-back partnership of Hanyu Peng and Felix Patel standing strong. This positive start was halted after an unlucky 2-0 loss to King’s College Wimbledon, where we hit the woodwork multiple times through our striker Gabriel el-Guindi.

Our third match of the season was undoubtedly our most entertaining, where we earned a brilliant 3-3 draw away at Dulwich. Our attack had amazing fluency with stand-out performances from Oscar Smith, Harry Hicks and Alexis Newington, who capped off his performance with a brace. Finally, we ended the season with our sole home game, where despite taking the lead through a brilliant corner from Alex Khosrowpanah-Falcone, Harrow managed to earn a draw, with fantastic performances from our wing-backs Sebastian Jarrett and Deniz Yesilkaya ensuring we shared the spoils.

Overall, this was a very entertaining season for us, trying many different formations and finally settling on a 3412, with continuous maximum effort and positivity our key assets. Many thanks to our brilliant coach Mr Mahmoud and onwards and upwards for next year! ❚ Dariush Ghaffarpour

U16D

It was an incredible season for the U16Ds, going unbeaten, with three wins and one draw. We took ‘going unbeaten’ even further than our external games, and managed to go the whole season unbeaten against the team above us, the Cs, in training.

We started off our season with a big 4-2 win away against Tonbridge, with the star performer being Tybalt Lamy, who played the first half as a striker and the second as a centre-back, scoring a goal in each half. Luca Tresigne and Eli Darko sealed the game with a goal each in what was an all-around dominant performance.

A trip to Wimbledon then followed to play KCS. In what was a physical game, we managed to completely outplay them and had we finished our chances, it could have been a lot of goals for us. However, admittedly, we were not clinical in front of goal, costing us a win, with the score finishing 0-0. Praise must go to our keeper, Neel Narayanan and our immense centre-back partnership of Amir Choudhury and Max Wiseman, who never gave them any chance of scoring.

With lessons learnt about having to finish our chances, we then had a game away to Dulwich. Teddy Hill, our tactical genius, switched to a 5 back for this game and it did wonders for us. A free kick from myself and a composed finish from Parker Whiting left us 2-1 up going into halftime. In the second half, super sub Max Slocock got an unbelievable brace, leading us to win the game comfortably 4-1. Toby Carling’s defensive work at left centre-back kept them quiet all game, whilst the duo of Jamie Horley and Daniel Cheung in midfield controlled the game as they did throughout the season.

Finally, our last but first home game of the season was against a tough Harrow side. A side who had humbled us in recent years. We did not let that faze us, and we decided to put on a show for the home fans, scoring a total of 9 goals. Parker Whiting scored a superb hat trick and Diego Caupers broke his curse in front of goal, a wholesome moment for the team. The other scorers included Max Slocock, Daniel Cheung, Reuben Jones, Luca Tresigne and man of the match Toby Carling, who excelled in his left wing-back role, scoring a ‘Cold Palmer’-like penalty that he himself had excellently won.

Whilst the player of the season shoutouts for Jamie Horley, Max Wiseman and Toby Carling must not go under the radar, the fundamental reason for this season’s success has to be attributed to our manager, Teddy Hill, whose tactical knowledge and love for the game turned us into a formidable force. Although, sadly, the Ds will never play a game together again, we can all be proud that we ended on an amazing 9-2 victory to end our magnificent unbeaten season. ❚

Dhiraj Lakhwani

U15A

After a successful preseason training camp in Bolton, the team looked sharp in training and ready to take on Epsom in the match of an eagerly anticipated season. St Paul’s team were shell-shocked by a more athletic and physical team who also had skill and terrific awareness in front of the goal. A heavy defeat did not dampen spirits and a much-improved performance against Tonbridge saw us lose 2-1 to a last-minute stunning goal.

The St Paul’s 15A team had great technical ability and were brilliantly led by Fergus De Mestre at centre back who was also the rock in our defence. We trained hard to improve our cohesion of turning defence into attack and had a successful three weeks following where they drew with KCS and beat a strong Fulham team – excellent performances by Adam Colligan, Ivo Prosser and Francesco Beber being the catalyst for winning possession and turning it into effective attack for Charlie Pochney to score some sublime goals. The best performance of the season was against Wellington College where we outplayed an athletic team with a high level of skill and excellent defence and attack – the final result was 4-0 and some impressive

defensive football from the back four of Santi Herrero, Fergus De Mestre, Arthur Whitaker and Jack Pyper laid the foundation for some excellent counter-attacks.

The final few games against Berkhamsted, Harrow and Dulwich ended in defeat and exposed our lack of size and physicality to a degree –when we played with possession and kept the ball, we always looked the better team. In the final game against Dulwich College who were league champions and unbeaten at the time, we played our best football of the season and were it not for two good saves by their keeper, we would have been 2-0 up and in control at half time.

There is plenty of room for improvement with this group, but there is also a huge amount of technical skill and football ability. Many players in the team will go on to play first-team football in years to come if they continue to work hard and improve. A huge thank you to all the players for giving so much energy and dedication in training and the matches and I wish you all the best in the U16s. ❚

RGH

U15B

During this season, the U15B team experienced some great victories and also some disappointing losses. Unfortunately, three games –Berkhamsted, Haileybury and Fulham – fell foul of the wet weather. Our first match was Epsom at home who we beat 4-0, a great way to start the season and two early goals from Tommy Mahoney which set the tone. A solid defensive effort with Oscar Bichler and Alexei Bogoslavskiy prominent secured a clean sheet.

However, our next game was a 4-1 loss away to Tonbridge. After conceding an early goal, we equalised through a great header by Nick Behroun from Wilbur Mudie`s cross. Inspired by Alessandro Zaccaria’s wing play we had a good first half, however, injuries in the game left us exposed to Tonbridge`s very good striker in the second half.

We were next up against KCS Wimbledon at home which we were unlucky to lose 3-4. We dominated the game but failed to take our chances and conceded goals from long balls which neutralised Will Hillary’s brace making the game 2-2. After that, we started to crumble and they scored two excellent goals making the game 2-4. We fought back well with a brilliant half-volley from Wilbur Mudie to make it 3-4, however we couldn’t complete the comeback.

In the game at Wellington away, Wilbur Mudie had an early injury which would see him out for the rest of the season. Once again, however, we showed excellent character, with strong defensive work from Labeeb Shikder and Kasim Atuallah and a high work rate in midfield from Antarish Sinha. The attack was potent scoring a lot of goals with braces from Sathi Baluguru and Tomi Mahoney as we convincingly won 6-1. Despite the score line Max Von Standen made some great saves when the game was still close.

Our next game against Harrow would be our toughest yet, facing first in the league at home and we were determined to get a result. In the first half, we were the better team and with a great ➦

free-kick goal from Will Hillary, we were 1-0 up at half time. However, in the second half, Harrow showed why they were top of the league and scored some exceptional goals. The boys fought extremely hard to try and get something from this game however Harrow were defensively strong and the final score was 1-3.

In our final game, we faced a strong second in the league Dulwich team at home. They had drawn with Harrow and needed to beat us to have a chance of winning the league. We started excellently with Noah Malley converting a penalty and then Tommy Mahoney hitting home, making it 2-0. The second half started in the same fashion with Kasim Atuallah scoring to make it 3-0. However, Dulwich didn’t give up scoring two great goals making it 3-2. They were starting to dominate, forcing a goal-saving block from Labeeb Shikder. Determined not to repeat what happened against Harrow, we scored two beautifully set-up and finished goals from Tommy Mahoney, completing his hat-trick and we won the game 5-2. It was fitting that George Panayides who had been an excellent Captain and consistent performer in midfield was called up by the As for this fixture.

Overall, we had three wins and three losses with 20 goals scored. I would like to thank Mr Lawrence for coaching us for this mostly successful campaign and I hope that we can improve more next season. ❚

U15C

The U15C team had a fairly successful season. Despite having a constantly changing squad, the team retained its fighting spirit throughout and put up some mighty performances against some of the best sides in the circuit.

Our season did not get off the best possible start, with a narrow loss to a truly brilliant Epsom side in a match which could have gone either way. Regardless, we bounced back stronger putting in a dominant 2-0 win over Tonbridge which was a testament to the team’s resilience. The highlight of our season, however, would have to be the 10-1 against Wellington College in which Olly Coughlan scored 4. All in all, the season was highly enjoyable and I would like to thank our coach Mr Van Vuuren for making it a pleasure to be a part of the U15Cs this year. ❚

U14A

We started our short U14As campaign with a win against Wellington College. A dominant first-half display saw Andrey Serebryakov grab a brace, scoring two headers from Paolo Stagno’s corners. Unfortunately, as the half drew to a close, the defence switched off for a moment, and sometimes a moment is all you need, as Wellington grabbed one back. The second half again saw us dominate, with cameos off the bench from Alexei Fletcher and Adam Lobo, and we extended our lead with a terrific team goal finished off by MVP Josh Guttman to put us 3-1 in front. With a few minutes to go, sloppiness and a lack of match fitness crept in and saw us concede a penalty which Wellington capitalised on, giving Freddie Snowball no chance, to grab another, and this led to a tense finale as we held out for the win.

Confidence was high as we travelled away to Hertfordshire to face Berkhamsted in a game that the weather Gods threatened to intervene with; as it turned out we were one of the few surviving fixtures and a depleted squad took to a giant 3G pitch amidst the hail storms and wind. We started strongly again, playing some great football with MVP Vansh Rathi and Niky Fetisov dominating the midfield, and Rafe Poole providing a great outlet from left back. We created a glut of chances, with both Shorta Hirai and Rohan Patel going close, but ultimately we lacked the composure to make them count. We finally broke the deadlock with a lovely bottom-corner finish by Stagno as we ended the first half with a 1-0 lead. Berkhamsted’s attack didn’t have a shot on target in the first half, but they came out strong in the second half and we defended valiantly as they pushed for the equaliser. The defence performed heroically, with Misha Dushkin and Rupert Latner repelling anything through the centre and Ridhmeet Puri putting in a huge shift at right back. When they did break through, Noah Shin’s handling was superb in horrendous conditions, but our resilience was finally broken when Berkhamsted grabbed an equaliser with a shot from the edge of the area.

The next game was the Dulwich Derby. It was a frustrating day at the office for the boys as we struggled with our fluency and didn’t demonstrate our usual control of the ball. We created several chances, with Patel firing just over with a fine strike, before going even closer with a long-range effort which cannoned back off the bar. Dulwich grabbed the lead at the end of the first half, somewhat against the run of play, with a deflected shot beating the unfortunate Snowball in goal. We kept our chins up and were on the attack early in the second half, however we couldn’t find the equaliser we were after. Despite a fantastic defensive performance, led by joint MVPs Latner and Pooler and the debutant Luke Gleason, the last 10 minutes saw Dulwich find the net twice more with long-range strikes, giving the scoreline an undeserved and unrepresentative look. It was a 3-0 game, but games like those were a great learning experience for the team.

We ended the season with a home game against Harrow and produced some of our finest football yet. A terrific performance from the boys, led by several lung-busting runs from captain Puri, saw us dominate the game and go into a commanding 3-0 lead, with goals from Fetisov, Stagno and Serebyrakov. We struggled in the second half with injuries and cramps affecting almost half of the team, although Lobo was outstanding in midfield and Dushkin led the backline superbly. From a position of relative comfort, we contrived to make life difficult for ourselves by giving away two unnecessary freekicks in the last five minutes, with Harrow scoring directly from both. A third match with a tense ending ensued, but like in the games before, we held firm for a well-deserved win.

Andrey Serebryakov won the Golden Boot with his three goals, whilst our Player of the Season award went to Misha Dushkin. ❚

Ridhmeet Puri, Captain

U14B

The U14 B team season 2024 was one to remember. With only four games to play, our goal from the start was an unbeaten season, which we fulfilled with ease, winning the three matches that went ahead despite the many days of rain over the term.

We began with a home game against Wellington College. Going into the first half, still unfamiliar with each other’s playing styles, we began confidently, dominating possession, giving the opposition no options or shots at goal, but just unable to finish our well-created chances. We ended the first half 0-0. But then in the second half, we were unstoppable, once again dominating possession and creating brilliant chances which this time we put away. Assisted by Rohan Patel, who came on in the second half and sparked our team to victory, Jack Puhar slotted the first in to make it 1-0. Then we never looked back. From a corner taken by his brother, Aaron, Jack Puhar headered the ball in for his second to make it 2-0. Rohan Patel made it 3 and finally, Reggie Dooley from a great cross from Rohan, volleyed it in from the back post to make it 4. A big mention to Noah Shin at the back for making several expert saves in the second half which made sure that Wellington could never get back. Man of the match goes to Rohan Patel, who we soon lost to the As for his dominant display in the second half.

