Clubs and Activities

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL

The Amnesty Group started the academic year well by managing to attract a large number of members from all sections of the School, but mainly the Sixth Form. The Group took Chapel Services for a week to publicise the plight of prisoners of conscience and received a favourable response from the School. Funds were raised by cake stalls and a concert put on by "The Fetish" — for which we thank Gareth Kay who organised it. A letter-writing campaign on behalf of prisoners of conscience, as well as petition signing, attracted considerable support and interest from the School. Before Christmas the group arranged for Christmas Cards to be sent to prisoners of conscience signed by members of the School. Support for the group dropped in the Easter Term but a loyal nucleus worked hard under Paul Simpson's leadership. Paul's publicity posters for the group were outstanding. Gareth Kay, one of the original founders of the group two years ago, has been elected President for 1990-1991. R. C. G. Drysdale

DEBATING SOCIETY

The last School year has been a difficult one for most societies, and the Debating Society was no exception. However, with much help from Paul Simpson's publicity and some interesting titles the society has continued to prosper.

The Debating Society is now in a position where good speeches are almost always guaranteed and a warm welcoming atmosphere is provided. The speeches from the main speakers have been well researched and well delivered. Chris Braganza and James Mee have continued to give thrilling and eloquent speeches from the floor of the house and Simon Bowen's James Bond is second only to Sean Connery.

Special thanks must go to Mr. Stephen who is giving up his role as Honorary President to take over control of the 1st XV. The society is lucky to gain Mr. Lawrence who will be a great asset as the new Honorary President. My best wishes also go to Adam Dean in his position as President over the forthcoming year.

John Davidson CHESS CLUB

The Chess Club has not been as active this year as in previous years, but this may be due to its change of venue from room M to G2. However, the standard of play amongst the School team players has been consistently high.

The senior team had a difficult start to the season narrowly losing many of their early matches, but recovered sufficiently in the second half of the year to finish just less than half-way up the York and District League.

The Inter-Schools team has, on the other hand, had a very encouraging season being completely undefeated in the league and winning the K.O. cup for the third year running. This is an excellent result and will be a hard act to follow next year.

This season has not been an easy one, but I should like to thank Mr. Ellis-Davies for taking over from Mr. Hardwick and seeing that so far as possible everything has run smoothly. I would also like to thank all those who have played for the School during the course of the past year and wish the team and future captain the best of luck for the season to come.

Nicholas Barham-Hall, (Captain of School Chess)

COMMUNITY SERVICE

A very good year for Community Service with fiftynine boys and girls taking part. Most of the pupils visit old people in the area and several are helping at The Glen, a residential home for handicapped children.

We have had our usual end of term tea parties with excellent teas provided by the kitchen staff. Various pupils and the band have kindly provided enjoyable entertainment. We have brought the old folk to concerts, Evensong and to the St. Olave's Play.

We now have a ramp, kindly made by the maintenance staff. This enables us to get wheelchairs up the chapel steps.

It is a two way operation for the pupils and older folk with both having a great deal to offer each other. M. E. Holt

SCIENCE SOCIETY

The Science Society heard lectures from the following people: Mr. Ian Lancaster spoke on 'The Chemistry of Oxygen'; Dr. Helen Atkinson on 'New Materials'; Mr. Peter Gibson on 'The Minster Glass'; Dr. Michael Tooley on 'The Greenhouse Effect'; Dr. Michael Green on 'Forensic Science' and Mr. Don Hamilton on 'The Physics of Music'.

R. H Hubbard DUKE OF EDINBURGH EXPEDITION

On Saturday 17th March, after having waited nearly two years, we finally set off on our bronze award expedition. After four months in the planning we left School at 2.00 p.m. and arrived in Pickering to drop the other group off at 2.45 p.m. We then went on over the Moors to Grosmont, which was an experience in itself with Mr. Ison driving! We left Grosmont at around

3.30 p.m. and arrived in Goathland at the campsite at 6.00 p.m. After our dinner, which consisted of mince, potatoes and beans, we decided to light a fire which didn't actually get going until Mr. Hamilton had left us! The next day, after the coldest night of our lives, we made our way towards Pickering and despite getting lost and having to climb a one-in-one hill, we made it on time. All in all the expedition was enjoyed by all and we would like to thank Mrs. Holt for organising it.

Ian Sharper

THE LEGACY - FOURTH FORM VIDEO

Towards the end of the Summer Term some members of the fourth form made a ten-minute video which they entered for the Focus and Multibroadcast National Schools Video Competition. Written by Tim Dunn and Miles Layram, The Legacy featured Chris Braganza in a starring role with a strong supporting cast including Jon Lacy-Colson, Vicky Gill, Jack-Patrick Weatherall, Lucy Sampson, Miles Layram, Eleanor White, Stephanie Tilston, Eleanor Bowling and Jim Fieldsend. Mr. Andrew Ison also made a guest appearance in the cameo role of a taxi-driver, a part he played with his usual sensitivity — he should go far. The production team consisted of the two scriptwriters, Charlotte Graves-Tamvakis (graphics), Matthew Pittman (cameraman) and D. S. Newman (producer). The results of the competition will be announced in the autumn of this year.