Our next game was against Dulwich College. They have always been tough opposition so we knew we had to play at our best. They were also unbeaten themselves having played since the start of term. Going into the first half, we put the pressure on early, with very limited chances for the opposition. We soon capitalised with a long goal kick from Max Koeppen, our new goalkeeper, bouncing all the way for Max Dormandy to tuck it in the bottom corner. It was a great start but it would only get harder. Dulwich began to have more possession, Ranvir’s shoe fell apart, and towards the end of the second half, we were a defensive side. We went into halftime 1-0, thanks to a brilliant ➦

double save from Max Koeppen near the whistle. The second half was much harder. We knew to keep a clean sheet we would have to prioritise keeping the lead instead of scoring another goal, leading to a more defensive setup which worked perfectly. Tackle after tackle, block after block, header after header and a few great saves from Max, we kept Dulwich from ever coming close and took a fantastic win away from home at Dulwich, their first defeat leaving us the only team out of four to leave their ground with a victory. Man of the Match goes to Yash Dhasmana for leading the back line and never letting the attackers get anywhere near the goal.

Our final game was against Harrow, another tough opposition. It was our final game and we were determined to not only be unbeaten for the season but also not to concede a goal all season. We now had Freddie Snowball, our third different keeper in three games. Unfortunately, Yash, who was so important to our defence was absent with illness so we had to adapt. We put Ranvir Puri, our usual left back in the centre of defence alongside myself and pushed Aidan Sivanathan out wide to the left back. It was untested but it worked. The first half went brilliantly. From a great run and cross from Aaron Puhar, Alexei Fletcher tucked the ball in for our first and his first of the season. Not long after, we had an indirect free kick right next to the goal. After scrambling for a bit, Jack Puhar managed to connect well, which took a deflection and rolled in for our second goal and his third of the season. We went into halftime 2-0 up and it looked like this would be a comfortable win. The second half was very similar. Early

on, we were given a penalty thanks to a great bit of skill from Ollie Leonard and Seb Brown beautifully placed it in the bottom left of the goal and put us 3-0 up. Unfortunately, and despite missing a penalty in the second half, Harrow scored late on from a scrappy goal, ruining our chances of a season with no goals conceded (!). But overall it was a great performance all around and a great end to a fantastic season. Man of the match goes to Ollie Leonard, who had an instant impact from when he came on and dominated the midfield along with Eddie Peereboom Voller and Soichiro Yamaoku.

Jack Puhar takes the Golden Boot with three goals in as many games.

The whole team gives huge thanks to Dr Holmes for leading our team to some fantastic performances and results. Hopefully, it will be similar in 2025. ❚ Aiden Ahmad, Captain

U14C

The 2024 U14 football C team season has been absolutely sensational; a winning record and a healthy goal difference that depicts the teams’ passion and effort. While our attack is the star of the show, our unsung heroes in defence are what won us our games. The names to mention here are Neev, Noah Stoll and Calum and our two goalkeepers: Ollie Pitman and Max Koeppen. Both Ollie Pitman and Max Koeppen put in very solid and consistent performances. Constantly diving and fighting to keep the team in the game. Between the two of them, they only conceded three goals.

Neev, Noah Stoll and Calum acted as the backbone of the team, allowing the rest of the team to play with confidence, knowing any mistakes would be easily dealt with. With smart and controlled challenges, it was a nightmare for the opposition. Above them in midfield was Zack and Yusef Aziz and Alex Ponte. Alex Ponte was a true embodiment of a ‘box-to-box midfielder’. Happy to defend and link up in the attack and not afraid to get dirty, it seemed like every game he ran the length of the pitch 10 times.

The Aziz brothers deserve to be mentioned together, watching them play you could tell they were twins. They were amazing to watch and provided flair and expertise to the teams performance, and not to mention the goals that came out of it. The midfield dominance then led to the attackers: Muzzy Sadeeq, Aarav Bhalodia and Owais, with a goal count of over 16 in only three games! These three created and solidified our victories, haunting the opposition and making a mould impossible to break out of. True performances from all.

In our last game, we saw some exciting new prospects, their names are: Olle Van Angeren, Anay, Raif Jenner and Julian. All of them doing above and beyond of what was asked and expected, they each showed passion in their respective positions and despite the nerves, all conveyed confidence and prowess on and off the ball. ❚

Despite a tricky golf season coming to an end for the Paulines, there have been several memorable moments that ought to be recounted. The first couple of fixtures played against Kingston Grammar and St Columba’s College were unfortunately not to go our way, as we suffered marginal one-match losses in both. However, after this, we gained some momentum and beat both Habs and Westminster School before narrowly missing out on the next round of the Regional Cup due to a couple of key absences. I would like to mention the significant role that two 5th Formers, Shiv Ahluwalia and Veer Singh,

had in the team throughout the year, essentially becoming the backbone that will undoubtedly last for years to come. Also, best of luck to Nicolas Groeller who has been announced captain next year and I hope he will make the most of this amazing opportunity.

This year, thanks to the staff, the golf games halves have taken place at Dukes Meadows driving range for the 5th and 6th forms and at Wimbledon Common Golf Club for the L8th and U8th, fostering high-quality golfers for the future. ❚ Lorenzo Massi

Rackets

Rackets at St Paul’s continues to thrive with an endless stream of excited and talented sportsmen, all hustling for more valuable court time.

The first pair (Darshy Pandey/Nabil Alizadeh) had a successful year on the few occasions they could play together, and fully deserved their 4th seed position in the Doubles Championships at Queen’s, and when serving at first game ball in the Semi-final, against top seeds, Winchester, belief was growing, however, unfortunately, after committing the cardinal sin of slashing it into the board, the rest is history! In the Foster Cup three months earlier, Nabil had a great run to the semis, defeating the 4th seed, Tonbridgian, in the last eight, and because of that display gave enough confidence to think an upset against the top seed Wyhkamist, was on the cards, particularly after winning the first game. However, although the second game was close, unfortunately, as Nabil tired, it was downhill from there and he lost 1-3.

Other senior pairs and players all contributed greatly to the overall health of the club with varying individual and doubles success. As the top seed in the Renny Cup, Alex Hogben, sadly didn’t

perform to his usual high standards losing in the second round, as did his partner, Rory Todd, and as the 2nd pair at Easter, Alex and Rory, unfortunately, didn’t fair any better, however, both boys are great stalwarts of the Rackets club and will shine again next year.

Other U8th boys: Darshy and Nabil, James Wilson, Yuvraj Chahal, Eshan Hall, and John Moretti, all participated greatly and have given huge amounts to St Paul’s Rackets over the five years they’ve been at school, it’ll be sad to see them go. However, along with Alex and Rory, L8th boys, Zac Joseph and Adam Zimmerman also deserve a mention for their unwavering loyalty this year, not to mention their outstanding improvement which puts them in position for ‘Most Improved Players of the Year’.

The U16 group of boys is where St Paul’s has most often excelled, and this year was no exception. Leading the charge is Rackets fanatic, and ‘stat-man’ Aryan Sankaye, closely followed by Gabriel Ashton, Konstantin Vujnovic, Shlok Poddar, Sachin Marchand, and Hari Dattani,...this crew are without a doubt the most dedicated and loyal (closely followed by strongest) we’ve had at St Paul’s at this age. Aryan, as the top seed

won the National Schools U16 singles ‘Incledon-Webber’, and with ‘A’ pair partner, Gabriel, and as the top seeds, won the U16 Doubles ‘The Eric Angus Cup’, beating second seeds, St Paul’s ‘B’ Pair (Konstantin and Shlok) in the slightly, anticlimactic final, 3-0. Sachin and Hari unfortunately lost 3-0 in the last eight against Radley although, had they won the many game points they had in the third game, and then not lost in the set 3, 14/17, that result could so easily have been turned around.

St Paul’s U15 boys, Anish Dhar, Edouard Trassiac, Eamon, and De-Rosa Rashid are exceptionally nice lads and reasonably talented racket handlers. As the year went on and particularly by the Spring Term, Anish and Edouard, were really beginning to make an impression with great performances home and away, it was becoming evident they were improving, and thus therefore enjoyment was growing…and in turn, results became more favourable. Hopefully, we’ll see their full potential next year which’ll have them to be reckoned with both as singles players and as a pair.

An exciting future is taking shape too with a bunch of highly keen U14s coming through, even as I write during the summer term of 2024, these boys pack the court during morning and lunch breaks. It helps that Aidan Ahmad and Rayaan Ahmad are cousins, and best mates with Alexei Fletcher, Vivaan Sharma, and Joe Burch. They’re bouncing off each other with good friendly banter is great fun for them and the club. Alexei, in particular, is showing great skills and moves like a whippet, he won the internal U14 Singles Cup by defeating Aidan 2-0. Nabil beat Darshy 2-0 to win the senior singles ‘David Tate Cup’, and Aryan beat Konstantin 2-0 for the junior U-16 ‘David Tate Cup’.

As another year goes by we all have to say goodbye to the many senior boys who have given such great support for five years, and even to those who joined up in more recent years, as challenging and/or fantastic some moments can be throughout this entire time, it can’t be denied we all play a great part in making some wonderful life memories. With that, I’d like to say thanks to Darshy, Nabil, James, Eshan, John, and Yuvraj for their commitment and loyalty. Good luck for the future.

Finally, I would like to thank all staff for showing great patience when Rackets players are taken out of class for fixtures, particularly with little notice, and during the National Schools Championships, the boys and I greatly appreciate it. I’d also like to thank Tom Vickers for his contribution to helping cover the court when I’m away and for his support at Queen’s through the Nationals. ❚

Rowing

1ST VIII

“You win or you learn.” This phrase has been the mantra of the 1st VIII this year and arose from the ashes of last year’s gut-wrenching defeat in the PE final by a third of a boat length to St Edward’s, Oxford – an occasion that still haunts the dreams of those involved. After various international successes at both the Junior Rowing World Championships and Coupe de la Jeunesse, returners included Sam Fowlie, Philip Wolfensberger, Alp Karadogan, Patrick Wild and me, as well as an up-andcoming talent in Christian Reese, Kynan Tallec-Botos and coxswain Victor Bocquet. Furthermore, a top acquisition from over the river in the form of two-time Coupe gold medalist Alec Wild, older brother of the aforementioned Patrick, would form the basis of the 1st VIII until after the National Schools’ Regatta and all concerned were determined to right the various wrongs that they had suffered the year before.

The first half of the autumn term was spent pottering around in various small boats with Philip winning Scullers Head, Alec and I winning Pairs Head and, if not for a cancelled Fours Head owing to high stream, the 1st VIII would have hoped to have won all available events

hosted on the Tideway in the first term of rowing. Furthermore, for the first time since 2019 the 1st VIII, supported by a 2nd 4+, made the trip over the pond to Boston, Mass, to race the Head of the Charles Regatta. Thanks to the hospitality of Harvard we battled the Boston rush hour traffic from our hotel and trained out of the Weld Boathouse for the week leading up to the race in preparation; and despite some illness amongst the crew at the hands of undercooked Louisiana BBQ ribs we managed to face up to the tempest-like conditions on the river and achieve victory by over 20 seconds, a real confidence booster to the crew that the hard work that had already been put in over the first two months of the year was paying dividends. High levels of rainfall meant the cancellation of Wallingford Head, preventing the yearly tradition of coxes crashing into various parts of the Thames’s Oxfordshire bank; however, some sprightly mixed eights racing and some boat combinations with various OPs just before Christmas rounded off a successful autumn training block.

The run-in to Schools’ Head in midMarch was littered with further race cancellations and bouts of illness from

almost all members of the crew. Some highlights of the tough winter term of training included finishing in a LondonThames sandwich at Quintin Head –with the ability to compete with the top men’s crews usually a clear hallmark of a crew at the sharp end of junior rowing –as well as an agricultural performance at the Head of the Nene in Peterborough into a strong headwind which allowed the crew to achieve a comfortable win over all other junior competition. Soon enough, Schools’ Head came around –the prize head race of the season and one that the 1st VIII had not won for over half a decade. A fast start in quick conditions, emboldened by the ghosts of last year’s 15-second deficit to Shiplake at the halfway stage, saw the 1st VIII smash the record and set a time of 16:24 – as well as helping the combined efforts of the Boat Club to take home the Thames Team Trophy. A swift turnaround just a few days later saw the 1st VIII compete at the Head of the River amongst the top university and club crews coming home in 11th, the best result for a schoolboy crew since 1967.

The attention of the crew was soon turned to sunnier shores in the form of the annual warm weather training camp in Figueira da Foz, Portugal. The week

The hard work of not just my crew but also the staff and parents was transferred into sheer joy at that very moment.

encapsulates hard work both on and off the water with the falling of record times and the filling of past papers throughout the course of the camp, alongside the much treasured afternoon off spent surfing on Portugal’s sun-kissed beaches. As soon as camp was complete, the focus was now on the upcoming regattas before National Schools’. A dogged performance in the face of adversity at Wallingford Regatta with the absence of key cog Alp Karadogan forced a new-look crew to go toe to toe with some of the top crews in the country and come out on top. A more underwhelming performance at Poplar Regatta with a misjudgement of the sheer speed of the conditions left the crew to rue what was a golden opportunity to set a new best time over 2km for a schoolboy crew –still held by the heralded SPS crew of 2018. As the end of May drew near, so did the National Schools’ Regatta, an event which had eluded SPS hands since 2019. Changeable conditions forced the crew to remain vigilant to the oncoming threat of the opposition boats – all of whom seemed to have the bit between their teeth since their thrashing at Schools’ Head. Despite their valiant attempts, a spirited effort, combined with a slight compromise on silky smooth rowing, ensured St Paul’s victory and saw the Queen Mother Cup return to the banks of Barnes after an extended absence. However, the resounding message was the job was far from over, and a desire to not just win but to win in a dominant manner meant some hard truths for the crew regarding rowing style and a concerted effort to rediscover the style of rowing that had put Paul’s 1st VIIIs of the past in such good stead for Henley.

Never ones to turn away from the heat of the flame, a fierce week of telemetry testing and seat racing in which Ben Atkinson, fresh from stroking the 2nd VIII to victory at National Schools’, for the first time since 2002, replaced Sam Fowlie who, due to age and an unwillingness by the “powers that be” at Henley Royal Regatta to compromise their red tape, was unable to race the PE at Henley and thusly was placed in

charge of ensuring a composite of the brightest and best of the 2nd VIII and J16s qualified for the Temple Challenge Cup for the first time in at least a decade. A tricky fixture on the Tideway against hot favourites for the Men’s club competition, London RC, combined with devilish weather conditions and a new-look combination that wasn’t to be, left some serious soul-searching to take place just a few weeks out from HRR –another sign that the crew, like in many earlier parts of the season, were not to have anything easy this year. An improved performance at Marlow for the last multi-lane race of the season showed competitive speed with the top end of the men’s club scene – with missing out on the A final by a coin flip leading to a domineering row in the B final and thus victory in the Junior 8 event for a second year running, giving the crew a sense that momentum heading into the regatta was firmly in the favour of the boys in black and white.

The cooling off of the academic frontier with the end of external and internal exams at the back end of June meant that all energy was focused into maximising the speed of the boat before Henley. Glorious sunshine and long rows into Richmond and beyond led to the unleashing of technical prowess to a degree I had not seen in my prior three years of rowing in the 1st VIII – a real sense of unwavering confidence was starting to emanate from the crew members. As the draw was announced the Saturday before racing it was clear that there was no opposition worth fearing in the regatta. Swift dispatches of Emmanuel and Westminster on the Tuesday and Wednesday respectively gathered plaudits from the rowing community as to the relaxed style of rowing on show, however, the crew stayed internally focused on the end goal. Treated with an off day spent playing French cricket on the banks of the Thames at Wallingford, with Ben Atkinson proving to be just as skilful in the slips as he was in the bow seat, the business end of the regatta drew near. A late-night row on Friday against Princeton N.R.A to the backdrop of swirling storms meant that Saturday

would see a re-run of last year’s P.E Final – a grudge match for the ages with both crews boasting members of those boats that met last year. The crew delivered an uncompromising row and coolly saw off the Teddies threat, leading to one final obstacle between the crew and the hallowed red boxes.

Having had the privilege of winning the PE in 2022, the crew had the same unwavering sense that losing was not on the cards, and following an imperious row against Shiplake, victory was at last secured. The evaporation of all tension and pressure as the beep which signifies crossing the line rang out through Henley-on-Thames invited an eruption of emotion released in the form of tears, splashes and screams. The hard work of not just my crew but also the staff and parents was transferred into sheer joy at that very moment.

Throughout writing this I have abstained from mentioning the “Quadruple”. The focus has been rather on winning each of the four events associated with the title as opposed to winning them as a collective. The St Paul’s School 1st VIII of 2023/2024 sits as one of only four crews in history to ever win the Quadruple: Youth Eights at the Head of the Charles Regatta, Schools’ Head, National Schools’ Regatta and Henley Royal Regatta – as well as the only crew that was also part of a senior squad clean sweep at National Schools’ in the same year. History. On a more personal level, I would like to thank the hard work of Bobby, Donald and Mr Smith as well as teachers, coaches and parents for their continued support of my crew. Special thanks should also go to the crew members themselves as without them none of the success would have been possible. I send my best wishes to the five athletes returning to the 1st VIII next year as well as all athletes and coaches who will continue to represent the Boat Club – it has been a pleasure to serve as Captain of Boats for the last year. SPSTID. ❚

Felix Peerless

2ND VIII

How many 2V returners does it take to win the National Schools’ Regatta? Six. Whilst past seasons had been tarnished by disappointment, this was not to be such a season.

Victory was promised from November, when at the Head of the Charles Regatta across the Atlantic 2V representatives in the 4+ were a mere 21 positions off first. Selection pressure built through the winter in mixed eights training, with members of the crew serving regular turns in the 3V as erg scores fluctuated.

By January, when the crew was finally assembled, we knew a spark had ignited; together we had more confidence than Fintan Delaney on a Thursday morning. The 2024 2V welcomed talented newcomers such as Milon Kalia, Christoph Hueffer, and Arthur Hamill, enticed to the school with PEwinning prospects. Despite a lead-up disrupted by injury and illness, the crew was ready for a record-breaking performance at the Schools’ Head. We delivered! Our time of 17:00.7 beat the previous record by over 10 seconds and stood for half a minute. In the end, we missed out on the win by 3 seconds, coming second, making us the only crew from St Paul’s not to win (bar the J16 Bs).

Our on-water success peaked at beating the 1V in a 5 by 3-minute workout. Bobby’s feet-out-excuses could not save the lunch training session that ended with a ‘bye-bye’ from

Laurenz as we took a length under Hammersmith Bridge. We also said ‘bye-bye’ to Laurenz at the Portugal training camp in April, where necessary selection cuts were made and a programme of even tougher racing season preparation began. Each evening, telemetry results were rigorously inspected by Coach Bourne, with this year’s crew setting a benchmark for years to come. No doubt each year it will be questioned why the biggest watts were chained to bow pair.

Returning from a training camp filled with productive revision, CB opted for a ‘goofy rig’, according to Wallingford commentators, pioneering free speed. Pairing 2 and 3 not only gave top bow-sider Benjamin Atkinson the keys but also prohibited ten-minute Delaney from disrupting those behind. This tactic, in combination with inheriting our new X87 reverse wing rigger Empacher, summoned the free speed necessary for the crew to lock in four weeks before Nats. We put in one last charge the week before NSR, racing at Poplar Regatta. After an uninspired performance and even more mediocre training the day prior, Charlie reluctantly admitted we had just set the fastest-ever St Paul’s 2V time.

For the first time since 2002, the National Schools’ Regatta was a successful weekend. After a challenging time trial, we knew it would be a close race. In the end, it wasn’t. We won over Shiplake by almost a length, rounding off a successful season. ❚ Pip Bennison and Nathan Fairclough

3RD VIII

The oldest trophy at the National Schools’ Regatta is the West Cup for Third Eights, first awarded in 1947 and awarded 73 times since. In that first year, there was no NSR, only the Colts and Third Eights Regatta, from which the rest of the modern event grew over time. Eton has won the West 27 times; Radley 12; Shrewsbury 10; and SPS just once, 21 years ago. In September 2023, a group of athletes emerged with their sights on the Third Eight Triple: winning the Schools’ Head, National Schools’ Regatta and BASHER (known colloquially as “Third Eight Henley”). To fuel the fire, on day one of the season, Bobby Thatcher set out the next challenge for SPSBC: to win all three senior eights titles at NSR in 2024.

It took two pairs of matrices to select an eight for SHORR. Selection of any sort is unusual enough for the 3rd VIII, but multiple rounds are unheard of. Alberto Cambiano, newly arrived from Maidenhead RC, narrowly missed out to Tom Baughan for the final seat. Tom joined two veterans of the 2023 campaign – Ed Spiers and Cox Theo Westcott – plus two veterans of the silver medal 2nd VIII of 2023 – Rohan Suri and Seb Harker. This melding of power and experience provided a sterling example for three of last year’s J16Bs – Kush Patel, Olly Pennington and Maurits Plantagie. The remaining athlete was Ivan Shammas of the 2023 J16A crew. All but Maurits were bringing NSR medals, but none was bringing gold.

With the crew picked, the search began for the right order and the right rigging. Everything worked on a sunny day and almost nothing did if the sky was grey. Everyone seemed to get their moment at stroke, except Kush, in the search for Pareto efficiency. Perhaps Rohan at stroke, Rohan suggested, so we gave it a try. There was not enough time before SHORR to put in a full bow rig, so a 7/6 bucket had to do. On race day the pre-paddle was fine, as was the row to the start, but 10 strokes from Chiswick Bridge something clicked and a little over 17 minutes later, there was a new course record for third eights and a win by 32 seconds.

To Portugal next, where more sun meant more speed, except for a slow motion 2k on the last day. A third round of seat racing and an updated 2nd VIII brought Laurenz Orlando to the crew and took away Seb, but the final selection emerged only after BASHER where Tom and Alberto swapped places. This BASHER was also the first time an SPS 3rd VIII made the 2k A/B finals, ultimately finishing at the back of the A final with the Radley and Eton third crews nowhere in sight.

By NSR there had been further triumphs (Borne at Chiswick) and disasters (Hammersmith) from which to learn. A cross-head wind on the day dashed hopes of a new record but did mean

that a time trial win guaranteed a favourable lane from which to control the final. Five strokes after the green light, SPS were up. At 500 m, SPS had half a length. At 1000 m, the Eton heavies were charging from seven seats down and SPS maintained pace. At 1500 m, Eton’s charge had come and gone and they had fallen 8 seats down and SPS maintained pace. At 1750 m, SPS changed gear and opened clear water on the field. Theo was splashing water in celebration long before the buzzer sounded for silver. The first leg of the clean sweep was run, leaving the 3rd VIII to watch the 2nd VIII from the medal pontoon holding the West Cup.

MJPS

J16A

Overall this season has been a whirlwind of emotions. Although a slow start, due to many races being called off because of the heavens opening, we pressed on with training, ramping up for a huge underdog win at Schools’ Head of the River, with fast conditions allowing us to set a new J16 record by 12 seconds.

Next on the calendar was the Portugal trip. To say it was a blast is a massive understatement. Portugal was, and I can say on behalf of the entire crew, the best trip we had ever been on. Not only were we having an incredible time, but our rowing was also improving by leaps and bounds, with glassy, misty morning sessions and amazing opportunities such as paddling side by side with the Boat Club’s 1st VIII up and down the empty lake. We flew back to London, with one goal in mind: to win National Schools’.

In the weeks leading up to the National Schools’ Regatta, we managed to take gold at Wallingford Regatta, with all our competition present, and again at Poplar, setting a new J16 fastest-ever time for a 2,000 m race (alongside our J15As doing the same in their category).

With tensions building into nationals, we vaulted into the day of the race with a confident but focused mindset. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and we came away with a disappointing but

respectable silver medal, being beaten by Radley who were able to power off the blocks in the headwind and get in front.

We owe this incredible season to the fantastic dedication of our coach German Pradera Anllo and the undying resilience of the crew to show up to every single session with an open, focused mindset whilst finding a healthy balance between GCSEs and rowing. ❚

Nathaniel Barnes

J16B

We started the year strong, beginning our training in small boats. With a respectable result of a double coming fourth at Wallingford Small Boats Head, we were off to a good start.

Working through the winter, our training was put to work at Quintin Head in January. Yet, with difficult training during mocks in January we were unable to perform to our best ability. As the stress from GCSEs was getting to us, it became difficult to train in an eight in the following weeks, and we came 8th at Schools’ Head.

The tide turned in Portugal, when our training was accelerated, allowing us to get a good result at BASHER, coming 3rd among the J16 second eights, a significant improvement from the previous term.

Whilst training continued in the summer term, our training stumbled with GCSEs, showing in our performance at Wallingford Regatta, and eventually National Schools’ where we came 2nd in the B final. ❚

Ed Calzia

J15A

We dove into the season with an adventure in quads at Reading Small Boats Head where we accomplished our first golds. Afterwards, despite some rough conditions and constant red flags on our home territory, we were able to triumph at Quintin Head, with an unbelievable start to our sweep rowing careers with a 1st and 2nd place finish, showing the depth of our squad.

Proceeding with some resilience in the face of constant cold weather, we progressed to the Schools’ Head where we were able to reap the benefit of a dedicated winter training block. Unfortunately, due to a wet winter, the J15s were moved to Dorney Lake, where a hoard of gold medals were obtained, all with over 30-second margins – a completely dominant display from the boys in black and white.

Regardless of the summer heat, our Easter training camp was once again relocated to Dorney Lake, which helped develop some high-end speed which would be crucial for the upcoming sprint racing season. Continuing on our winning streak, we added two more J15 victories to our rapidly growing collection, Bedford Regatta and BASHER. As tensions rose with National Schools’ drawing closer, we rolled into Poplar Regatta, racing up a year, to produce a whopping time of 6:11.4 across 2000m, achieving a known British record.

Led by the mighty Sam Lapage we arrived at the much-awaited National Schools’, desiring another taste of gold and the Founders Cup itself which we had long trained for. We left the time trial feeling confident, with a 12-second margin between us and second. As pressure and suspense rose (and heart rates), we boated for the final. After countless Watts, stroke by stroke, we were able to cross the finish line with a two-boat length lead, capping off the undefeated season with a surreal moment. ❚ Edward Ludgate and Guy Parson

The crew: Ettore Bresciani (cox), Alex Miklavcic (stroke), Edward Ludgate, Guy Parson, Beau Fenichell, Nick Fezer Brown, Hugo Tuil, Paul Turner, Max Brundsen (bow).

J15B

Overall, the B boat has had an outstanding season this year. We started off in quads and mixed eights at the start of the season, winning a handful of events and then were selected into boats for Schools’ Head.

Sadly Schools’ Head was cancelled for the J15s but we were able to win the replacement event held at Dorney by a solid 37 seconds. This time would have also placed us fourth in the A boat event. We then headed to BASHER, which is also held at Dorney Lake, and got the fastest B boat time in the event. Bedford Regatta was next and was probably the best showcase of our performance. We beat Radley in the first round by 3.5 lengths, Eton “easily” in the second round – where we paddled the last 500m – and Abingdon in the final to bring home some lovely mugs.

Poplar Regatta, held right next to London City Airport, was our preparation for the National Schools’ Regatta, which is the most important race of the season. At Poplar, there was no B boat category so

we raced in the J15 A boat category and won the time trial by 24 seconds and the final by 17 seconds, although Hampton’s A boat was disqualified after barely beating us by a length.

National Schools’ was next in the crosshairs. We performed solidly in the time trial and came first by almost 15 seconds, which qualified us for the A final. After an eventful start, where almost every boat decided to try and hold us through the first 500 m, we were able to edge away from the pack after the first 750 m and then get clear water after the 1,000 m mark. After that point, we simply kept moving and were able to get an eight-second lead on Hampton by the finish line.

I’d like to thank John Whybrow and Sam Lapage for their guidance and amazing coaching, and our cox, Arthur Cooke, for dealing with us throughout the season. Although this has been an exceptional season we still have Marlow Regatta and Reading Town to look forward to. ❚

Leo Maslaw

J15C

The J15 C boat has had a tremendous year and has managed to cement itself as the country’s best in its class.

It began with a long winter training shift where the crew persevered through the tough river conditions and reaped the rewards of this at the Schools’ Head where they placed 1st in their category by over 30 seconds with a time that would have placed them 3rd in the B category.

Some small changes were made over Easter, all leading up to BASHER, a key opportunity to place themselves in contention in the B category. Here they proved unsuccessful but still had a tremendous side-by-side race with Abingdon Bs, which they eventually won by a canvas. The boat saw some large improvements in the lead-up to Bedford and they went on to reap the rewards of this by winning both races by a large margin and taking a dominant win. This put them in a good position for Thames Ditton, where they were pitted against their rivals, Hampton Bs. Unfortunately,

the crew lost out at the start and didn’t benefit from a clashing of blades and, despite a strong race, lost by a length.

National Schools also wasn’t the best of races with the crew struggling to compete against much larger crews. Despite this, they still placed 9th in the Bs category, an impressive performance for a C crew. Finally, the crew won the J15 category in the Barnes and Mortlake Regatta, rowing an astounding race despite a lack of training due to exams.

Overall, this has been an extremely successful season where a year’s hard work has eventually paid off. ❚ George Lyster

J15D

Overall, this has been an extremely successful season where a year’s hard work has eventually paid off.

The D boat had an exciting season, racing in almost every kind of boat, across several categories and facing J14 boats all the way up to university crews, which included two bearded rowers!

The season started off at Eton Dorney where, although our stroke had been pinched by the C crew, we still managed to get an impressive time on the time trial and narrowly lost to a few J14 octuples in some dramatic side-by-side racing.

On home waters at Hammersmith Regatta, which was our first small boats race, we raced in two fours against each other in a direct final. It was neck to neck until the last stretch where Jason’s four pulled ahead and won. We later raced in an eight against King’s College School A boat in a very competitive race where we lost only by a canvas.

Next, we were on the river Ouse at Bedford Regatta where we raced in two coxed fours. The first four started the race well and took an early lead but as the race went on Abingdon were gaining. In the last 100 m, they overtook and beat us narrowly. The second four were also beaten.

Further down the Thames from school, we raced at Thames Ditton. Our first four had an impressive start taking half a length lead on a Wallingford four,

however, the competition managed to snatch the win at the finish line. The second four also lost their race against St George’s.

Back to Eton Dorney, one four from the D squad went to Nat Schools in the open category meaning we were racing other schools’ A, B and C boats. Despite this, we managed to come 16th in the time trial placing us in the C final. We had a fantastic start to the side-by-side race, taking second at the 500 m mark but we were unable to keep up that pace and fell to fifth by the end of the race.

The season ended with the J15D squad on tour to Durham. Singles, doubles, fours, quads, eights and octuples were all raced in over the weekend. On the first day, we started off with some close losses, but Edward Konig managed to win two rounds to race in the semi-final of the singles event before an unfortunate loss. The next day the four won its first race against a J17 crew but then lost to a York University crew. The eight were also against some tough competition but managed to come only half a length behind a St John’s College boat who looked old enough to plan their retirement! Despite the losses we all had a great time and celebrated the wins we did get. Overall, a wonderful experience which I would highly recommend for next year’s J15 rowers. ❚

KVF

J14A

Against the backdrop of a turbulent season marred by challenging weather conditions and incessant rain, the J14A crew has endured with constant and consistent determination. Throughout the term, success has been established through cohesive team unity and a relentless dedication to improvement during each training session. The first experience of a regatta at BASHER was a pivotal moment, that set the scene for the competitive nature of the future regattas approaching rapidly. The crew posted the fastest time of all the J14 octuples in the time trial, and were therefore drawn in races where all other competitors were in a higher age group; despite the challenge, we were still able to beat J15 crews of other schools throughout both races.

A few weeks following our success, we travelled to Bedford in a strenuous test of our efforts, both mentally and physically. This was our first authentic taste of a public regatta; long intervals between races demanded patience and continued focus on a day where energy levels could have been volatile stemming from the early morning 6am start. Winning easily against the Grange School and Norwich School as well as fending off Abingdon in a much closer race, we faced Hampton, who had emerged as a significant rival, but to whom we unfortunately lost, the gap being less than a length. Although we left without any silverware, it was a day where much had been learned and improved as we progressed through the rounds.

The smaller Thames Ditton Regatta held in much closer pastures was a smooth event for the J14As. Drawn against Hampton in the first round who had decided to only send their lower-ranked crews, we moved through swiftly to the final against Radley. Though being a close race from the start, we pulled in front having established an earlier rhythm, and gained our first trophies.

All that remained was the showpiece of the season at the National Schools’ Regatta. Evident that Hampton would

Throughout the term, success has been established through cohesive team unity and a relentless dedication to improvement during each training session.

be our main opponent, we had been keen to close the gap in some intensive training following Bedford, and this was the opportunity to reap the rewards of the efforts made. As Dickie had constantly reminded us, the time trial was equally important as the final, being able to present us with an advantage if crosswinds were prevalent. We seized the opportunity, recording a time almost two seconds faster than Hampton, but wind speeds were low and light in the course of the day, changing from a small crosswind to a definite tailwind by the time our final came, and so our advantage was diminished. From the start, it was noticeable that a close race would ensue; at the 500 m, we were leading the race by slightly less than a second, our strategy having been to lead early and mentally exert pressure on the other crews. However, Hampton made up the deficit, and although we surged forward again nearing 750 m, we were just pipped to the post passing

the line 0.59 seconds later and forced to settle for silver.

It has been a fantastic introduction to the sport for the crew, and on behalf of all in the J14As I’d like to extend sincere thanks to the entire coaching team; in particular, to Dickie for all his hard work and wisdom that has been crucial for helping all of us improve during long hours of training, and to Mr Friend for all of his coordination and planning in the season. ❚ Bolang Sun

J14B

The J14B crew has had a season defined by very close races throughout.

It was clear from BASHER in April that lots of schools’ J14B boats were very similar speeds and this was further evidenced at Bedford regatta where St Paul’s won two very close races against Radley and Abingdon to win the crew the first pots of their careers.

At Thames Ditton Regatta the crew made it to the final before coming out on the wrong side of an incredibly tight rematch against Radley

Going into National School’s Regatta the crew knew it would be a tight affair. The crew finished a creditable 4th, missing out on a medal by less than a second and only two seconds behind the winners, Hampton. The crew did at least put the Radley rivalry to bed, beating them by over five seconds.

The J14Bs improved hugely in a short space of time, particularly with two members of the crew winning at Bedford after rowing for just three and a half weeks. Combined with strong results from the rest of the J14 squad the future looks healthy for this year group over the coming years. ❚

The crews:

OCTO: cox Tiger Wang, stroke Ari Pissioti

Capriello, Harry Smaje, Noah Stoll, Leo Pissioti

Capriello, Albert Guan, Michael Fotiadis, Finn Ng, bow Lucien Wong.

QUAD: cox James Allon, stroke Gabriel Palazzo, George Vandini, Yitchen Yao, bow Louis Kleinwort.

J14C

Coached by Dr Killick, the J14C squad had an incredibly successful rowing season this year. Our first regatta was at Bedford, where we easily progressed through the first round. However, the two other boats that advanced had achieved the same course time as us, setting the stage for some thrilling final races. In the subsequent race against Radley, we battled fiercely and won by third of a length. Without rest, we then faced Hampton in the finals. This race was another intense contest, but a final charge 20 strokes before the finish enabled us to take the cup by half a length.

The next week at Thames Ditton Regatta, having coasted to the finals, we faced St George’s A boat in the final. Despite a hard-fought race at the start, a mishap from St George’s allowed us to take a commanding lead and win our category.

The highlight of our season was the National Schools’ regatta. We fielded a C quad and a C octo, which was entered into the B boat category. While the quad raced well against other Schools’ A crews they didn’t make the finals; the octo delivered an impressive time, placing 5th overall and securing a spot in the A final. For the first 500 metres, we were half a length down on first place, but in a dramatic final push orchestrated by Dr Killick, we were able to surge to second place, just 0.76 seconds behind the Hampton B boat. Notably, we achieved the fastest 500 m time of anyone on the course that day, ending our season with two jubilant victories and a lasting bond between the crew. ❚

Tiger Wang

Rugby

1ST XV

A preseason tour to Oliva Nova, in extreme heat, allowed us to dust off the cobwebs and build excitement for the season to come. Moreover, beach volleyball, a day out to the water park, and go-karting fostered some memorable moments and built team spirit.

Back in London, a win against The Campion started our season off well and highlighted our depth of ability. Anticipation for a tough away game against Epsom College was growing and structures and patterns were starting to flourish in training. Although Epsom prevailed in a brutal game where temperatures exceeded 40ºC, the First XV were starting to show their potential and players including Nelson and Kanareck showed their value. A tough loss away at Eton where the second half ran away from us followed, but instead of hanging up our boots and succumbing to mediocrity, we began to train harder and motivation for a home game against Tonbridge grew.

The first half was a war of attrition where we came out leading 8-7.

A well-deserved half-time break allowed us to recoup and plan for the second half. With 20 minutes left of play remaining and the score unchanged, a poor pass by Tonbridge was taken advantage of by Hadjiloizou and with nobody able to beat him for pace he dotted a try down under the post for his brace. A pick-and-go try from Tonbridge brought the deficit down to just one point until the last play of the game. After attempting to penetrate our defensive line for well over five minutes and numerous last-ditch tackles from Davies in particular, Tonbridge eventually scored to win the fixture 19-15.

The following week saw us travel to Oxford for a crunch match against Radley. Two maul tries from the home side as well as a try each from Darke and Dell saw us leading 14-10 at halftime. A third maul try from Radley took them to a 15-14 lead which, despite constant pressure from St Paul’s, was

the score in which the match ended. A one-point loss was a gutting end to a well-fought match with notable performances from Lam and Liu. Winning against RGS Guildford before half-term was essential. Although conceding a penalty in the early stages of the match wasn’t an ideal start, a majestic solo try from Francombe saw us 7-3 ahead at the break. A well-worked unconverted try from RGS put them back in the lead but a clutch try from Massi, on debut, saw us take a satisfying and deserved win. Bowman’s performance was crucial to the win with a huge 22 impacts and 6.2km distance covered and his contribution throughout the season cannot be understated.

A cancelled match against Sherborne the week after half term saw the First XV with only four games remaining which, for many, would be their last four in the white kit of St Paul’s.

A rematch against Eton, this time at home, came next. A well-worked try excellently finished by the Cypriot

international Hadjiloizou in front of home support was a great way to start the game and build momentum. A second try ignited our hopes of securing another home win but unfortunately, Eton came back to win 21-13. Nevertheless, the team put their hearts on their sleeves with Tredre at the forefront.

There was no time to rest on our laurels as a match against Whitgift – the first rendition of this fixture for many years – was rapidly approaching. As heavy underdogs we travelled there and, with the support of the 2nd XV from the touchline, kicked off. A silky try from Nelson in the corner took us 5-0 up and sensible game management saw us 14-3 ahead at half time. However, a scoreless second half for the First XV saw us lose by a margin of only two points. The character of the team, which Sicheri

helped to instil, cannot be questioned as these narrow losses only brought the team closer together.

The following week saw a break from marginal defeats as we went to Reading Blue Coat and scored seven tries with some joué rugby on display winning 43-0. Tries from Lee-Imnadze and Bethell led the way. With a win under our belts, the excitement for the last game of the season grew.

The First XV had marginally beaten Dulwich for the previous two years and we hoped, with the advantage of home support, we could make it a hat trick. Francombe opened the scoring with his boot to take us 3-0 up and was quickly followed by a sensational length of the pitch try; Dell, from the base of the scrum in our own 22, ran past numerous

Dulwich players and eventually offloaded to White who crossed the whitewash to take a 10-0 lead. However, Dulwich continued to fight and we went into the break leading 10-7. The match was in the balance. A scoreless 30 minutes eventually came to an end when Bottomley went over in the corner. Dulwich came back to score again but time was against them and the full-time whistle blew. The First XV took a three-point win finally coming on the right side of a tight scoreline.

Thank you to Mr Maguire, Mr Blurton, Mr Blake and Nico for all their unfaltering help and support throughout the season and thank you to all the First XV for their unwavering determination and commitment which helped create a very memorable season. ❚

2ND XV

The season started on a hot September day with a slightly shaky and unconvincing victory against Campion. We then moved swiftly on to a much-anticipated away fixture against Epsom where a rough start was combated with some valiant performances and a last-minute winner from Ben Lozovsky.

After such a momentous victory we went away to Eton with thoughts of victory and dreams of an unbeaten season. However, after an incredible back-and-forth game featuring standout performances from Matteo Salford, Mayowa Odelwale and an interception try from Tom Chittenden, the dream was killed by a losing margin of just 6 points. This was followed by demoralising losses against very strong sides, Radley and Tonbridge. This run of games reminded us that we must go into matches (and indeed, life) with a focus on performing to our best, as that is all we have control of.

With this new mentality starting to embed, Gabriel Hoffman picked an opportune moment to make his first tackle of the season vs RGS Guildford to save a try in front of an inspirational home crowd. This sent the team into half term 3 (wins) – 3 (losses).

With the cancellation of our inaugural match against Sherborne post half-term, we turned our attention to the return fixture against Eton which was poised to be the biggest clash of the season. Some managerial magic from Dr Gilks and Mr Hammond had the 2s emulating the 2015 All Blacks as we played like a well-oiled machine, dispatching Eton with relative ease.

As I said at the beginning though, this was a season of highs and lows. As the heat of September became the cold winds of November so too did our performance against Whitgift experience a chilling dose of reality. We then finished the year with a hugely favourable score-line against Reading Blue Coat and a heroic win against a confident Dulwich side to end the season with 6-4

A season to be proud of – ups, downs, devastating defeats and heroic victories – but like with any story, this is where the magic lives and has been the vehicle for us to change as people and as teammates.

Well done to all those who contributed to our season. Sharing our time in training sessions, huddles, corridors, changing rooms, at match teas, and whilst playing, has formed an unforgettable experience. ❚ Elwen Cameron, Captain

3RD XV

The 3rd’s season was one of ups and downs, but also narrow margins and fighting spirit despite misfortune which was displayed perfectly in the first match of the season against Eton. We were off to a great start scoring the first try and the momentum was with us until two unfortunate injuries happened to Rory Walter and Jasper Gregory. The score was unreflective of the fight we showed, as we pushed them constantly. Nonetheless, a sign of good things to come.

Our next challenge came in the form of Tonbridge. This time the scores were locked through most of the match with us once again having an electric start and scoring the first try through Adam Zimmerman. After being in their 22 for

most of the game, sadly without the deadly instinct to take the match away from them, they managed to score two tries in quick succession, leading to an unlucky 20-10 loss despite great effort from all the boys.

Our first win of the season would come against RGS Guildford, in a 20-12 victory. With the team properly getting to know each other, the rugby was flowing, with us once again scoring the first try of the game. This time, however, the intensity and focus were kept through nearly all 70 minutes with us continuing to apply pressure throughout the entire game. A try in the last play of the game from the opposition was not enough to undo all the work we had put in, and we walked away buzzing with a win.

Next, in possibly the most iconic match of the season, we took on Fulham Boys’ 1st XV, with them asking to face our 2nds. We rejected this proposal and the mighty 2.5s were born, with the 3rds receiving help from Ben Lozovsky, Mayowa Odewale, Andreas Tassi and Kanyin Ishmael. With brilliant performances from every single person involved, especially Mayowa, who grabbed himself a couple of tries, we walked away with a resounding 26-21 victory.

Lastly, I want to thank Ms Cloete and Mr Madden for their continued dedication to this team, helping us develop and have a great season. Good luck to all the Lower 8ths for your rugby efforts next year and hopefully carrying on the spirit of the 3rd team or moving on to higher teams. ❚

U16A

The U16As have had a memorable season filled with unforgettable moments. We started the season on Pitch 1 with a loss against a strong Epsom team. It was evident that this team had the potential to play excellent rugby and lots of structural work was implemented from the Pre-Season trip to Cardiff. We moved past the Epsom game and started an intense week of training for our match against Eton the following weekend. We put together a strong performance putting 43 points past them to set us on course for a solid season. The following week proved again that we were a team capable of both slick back play and gruelling work through the forwards as we beat Tonbridge 39-24, with our first try coming from a perfectly composed structure which we had spent many taxing training sessions practising. While riding on the high of two big wins against rivals we went into a grudge match against Radley, with a point to prove. Come the weekend, we put together a massive team performance in a scintillating test match on Pitch 1. Sadly, at this point, we lost Charlie Pye to a ligament tear in his ankle and Radley were awarded a penalty with seconds left on the clock which they kicked over to bring the scoreboard level. Following this scintillating draw, we went away to RGS Guildford, vying for our third win of the season where unfortunately we were beaten by a better side on the day. We had three days to recover before we went up to Rugby school and played a match to commemorate the 200th anniversary of rugby. We fielded a mixed squad which yielded good results with the team going up early doors. We pushed to the very end to sadly lose this fabulous match 33-27.

Our first game back from the break was cancelled due to weather conditions. So we took that week’s training and put it towards our follow-up match against Eton. This was our first match with new forwards coach Mr Drewitt-Jones. This was clear by the forward ability to dominate scrums, time after time and to have a solid line out. Alas, we were

unable to overcome Eton for the second time that season with the match ending with a score of 36-22 in favour of Eton. Losing this match left a bitter taste as we lost to our main rivals. Despite this, we went into our match against Whitgift, with high hopes of beating a top team and we were thrilled to have Charlie Pye back for a half. We managed to hold them to a narrow 7-5 lead until the last 10 minutes when things started to unravel. When they started to push through our defence and score four tries in quick succession. This was disheartening as our defence had been near impenetrable for such a long time but we lifted our heads and looked to our fixture against Reading Blue Coat. We conceded early doors from a strong driving maul. This lit a fire in the team

which led to a rampage of beautiful tries including two chip and chases from Marcus Wisden. The match finished with a scoreline of 32-5 which reflected the dominant rugby we had trained for and which we played on the day. As we marched into what was to be our last match as a year group, against Dulwich, we knew we had what it would take to beat them if we played to our potential. They were a strong defensive side but not impervious to being trucked by the forwards. We fought hard and scored lovely tries but were unable to scale the challenge presented to us. Ending the season on a sad note but we have a lot of highlights to look back upon and memories to cherish of our last season as a year group. ❚

Tybalt Lamy, Captain

U16B

The 2023 U16B rugby season was no cruise. Their superb coach Mr Roberts had to handle constant movement of players between A and B teams, meaning that there was little consistency within the Bs. However, every weekend 15 boys would turn up and do their best for SPS. The start of the season was definitely shaky, with four back-to-back, nail-biting defeats, where most could have been won if certain moments had gone just slightly differently. In the second last game of the first half-term, the boys played Radley College, who had always been considered rivals. They didn’t have their usual fly-half, Luka Tzvetkov, as he had been moved to the As. Nonetheless, Eli Darko stepped in and delivered brilliantly. The boys were 19-0 down with 10 minutes to play, but in these final minutes they scored twice. This seemed to be the story with many of the games, ending again with victory painstakingly close. However, in the last game of the first half-term, the U16 Bs finished the first half of the season with a magnificent 35-14 defeat of RGS Guildford and went into the break high-spirited.

The second half of the season was no easier than the first, kicking off with a defeat to Eton. After that match, there seemed to be a moment of realisation in some players, specifically Alex Twinch, who pointed out that when the boys conceded a try, they would hang their heads and have no desire to turn things around. From this game onwards, there was a shift in the frame of mind the boys showed towards games and, despite a loss to Whitgift the week after Eton, there were significant improvements in the team’s attitude towards playing. They wouldn’t look sullen or down after conceding any more; instead, they would hurry to try to rectify mistakes they were making. In the final game of the season, the Bs played a very good Dulwich side. The match was intense, end-to-end rugby, with SPS scoring, then Dulwich, then SPS again. A poor

kicking performance from the captain, Tzvetkov, led to Dulwich leading 14-10 with the restart being the last kick of the game. However, a good deep kick-off with an excellent chase put the Dulwich boys under pressure and Twinch scored in the corner as the last play of the game, winning the tight match by just a point.

Awards of the season went to Alex Twinch for coach’s player, Kobi Langleben for player’s player and Luka Tzvetkov for the unsung hero. Well done U16B’s for a strong season! ❚

U15A

This was a fantastic group of players with a superb attitude and hunger to improve and get better. On the string circuit we play on, the five of the top teams had really good teams even by their standards and we lost to Dulwich, Whitgift, Tonbridge and Eton first time round by narrow margins – with hard work and development, the team demonstrated their ability and improvement with a superb 25-12 home win against Eton in the return leg after half term. They also turned around defeat from the year before against a strong Reading BC team winning 14-0.

The season started with a really enjoyable journey north to Durham University for preseason training and an early warm up game against a physical Barnard Castle team which ended up in a draw. The following week we easily outplayed Campion before losing 28-10 to Epsom – this and the defeat to RGS Guildford were probably the only two disappointing days in terms of not performing to the best of our ability.

We were privileged to play Rugby School on the Close where Rugby began just before half term as part of their historic celebrations – this was probably my favourite game of the season and certainly a match where the boys not only performed superbly, but one they really enjoyed and took some confidence from. At half time we were 23-10 down – in the second half the team were superb with the exceptional fullback Noah Malley scoring two brilliant tries at the end of sustained team pressure. We were in the lead with a final play kick off and sadly Rugby scored in the last play to steal victory in an epic encounter. The boys were also incredibly unlucky after playing so well to lose in the last throw of the dice against Tonbridge.

What gives me real hope and confidence in this group is that they have so much still to learn and improve upon. They really enjoyed the journey and were not downbeat after defeats which would have demoralised others –there are so many really strong players

in the team and so much improvement individually. In the pack Felix Twinning and Luka Fitzsimmons were exceptional and lead the team forward in every game, but they were also backed up by Labeeb and Radmir who just got better and better. Santi Herrero was the heartbeat and rhythm of the team and helped combine the forwards and backs with tempo and elegance. The backs improved each game and the centre partnership of Leon Cool and Max Brunsden were terrific in attack and defence. Josh Knox was such a positive force and to his credit took on a new position and did very well. Arthur Whitaker and Noah were magnificent in attack and really improved their defence. In Arthur, we also discovered a natural goal kicker – fantastic! I have so much admiration for Dan Curry as well, a player who was taken from the B team as we rearranged due to players not playing from the year before, and he grew in confidence and really marshalled the team well.

Of course there were mistakes and those small margins that cost us games will be easy to put right next year, because this group will stick together and enjoy the process and the game and they will win some of those close ones by just controlling the ball and the decision making in key areas at important times!

A really enjoyable season and a pleasure to coach – thank you for all your hard work and dedication. Particular thanks to Leon Coool for being not only a superb player, but also developed into a really good Captain who the players all respected!

Good luck in the U16s and beyond – this team will produce some really good 1stXV players of the future – keep enjoying it! ❚

RGH

U15B

The U15Bs won 4 and lost 4, scoring 169 points and conceding 116. This is a creditable return from an already strong fixture list, especially in the U15 age group.

A much-changed side from the previous year’s Bs travelled to Eton after the unusual heat had caused Epsom College to be cancelled. A poor first half saw SPS lose 22-17. The team then started to gel and two fine games of rugby saw Tonbridge beaten 7-3 and a defeat to Radley 7-12. A super away victory 19-5 at RGS Guildford took us to half term.

One of the highlights of the season occurred when the 15Bs participated in a tournament on the first team pitch where the games were played under RFU experimental variations. Playing some great off-loading rugby and attacking with width, excellent wins were gained over Hampton and KCS.

Sherborne fell foul of the rain but revenge was gained against Eton in a convincing 35-7 win, a testament to the progress since September. The return of Whitgift to the fixture offered a great challenge but indiscipline, and poor defence saw 24 points conceded in the first 15 minutes. SPS redeemed themselves showing great character to score two unanswered tries but nevertheless were defeated 12-24. A comfortable 55-21 win at Reading Blue Coat took us into Dulwich whose record was one of the best on the 15B circuit.

In a game of fine margins, we fell short 17-22. Wet weather then denied the Boys a last game against London Oratory.

Arnav Bhargava and Aiden Kwok were good props and carriers and George Lyster became a strong scrummager. The second rows Alejandro Fakhouri and Tomi Maloney were immense all season and almost turned around the Whitgift game on their own. In the back row, Adi Patel and Yagur Prasad deservedly progressed to the As, Max Kennedy was an effective ball carrier and Constantine Kondyllis was a tough and pacy 7 who was awarded Forward of the Season.

Marmaduke Constance was a brave 9 and Fergus De Mestre captained the side from 10 showing a mature game sense combined with excellent distribution. Haris Nasar and Inigo Azqueta were a real threat out wide with their pace. Dylan Siow was an elusive runner in the centre, Tom Bonomini proved to be a versatile asset and Ivo Prosser added energy to every game. Maxence Borns was a strong running 15 who was Back of the Year and Nikolaus Kotridis a skilful link man was voted ‘Players Player’.

The boys can be pleased that they have played in some high-quality games and proved a match for some strong opponents. They can look forward to a good year at U16.

SB/SL

U15C

The U15 C team started the season with a mighty 50-0 victory over Eton after the first game against Epsom was called off to the team’s disappointment. Jai Aggarwal and Jack Pyper played a major role in a clear victory. The next game, however, would be far more of a challenge, as Tonbridge put up a very strong fight in a very physical game that was lost 14-12. This was a very late loss with a late conversion winning the game for Tonbridge. Kitt Frankel and Theo Constance put up a great fight in this close game.

Radley was up next and is one of the toughest games on the calendar. It was a resounding loss for St Pauls: 52-5, but the team showed a lot of heart to keep fighting to the end. Alex Wan and James Maby performed well throughout. Our fourth game of the season was away at RGS Guildford; we fought well but lost 14-29.

Following the half-term, we had a return fixture against Eton. Eton fielded a different team than before which were to a higher standard. St Pauls won 24-12 and completed the double on Eton as Henry Scott Williams scored a magnificent try to cap off his stellar season. Whitgift was a nail-biting game. The score was 29-24 to Whitgift, but it went down to the wire and it was all to play for in the last phase of the game. Toby Craig made some great breaks while Ollie Hughes also made some great carries.

Perhaps the best opposition of the season was Fulham Boys U15 B Team, with the score being a 38-10 loss. It was a great battle, with their B team being a mix of their schools A and B team players. Unfortunately, the last game of the season was a large loss to Dulwich College: 47-0. Despite this, we enjoyed the last game, and the final score didn’t stop the celebrations of a great season for the U15C Team led by captains Pyper, Maby and Anuj Shukla. ❚

U14A

This year, the 4th form rugby first XV, had a very successful season, winning 8 from 9 games. We achieved many highs, a few lows and also made a lot of memories and friendships. Our first game of the season was against a strong Epsom side. With the boys rearing to go, we worked our way through the game, discovering the strength of our forward ball carriers like Leo Jackson, Guy Parker and Rohan Patel along with the pace and agility of our backs like Evinn Bandara and Nikolay Fetisov. We came away with a satisfying first win of the season. Week by week, it was evident that the squad were becoming more and more connected through our weekday training and fitness sessions with Mr Blake. This paid off with us winning the next two games against Eton and Tonbridge with relative ease. However, our next game was against Radley College. A school that hadn’t conceded a single point that entire season. We went into that game with confidence but we had a poor first half conceding

4 tries. After a rocket from Mr Van Vuuren during half-time, we drew the second half 12-12. A lesson we would take through with us for the rest of the season. Determined to kickstart our season we trained hard and had a great win against RGS Guildford with strong scrums and mauls from Arya Azarbod and Max Williams and some direct running from Ridhmeet Puri and Ethan Piric. It was a privilege to be invited to play against Rugby school to celebrate 200 years of William Web Ellis picking up a football and creating the game that we now call rugby. As St Paul’s hadn’t played Rugby School for 100 years, we felt it was our duty to deliver one of our best performances of the season by coming back in the second half to win 38-26. Special mention must go to Luke Gleason and Shorta Hirai who scored some amazing tries. Luke and Shorta scored the majority of our tries this season after quick ball from the breakdown created by John Gunn, Rishab Dhot and Andrej Zarkovic, the speed of the pass from scrum-half Zayd Khan which created the space from our

speedy backline throughout the season. Eton were again brushed aside as were Reading Blue Coat, followed by a tough away win against a strong Dulwich team. It was a shame water-logged pitches cancelled 3 games. It’s been a privilege to play in a team that supports each other, enjoys each other’s company and has the drive and determination to win. We look forward to Radley at home in the U15 season. Special mention must go to Mr Van Vuuren whose infectious passion for rugby rubbed off on us all. The Springboks winning the RWC 2023, was a close second to the season he’s had with St Paul’s U14. ❚

U14B

The 2023 rugby season was abundant with tries, training and triumph, blended with a resounding team spirit that developed after every game. We kicked off in our opening game against Epsom, exuding great potential as we displayed a clinical attack through our fast wingers. The game concluded 17-7 with one try from Yash Dhasmana and two from Zac Lam. After a strong opening performance, we faced Eton at home. Our skills from training translated into our play, and we dominated physically, coming away with a 38-5 win. The third game of the season was our first away game, against Tonbridge. Despite their quality, we returned home with a 19-5 win thanks to a Josh Guttmann hat-trick. Our next game, against Radley, proved to be one of the toughest matches of the season. We poured everything into the game, never letting fatigue break us. The game could have easily gone the other way but we pulled together as a team and won 17-15, winning by a single, angled conversion. This concluded our first half-term of games, and we set ourselves the challenge of maintaining our winning streak until the end of the season. We kicked off again against RGS and won the game 26-5 with numerous try scorers. Eton was next, but this time away. Very quickly into the match, it was clear that Eton had improved as a team, just like ourselves. The game ebbed and flowed and concluded 12-12 with a key late try from Kai Trent. Winning streak over, we played our penultimate game vs Reading, putting eight tries past them, making the score 52-14. Our final game was against our rivals, Dulwich. It was an icy Saturday afternoon away, and an unbeaten record was in our sights. But Dulwich were tough customers, taking the lead in the first few minutes. We fought for each other, battling through the cold and trying to dig out a path to the try line. We attempted various strategies, and we took risks but, in the end, we couldn’t take our chances. Dulwich were given a late, kickable penalty and scored the crucial three points needed to win the game by 20 points to our 19. Despite the disappointing ending, we remain proud. Our season was testing, with occasional injuries, tough weather conditions and long journeys away; yet after playing some of the best rugby schools in the country, we concluded by only losing one game. Every team member played a huge role, but special mentions go to Josh Guttmann who was the player’s player of the season and Kai Trench who was the coach’s player of the season. Thanks also to our coaches Mr Pollock and Mr Wishart; we couldn’t have done it without them. ❚

Freddie Snowball

U14C

The U14Cs have had a great season. We started with a game against Epsom College in very high temperatures, which we won thanks to a great defensive effort. Next, Eton came to us, and again in very hot conditions, beat us 5-0, scoring in the last minute. Our first away trip was to Tonbridge, where we won comfortably with tries from Jihang Xiao and Rishab Dot. At the end of September, we had another away trip to Radley, who were quick to take the lead, but we fought hard and scored in the second half through Misha Dushkin. The last game before half term was a home game against RGS Guildford. We played some great rugby with tries from Jihang Xiao, Max Warrack and Aiden Ahmed, making it a comfortable win. After half-term, our first match was away at Eton; they rushed into a 14-0 lead, but we worked really hard in the second half, scoring through Adam Lobo and then camping in their 22, but we could not get over the line and the match ended in defeat. We then played Thomas’s As who were very good, and it was a close game, with us winning with a late try from Angus Ludgate. Fulham boys came next and beat us with their A team quite comfortably. Then the final game was away to Dulwich College, and we played some very good rugby, winning with tries by Yad Rahman and Alessandro Maschio. We have really enjoyed our rugby season and wish to thank Mr Slaney for helping us to improve as a team. ❚

U14D

My experience of being the U14D captain gave me both responsibility and pride. In the first term of the year rugby was always something that we looked forward to whether it was our games half, training at lunch or matches.

Throughout the term our team always had a friendly hard working attitude. We persevered as a team all throughout the season with every new team we faced a new challenge. The season was almost entirely successful with only two losses. I think this was mostly due to the bond between our teammates that helped us to win. Our players were all devoted and played extremely well but some of the standout players were people such as: Calum Bangar who was probably our best tackler and always kept the intensity in our team from dropping.

James Riley scored a huge amount of tries and contributed greatly both in attack and defence.

Adrian Chatin playing scrum half played a crucial part in our attack where he both made decisions and listened intuitively.

U14E

Overall this is a very memorable season and I will definitely remember for my years at St Paul’s.

Max Dormandy was a key player throughout the season playing at full back, he was always motivated and was always there to make a try saving cover tackle in defence and in attack he was quick and made decisive breaks through the opponents defence.

Chongyu Cao was one of the key players in the scrum and a great example of intensity in defence.

Benedict Lubieniecki was a diverse player who could play as a back or a forward throughout the season he continued to make electric runs leading and contributing to many of our teams tries.

Overall this is a very memorable season and I will definitely remember for my years at St Paul’s. ❚

It’s been a brilliant season for the U14E squad, with Mr Taylor’s bragging rights in the staffroom still going strong, and some lovely scoreboards against some of the best rugby schools in the country. Our landslide victories against Radley and Tonbridge at the start of the season were only a taste of what was to come. We lost a couple of our strong forwards to the Ds halfway through the season but made up for it with new talent from the Fs such as Lucas Yu and Neev Bansal. The rest of our matches were mostly made up of Chris Song running through everybody, but we still managed to get the ball to our backs and work some magic through the hands with Mr Taylor’s ‘Green ball’ (kicking) plays and a good oldfashioned crash ball. But the highlight of the season was surely the final match against Dulwich College. A nail-biting experience for the spectators and even worse for the players. We started off the match one try down early due to a knock-on, but we quickly went back with a new-found aggression thanks to a quick team talk. We kept trading tries back and forth with Dulwich and ended up level in one of the last plays of the game. Dulwich conceded a penalty on their 22, and we decided to kick for touch. The lineout was one of the best we did all season, with a call that meant Neev would run as a decoy and the ball would go straight to the backs. Our outside centre (Max Dearlove) made a fantastic dummy pass and managed to slip through the defence and gave us a much-needed try to put us in front. Our concentration slipped a little after that, but we held on even when four scrums were given against us, we still held firm and didn’t let Dulwich through. The match ended after a lovely tackle from Joe Burch which forced a knock-on. Brilliant way to end the season and I hope the entire squad is proud of themselves. ❚

Harry Smaje

U14F

The U14F Rugby team made some excellent progress over the season. The players’ skill set developed markedly between September and December and results improved as the season progressed. Despite an excellent couple of training weeks, their first outing, on a heavy pitch in Tonbridge in early September, was a bridge too far for this inexperienced team. They fell behind in the first half, with Tonbridge running in four unanswered tries. However, they learned quickly and rallied in the second half. An excellent defensive effort and some individual moments of brilliance ensured the second half was a much closer contest. Alas, Tonbridge took the victory by 30 points to 10.

Spurred on by the excellent 2nd half performance at Tonbridge, the team travelled in a buoyant mood to Radley. In what turned out to be a gripping encounter, both teams gave absolutely everything to the cause. The action was end-to-end. Radley opened the scoring, but impressively St Pauls did not let their heads drop. Some excellent team tries, where the players showcased their much-improved passing and running game, ensured we were ahead at halftime by 12 points to 5. The second half was equally to-and-fro. St Pauls extended their lead but unfortunately could not hold on as Radley scored at the death to grasp victory by 20 points to 19.

The season ended on a high for the U14Fs with a fantastic performance and victory away to Dulwich on a damp December afternoon. The poise they showed to score some excellent team tries ultimately saw them come out on top in a 38-22 victory against a determined Dulwich team. It was a victory they deserved for all the hard work they put in, and the improvement they showed over the year. ❚

U14G

The U14G Rugby Team had a brilliant season filled with learning, progress, and enjoyment for Rugby. With the first three weeks of training progressing from touch rugby to contact rugby, the skills and confidence of the team had developed substantially. With numbers continuing to grow through the first three weeks of term, we were able to take two teams to Tonbridge School, to compete in a 10–a–side tournament in ‘Ready for Rugby’ games. After our two Round 1 matches ended in scores 1-1 to St Paul’s School and Tonbridge School, we had our final match with the two winning teams, with the final score of the day ending 2-1 to St Paul’s School, a first victory of the season for the U14 G Team. After our victory at Tonbridge School, the U14G Team were wellmotivated and ready to play in a contact match against Radley. The match was incredibly close, with both teams making some excellent tackles, and scoring some brilliant tries. However, in the final couple of minutes of the game, Radley scored the final try taking the victory at 30-25. The St Paul’s U14G Team showed determination and commitment throughout the match and showed great progress with their contact rugby skills and gameplay. Across the season, we had 27 students represent St Paul’s in the U14G Rugby Team, and the players should be incredibly proud of the progress they made across the season. ❚

U14G TEAM:

Raymond Guan

Abinaash Vaseekaran

Michael Fotiadis

Lucien Wong

Alex Ponte

Rafi Malhotra

Francisco Saraiva E Silva

Vyom Kurup

Oliver Leonard

Bohan Pan

Muzzy Yegenoglu

Sofian Sheikh

Zac Martyn

Thomas Shi

Matt Xiao

Kirill Volosins

Milan Patel

James Butcher

Luca Albertazzi

Chris Song

Aiden Bhaduri

Dhruv Jalan

Romir Agrawal

Ishan Sood

Kevin Bici

Olle Van Angeren

Bolang Sun

NATHAN BOTTOMLEY IRELAND U18 RUGBY 7S

On the back of a successful Rugby Sevens season for the St Paul’s First VII, I was scouted and invited to go to two Ireland U18 Rugby 7s weekend training camps through the ‘Irish Qualified’ programme.

The camps were held in the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin and players from all across Ireland came together to train with the expert coaching of Bryan Mollen – current Ireland men’s 7s player. A highlight was one training session when we played semi-contact games against the Ireland Olympic Women’s 7s squad which was a great opportunity and experience.

After the training camps, I was selected to represent Ireland in the U18 Boys 7s Rugby Europe Championships held in Strasbourg during the first week of July. Our first group game was against Romania where a comprehensive 38-0 win was a great start to the tournament. Although we faced a shock loss to Lithuania that afternoon, our performance was quickly rectified with a 26-0 dismantling of a strong German side to top the group the following morning. That afternoon we faced Belgium where, in very wet and muddy conditions, we managed to qualify for the semi-finals with a 19-7 win. The final day arrived and a brutal 12-7 loss to

Spain that morning meant we faced Germany again in the 3rd place playoff but we managed to claim the bronze medal in the end.

I felt privileged to play in such a high performance set-up where video analysis, game plans and individual recovery and preparation was paramount. I further learned that adaptability, flexibility and mental strength are fundamental skills to the sport; for example, I had to quickly learn to play hooker for the first time –I think I will stick to fly-half whenever possible in the future.

I’m incredibly proud and grateful to make my international debut as well as have the opportunity to meet like-minded rugby players and coaches from all over Europe. Thank you to all my coaches, in particular Mr Maguire, Mr Blurton and Mr Blake, for their help and advice over the years. ❚

I’m incredibly proud and grateful to make my international debut as well as have the opportunity to meet like-minded rugby players and coaches from all over Europe.

U18

Rosslyn Park National Sevens Under 18 Vase Competition Semi-Finalists

On the morning of day one of the Rosslyn Park National Sevens Vase competition, the St Paul’s Under 18s were one of 228 teams vying for the prestigious trophy. By the afternoon of day two, St Paul’s were one of only four teams left in the competition as they strode out onto the pitch for the semi-final, and to be able to relay their achievements along the way fills me with pride.

On the first day, the boys had to win all three of their group games, as well as a straight knock-out game against fellow group winners, The Campion School, in order to make it to day two. In what was to become a staple of the tournament, this knockout game was a closely contested affair, with St Paul’s running out winners by 17-15.

On the second day, an even tougher group awaited, composed solely of teams who had achieved the difficult feat of qualifying for day two. Nevertheless, the boys won each of these games, beating Dollar Academy (14-12), St Peter’s School York (28-19), and Bedford Modern School (26-24). Such was the intensity of the group that two of the three games were decided by conversions.

The boys were then drawn in the quarter-final against a very strong

St Edwards Oxford side who got off to a fast start with two early tries. However, in front of a large, pressure-inducing crowd, our boys once again dug deep and showed tremendous fighting spirit and resilience to come back and win the game 19-14.

Sadly, after winning their previous eight games, their ninth game in two days would prove too much. By the time the semi-final came round, our squad size was reduced by several injuries and the remaining boys had nothing left in their bodies to give. Despite never ceasing to fight, St Paul’s were eventually beaten by a strong Lancaster Grammar side by 29-14.

Whilst I normally consider it wrong of me to single out individual players for SPS Rugby Club as the whole team often does and, particularly in this case, did give their all, it would be equally wrong of me not to give a special mention to Nathan Bottomley and Andreas Hadjiloizou who played outstandingly well throughout the two days of rugby sevens.

I would like to finish by saying that this group of young men have given everything to the Rugby Club in their time at St Paul’s School. Rosslyn Park is the largest school sevens tournament in the world and to make it to day two of this competition, let alone to then go on to the semi-final stage is nothing

short of exceptional. They have done our school and themselves proud!

Well done and congratulations to each of the following boys for their incredible effort and commitment over the two days: Nathan Bottomley, Andreas Hadjiloizou, Marco Sicheri, Ned Bowman, Thomas Darke, Charlie White, Jacob Bethell, Lorenzo Massi, Nick Tredre, Billy Davies, Gabriel Hoffman, Torgua Lee Imnadze, Dan Taylor and Manny Dell. ❚ Andy Maguire, Head of Rugby

1st VII Under 18 Surrey Sevens Plate Winners

On Wednesday 6th March the U18 VII’s Squad travelled a short journey to the Richmond Athletic Grounds to compete in the U18 Surrey Sevens Tournament, which apart from the National School Sevens Tournament, is one of the strongest and most competitive Sevens Tournaments on the circuit with a total of 52 schools competing from all over the country. In the group stages, the SPS boys ended up runners-up in their group, having won two matches and lost one (SPS vs London Oratory won 31-12, SPS vs Blundell’s School lost 12-33, SPS vs Reed’s School won 38-14) which put them through to the Plate Competition Quarter Final against a strong Trinity side. This ended up being a very physical and closely contested game, but the 1st VII dug deep and eventually ran out winners by 21-17 and then progressed through to the final to play Reed’s School again, having beaten the City of London Freeman’s School in the semi-final 26-21. It was a strongly contested final, as Reed’s gave absolutely everything having already been beaten by SPS in the group stages, but we proved to be too strong in every aspect of the game and won convincingly in the end by 33-12.

Congratulations to the following boys: Nathan Bottomley (Capt), Marco Sicheri, Charlie White, Thomas Darke, Ned Bowman, Torgua Lee Imnadze, Gabriel Hoffman, Andreas Hadjilloizou, Jacob Bethell, Manny Dell, Angus Roberts and Daniel Taylor. ❚ Andy Maguire, Head of Rugby

U14

Rosslyn Park National Sevens Finalists

The U14 Sevens squad went to the tournament with big aspirations and they delivered. On day one, they took on a school from Belgium, leaving them in their wake to get the tournament up and running. They also beat Orleans Park and Shiplake College convincingly to earn a place in the elimination round against Marlborough College. The team blew them away in the first half to make day two of the tournament. This saw the boys go into a group with Tiffin School and Rugby School. A slow start against Tiffin saw the team struggle but two quick tries got the team over the line. Next up was Rugby School for a place in the Quarter-final group. The boys came out firing scoring at will and making some big tackles to turn the ball over. Final score 26-5 and place in the quarters. This saw Paulines take on Ysgol Dyffryn Aman from Wales and Robert Clack School. Again the boys went to another level and blew both teams out of the park with excellent defence and accurate attack. The semi-finals were next! The King’s School, Macclesfield, were the opponents and were never in it. St Paul’s came out firing, scoring straight from the off and never looked back. The final was against formable foe Millfield. The boys had the belief that this was their day however, it wasn’t to be. At three tries a piece it came down to conversions scored.

A very proud day for the St Paul’s Rugby Club, the boys were superb showing grit, resilience and determination. The future looks bright and we look forward to seeing their progress in the future.

Congratulations to the following boys: Jack Vyvyan (Captain), Luke Gleason, John Gunn, Guy Parker, Shorta Hirai, Kai Trench, Freddie Snowball, Ethan Piric, Zac Lam, Rishab Dhot, Josh Guttman, Max Williams, Noah Stoll. ❚ Jacques Van Vuuren, Team Coach

U16

The U16 Sevens team got their season off to a strong start at Eton, playing a round-robin tournament with Eton and

Windsor Boys. The large squad played four matches and put into practice their skills, focussing on moving the ball to wide areas where they saw some fantastic success. They walked away from the tournament winning three and losing one with plenty of game time in the legs. The RGS Guildford Sevens competition played amongst the best schools in the South, was a tough introduction to a competitive Sevens tournament. The lack of rest between games proved a challenge, but the U16 squad stood tall. Losing their 3 group matches to Hurst, Epsom and Brighton in narrow affairs, they faced Hampton, where they came back from 3 scores down to win their eliminator. All their efforts were exerted as they came up short vs Marlborough College in the Shield semi-final, losing 14-24.

Unfortunately, The Worth tournament was rained off, which meant there were no final preparations for Rosslyn Park, but they started very well, winning all of the games in their group. They were particularly strong in the first match vs Fulham Boys School, where the game got called short when St Paul’s got to 50-0. However, some fatigue kicked in and Reading Blue Coat were too strong for St Paul’s in the eliminator, and they got knocked out, failing to make day 2.

Well done to Charlie Grainger and Sam Francombe for leading the team, and we are excited to see how this squad can progress into senior rugby. ❚

Haberdashers U14 Sevens Winners

The U14 Sevens Squad carried on from their successful 15-a-side season last term by winning the Haberdashers U14 Seven’s Tournament yesterday afternoon. The SPS boys won all of their games in the group stages (SPS v Wellington College 31-12; SPS v Hurst School 27-12; SPS v Campion School 24-7) and then progressed through to the final to play

Haberdashers School having beaten Brighton College in the semi-final 35-0. It was a strongly contested final between two good sevens teams but we proved to be too strong in every aspect of the game and won convincingly in the end by 22-5.

Congratulations to the following boys: Jack Vyvyan (Capt), John Gunn, Guy Parker, Kai Trench, Luke Gleason, Freddie Snowball, Shorta Hirai, Ethan Piric, Zac Lam, Rishab Dhot, Noah Stoll, Rohan Patel. ❚ Andy Maguire, Head of Rugby

Squash

It has been another exciting year for squash at St Paul’s with some big changes and plenty of competitive fixtures and tournaments played. Due to the redevelopment of the Junior School and the loss of the on-site squash courts during this process, squash is currently being held off-site at Roehampton Club and over the year a really strong and promising partnership has developed which provides St Paul’s squash with world-class facilities and coaches and many opportunities moving forwards.

We have welcomed Tiago Goriely as a coach who has worked alongside Yawar Islam this year to provide first-class coaching. After 11 years working with St Paul’s, we are sad to say goodbye to Yawar at the end of this year. He has helped to develop the squash programme at the school and has coached teams to much success during his time here – his coaching highlights include supporting the team that won the Roehampton Cup and the first V who finished second in the country at the Schools Nationals last year. He will be missed, but we wish him all the best as he focuses on other projects. We are hoping to see Alison Waters return next year to join Tiago.

The year saw high levels of involvement in squash with lots of boys playing in their games halves, some 4th formers trying the sport for the first time including during Monday activities, lunchtime training sessions, house squash for all year groups and of course a whole range of friendly and competitive fixtures. This year saw the first V compete at the Roehampton Schools Invitation again, finishing 6th despite missing a few key players through injury and other commitments. There was also the introduction of an inter-school competition held at KCS Wimbledon, where St Paul’s claimed 1st and 2nd spot and a second competition at Roehampton against Roehampton Club and Old Saponians, where St Paul’s claimed victory. In addition to this four St Paul’s squash players represented their boroughs at the London Youth Games and we hope to contribute more players to this competition in the future.

The highlight again this year though was the England National Schools Championships. Whereas last year it was the U19s who progressed to the National Finals, this year they were extremely unfortunate in being drawn in the same qualifying group as Epsom who were last year’s champions. Therefore, despite an excellent showing, Epsom progressed to the National finals in Edgbaston at our expense. This year it was the U16s who secured qualification to the National Finals with convincing wins in the 2nd qualifying round against Brentwood, Berkhamsted and The Leys School. This means at least one team has qualified for the National Finals from St Paul’s in all of the last 3 years.

Therefore, the U16 team travelled to Edgbaston Priory Club as one of the best eight teams in the country to contest the title. The team consisted of Adrian Siniscalco, Tolga Mardin, Zubin Maudgil, Anish Dhar and Ishaan Moorthy. Despite a narrow loss in the first match against a very strong Gosforth Academy team, the boys showed their ability and determination to successfully defeat Manchester Grammar School and Portsmouth Grammar School and finish the year as the 5th best team in the country! An incredible achievement.

Next year, we are looking forward to another exciting year of squash by building on our relationship with Roehampton Club. After another successful year and a lot of squash played, the future looks bright for squash at St Paul’s ❚ Matthew Goldup, MIC Squash

It has been a very exciting Summer Term for Tennis at St Paul’s, with a busy training and fixture-filled calendar. We have competed in home and away friendly block fixtures, league fixtures, tennis festivals, and the ISTA national finals finishing off the season.

Friendly Block fixtures

Across several Saturdays and games sessions, we took part in various friendly block fixtures against local and partnership schools such as Harrodian, KCS Wimbledon and Dulwich and Harrow. These competitions have allowed us to select up to 12 boys per age group to compete in several singles and doubles matches. We have had brilliant representation from St Paul’s School across our U14s, U15s and U18s age groups with as many boys participating in these Tennis fixtures as possible. Alongside great numbers of participation, we also had some fantastic fixture results, with our U18 team winning 7-2 against Dulwich College, the U14 A team also winning 7-2 against Harrow School, and our U15A team winning 5-4 against Harrow School.

Surrey Schools Festival

The Surrey School’s Festival of Tennis was held on Thursday 2nd May 2024 at St George’s Weybridge, which saw twelve students from St Paul’s travel to compete across three age groups, with two doubles pairs in each of the U14, U16 and U18 competitions. Our U14 Tier 1 Pair Ollie Pitman and Rayaan Ahmad took part in their Round Robin group stages against KGS, Whitgift and Grey Court School, finishing third in their box and being knocked out of the competition. Our U14 Tier 2 Pair Eddie Peereboom Voller and Joseph Roussel competed in their Round Robin group stages against Cranmore, Claremont Fan Court School, Grey Court School and Amesbury School, finishing first in their box and progressing through the

main draw into the Elimination round. Unfortunately, the pair were knocked out of the competition during this stage by the eventual winners of the competition. Our U16 Tier 1 Pair Kaiser Riemann and Nicolas Behroun competed in their Round Robin group stages against Grey Court School, Reeds and Whitgift, finishing fourth in their box, and unfortunately being knocked out of the competition at this stage. Our U16 Tier 2 Pair Anish Dhar and Edouard Traissac competed in their Round Robin group stages against Epsom College, KGS, Royal Russell and Ibstock Place, finishing third in their box, and unfortunately being knocked out of the competition at this stage. Our U18 Tier 1 Pair Finn Johnsson and Gus Jacobson competed in their Round Robin group stages against Reeds, KCS, RGS Guildford and Dulwich College, finishing fifth in their box and unfortunately being knocked out of the competition at this stage. Our U18 Tier 2 Pair Maxim Buyanovsky and Yusaf Hassan competed in their Round Robin group stages against St George’s, Harrodian, Caterham School, and Reigate Grammar School, finishing fourth in their box and unfortunately being knocked out of the competition at this stage. Well done to all students who competed at the Surrey Schools Tennis Festival and represented St Paul’s School.

Surrey League

This year, we had four teams representing St Paul’s in the Surrey Schools League: U14A, U15A, U15B and U18A, Our two U15 teams were entered into Group A (U15A) facing matches against Hampton, Reeds, KGS and Tiffin, and Group C (U15B) facing matches against KCS Wimbledon, RGS Guildford and Harrodian. Our U15A team scored a total of four points across their league competition, winning two out of their four matches, finishing third in their group, and our U15B team scored a total of four points across their league ➦

competition, winning two out of their three matches, finishing second in their group, narrowly missing out on a place at the Surrey Schools League finals day by a matter of points. Our U14A and U18A team won their group stage box and progressed through to the Surrey League Championship Finals Day on Thursday 20th June. Our U18A team, unfortunately, lost their semi-final match against Ewell Castle School and finished 4th in their age group, and our U14A team narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing to Whitgift in a tense tiebreak set, again finishing 4th in their age group. Well done to all our Surrey League teams and players representing St Paul’s School this year!

Eton – ISTA National Championships 2024

On Saturday 29th June at Eton College our St Paul’s School team, comprising of two U15 doubles pairs, and our U18 team of five (Finn Johnsson, Gus Jacobson, Nicolas Groeller, Maxim Buyanovsky and Yusaf Hassan) began their competition at the ISTA National Championships 2024.

On Day 1 of the competitions, during Saturday morning, our U15 Pair 1 Rayaan Ahmad and Eddie Peereboom Voller competed in their Thomas Bowl group stages against Marlborough, St James’, Tonbridge, Westminster and St Columba’s. Our team won three out of their five matches, and due to a marginal points difference finished the group stages in fourth place. The team then went on to compete in the Phillips

Cup in box two on Saturday afternoon against Claremont, Radley and New Hall. Unfortunately, the pair finished third in their box and were knocked out of the competition. Also on Saturday afternoon, our U18 team competed in their first match of the competition against Winchester College, after their Round 1 match against Cokethorpe was cancelled. Unfortunately, our U18 team lost to Winchester College and were knocked out of the competition. Our U15 Pair 2 Alexei Fletcher and Haofei Du started their competition on Saturday afternoon, with their Thomas Bowl group stages seeing matches against Marlborough, Hampton, KGS, Mill Hill, and Clifton. Our team won three out of their five matches, finishing third in their box, and also progressing into their box in the Phillips Cup.

Day two on Sunday 30th June saw our U15 Pair 2 start their Phillips Cup competition in box 7, competing in matches against KGS, Leicester and Clifton. The pair finished third in their box and were, unfortunately, knocked out of the competition. Well done to all our ISTA National Championship competitors representing St Paul’s School at Eton College!

Overall, the tennis season has been filled with some great performances and lots of fun across the term. We would like to congratulate all our students who represented St Paul’s this year in our various competitions across the squads and who took part in our Tennis programme this year. ❚

U18 TENNIS SQUAD: Johnsson F; Jacobson G; Groeller N, Wilson J; Buyanovsky M; Hassan Y; Lim E; Magne Z; Frontini L; Trout T; Lawani M; Khoubehi K; Sherwani A; Joseph E; Tydeman Z

U15 TENNIS SQUAD: Riemann K; Behroun N; Dhar A; Traissac E; Gandhi J; De-Rosa Rashid E; Thenua U; Chong H; Behroun S; Mcspadden M; Hammond J; Reynolds A; Hassan A; Makkar D; Lakha K

U14 TENNIS SQUAD: Pitman O; Roussel J; Ahmad R; Peereboom Voller E; Crawford C; Fletcher A; Du H; Wang H; Sheik S; Sadotti J; Shin N; Gutin S; Yamaoku S; Van Angeren O

We would like to thank all the staff involved in our Tennis Programme this term, coaching and supporting the boys, and organising a brilliant fixture list.

Thanks go to…

Mr Schmitt

Dr Kemp

Mr Warriner

Mr Van Vuuren

Miss Williams

Our Coaches from Top Tennis –Coach Tom, Oli and Nikki ❚

Ultimate Frisbee

NATIONALS TEAM:

Leo Boothman

Jonny Brown

Elwen Cameron (c), Billy Davies (v-c), Nicholas Dyer

Rufus Goodman

Archie Hitchcock

Cillian Knowles

Dan Lam

Liam Metcalf

Oliver Rose

Teo Rossbach

Fergus Walsh

The SPS ultimate frisbee season traditionally starts in January with indoor training in the sports hall; however, this year we were forced to try something new: braving the wet, wind and cold on the MUGA. Still, with a healthy number of last year’s L8ths continuing this year, we had a good core of experience to build upon. Latymer Upper kindly ventured across the bridge for a friendly, which allowed us to introduce some of the new intake to competitive ultimate.

In the summer term, efforts ramped up for Nationals preparation, with a full squad of fifteen U8ths balancing their exam commitments with two training sessions per week (which were mostly well attended…). Early in May, we attended Tonbridge School’s yearly mini-tournament, albeit with rather reduced numbers due to Apposition falling on the same day. (Ultimate frisbee players are often such academic high-achievers, although a few key players had wisely and tactically

avoided winning a prize this year in order to be able to take the field!)

The team won all of its matches except to eventual winners, Windsor Wolves, to place second out of eight teams.

On Saturday 22nd June, with all the exams out of the way, it was time for the big trip to Leicester for the UK Ultimate Junior Open Outdoor Nationals. Though slightly hit by last-minute injury and the late-night charms of Embargo’s, the team was still a healthy thirteen-strong. The weather could hardly have been more perfect and the Leicester University sports pitches as well-kept as ever. A slightly rusty opening win against WUF (Western Ultimate Frisbee from Bath) was followed up by a more convincing performance against Tempest (mainly King Edward VI School in Stratford). After lunch we came up against the form team of the group, Fulford School (York) who were eventual finalists: they won easily in a niggly, bad-tempered affair. Our final match was the 3rd/4th play-off against

York City Ultimate. The teams traded points until the opposition pulled ahead to be 7-5 up when the one-point final cap was added. SPS pulled back two points to make it 7-7 but couldn’t quite manage three in a row, with the game finishing 8-7 to YCU, leaving us fourth out of eight; still a very respectable result at this level.

In what is becoming something of a tradition, we finished the season with a match against a team of Old Paulines, many of whom are now playing for university and club teams. On a scorching hot Wednesday, the match was an exciting tussle, with the OPs eventual winners 13-9. As an epilogue, the current Paulines then beat a staff team (featuring one or two of the OPs) something like 9-2.

U18

The U18 water polo season at St Paul’s School has been a journey of highs and lows, showcasing the team’s resilience and potential. Under the expert guidance of coach Rumen Kurtev, the team has navigated challenges, particularly in fielding their best lineup consistently. Despite these hurdles, there is strong promise in the younger generations, suggesting a bright future for St Paul’s water polo.

A major highlight was the team’s performance in the first round of Nationals. We controlled the game against the City of London School (CLS), the eventual tournament winners, managing a draw due to a technical foul. Featuring standout defending by Luca Orlandi and necessary aggression from our centre forward, the team demonstrated their capability to compete at the highest level.

In the London League, the team celebrated strong victories, notably against Whitgift, showcasing their competitive edge, echoed in other strong performances against Charterhouse and Abingdon.

Overall, the season has instilled great confidence for the future and has been a testament to the team’s versatility, with Henry Huang becoming a stellar goalkeeper in just one season. I look forward to the future of St Paul’s water polo.

Ibrahim Khan

U16

Throughout this last year, the Under 16 team has had a series of wins and losses. With the season arriving quickly we started the autumn term with a friendly match against CLS, our main rivals last year. Fortunately, we managed to win the match 7-1, with three impressive goals by Anderson Daffey. Going into the first London League tournament match against Haberdasher’s School, Trinity, London Oratory and CLS, we started off rocky and ended with a loss 7-1. However, we managed to win all of our next games, with a great performance from Luca Orlandi. We continued into our next tournament round, which was luckily rescheduled, giving us more time to prepare. Unfortunately, we lost one game and drew another. This left us in the relegation zone; however, the great four goals from our centre-forward, Reuben Ovington, led to a win in our next match. Now all we had to do was win the final match to stay in the tournament. Luckily we managed to win it with a great team effort, but, unfortunately, due to the goal difference, we were demoted to the plate final. All we had to do now was to try and win these matches. Initially, we managed to grasp a win against Dulwich which gave the team great hope. However, as we were up against Trinity next, a team we rarely beat, morale was low. Even though we lost the game, the team managed to keep us close behind them. Our last game was against QEB where we managed to draw. Even though we were not successful in winning the plate final, we finished second, which is an improvement from last year when we finished fourth. This year would not have been able to happen without the help of Rumen Kurtev, our coach, and Miss McGreevy who helped organise all of the matches.

U15

The U15 season has been a mix of challenges and triumphs for the team. We kicked off with a friendly match against the City of London School, which resulted in a narrow loss but we found a lot of areas for improvement and worked to make a difference in our game. We had an even closer game later in the season against CLS, but unfortunately, that too ended up in a close defeat. However, we began the competitive season with the U15 Nationals at Alleyn’s School, with a decisive victory against King’s College School with Zayd Khan scoring highly, despite our losses against the host team and Queen Elizabeth’s Barnet school, which unfortunately just slipped from our grasp. This allowed us to continue to the next round, where we had an unfortunate loss to KCS but an encouraging draw against QEB and a strong win against Latymer Upper, with a stellar performance from Rafe Poole. Special mention has to go to the U14 players who frequently stepped up and made a difference, which was especially difficult against their older opponents, as well as the members of the U15 team who put in their all despite only starting this year. None of this brilliant season from the team could have been possible without our coach Rumen Kurtev, as well as Miss McGreevy for organising and supporting us the whole season. I look forward to seeing how we progress and compete next year!

Kshitij Dubey