THE FUNKY CHICKEN

Having accepted a slot at the 60 's night the Funky Chicken had two weeks to transform from an idea into reality. After four rehearsals a repertoire had been squeezed together of various 60's style songs including classics by Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles. On the night the band were accepted with vigour and all went well.

From then on the Funky Chicken went from strength to strengm being offered various 'gigs' including a support slot for local band 'Double Vision' and also an 18th birthday party at the Arts Centre. After headlining at many public venues in York, gaining praise on the way, we decided to give the pupils a chance to see us again at a concert in the Memorial Hall at the end of a very busy Easter Term.

The future of the Funky Chicken seemed bleak due to the forthcoming exams of certain members of me band. However, after a short rest an unexpected event appeared in the Queen Margaret's summer term calendar and July holds a booking for the sixth form leavers ball.

Finally the Funky Chicken would like to thank all those who have helped and supported us both behind the scenes and within the audience. Special thanks must go to James Butler for his superb lighting, also Messrs. Hamilton, Drysdale and Hughes for their individual encouragement and support.

So far so good.! The Funky Chicken.'

THE FETISH BIDS FAREWELL TO THE DRAMA CENTRE (11th October, 1989)

After building a small following thanks to two gigs by the Outcast in the previous Summer Term, the Fetish decided to play their first headlining gig a matter of days before the closure of the Drama Centre for conversion into the new library. At about 8.30, the band came onstage to a packed Drama Centre. After a quiet start, the audience soon got into the swing of things and the Drama Centre was transformed into a floor of mad dancing. The band played a one hour set consisting mosdy of original material together with a few popular covers — particularly the encore of " 1969" and the crowd-storming "Should I Stay or Should I Go?" The band then left, leaving the audience begging for more.

Gareth Kay

The 'Friends' have had a very busy year — it started with a reception for the parents of new pupils. For the second year in succession we have combined this with Evensong, thus giving all the new parents a chance to meet so many more people connected with the School. At the end of October we held a Wine Tasting to lighten up the A.G.M. A good variety of Wines was supplied for us to sample.

Once again we held a 'Sixties Music Night' and invited other Schools in the area to join us. This was very well attended (over 400 people!) — two School bands played in the interval and they were very well received. Champagne and gift tokens were the prizes for the best jivers. This year we held it a month earlier so that it came before all the exams and mocks.

In March we held a Jumble Sale — our first — that surely is an experience! The weather wasn't so kind to us for our Strawberries and Wine in June, but the strawberries still tasted terrific. Our final effort this year was to run the Bar for the School Leavers Ball — they certainly enjoy themselves there.

I am pleased to report that the Friends have now endowed a prize for Business Studies. Unfortunately, however, this prize was not awarded this year.

The money we have raised at this year's dance has bought a set of Follow on Spotlights for the Drama Centre. (Not knowing anything about such lights I hope my description is correct!)

Finally, we commissioned six very handsome carved chairs (with an inscription) for the new Library — very fine workmanship from Adam Jackson. He made great efforts to have them finished in time for the visit by the Duchess of Kent at the beginning of July and we were grateful to him.

CHORAL SOCIETY 1989-90

The Choral Society this year performed in two concerts, in the Christmas and Summer Terms. The first of these included many parents and pupils in a very successful concert performance. Thanks go to all who took part in the project, helping to make it the resounding success which it undoubtedly was.

The Summer concert saw the Choral Society perform in a joint concert with both St. Peter's instrumentalists and also the St. Olave's chapel choir under the skilful direction of Jeffrey Gray. The concert was enjoyed by a large audience in the chapel and congratulations must go to all of the performers as well as to Andrew Wright upon the production of yet another splendid concert.

Although numbers suffered somewhat in the Summer Term due to the very hot weather, the society continues to flourish with a good level of parental support and increasing numbers of pupils have led to a higher all-round level of participation which augurs well for future productions.

The occasion of the third annual "St. Peter's School Great Egg Race" was, as is the custom, a gleeful affair involving great mirth for some — if not all — of the competitors. This year's daunting task of creating a device capable of achieving most astounding levels of accuracy in the projection of a table-tennis ball over great distances, produced some of the greatest technological advances seen at the School since M. D.'s third C.D.T. lesson the previous Friday.

The holders of the trophy, The Grove, went out early when their spring loaded "cannon" mechanism simulated the effect of a 2.2 megaton nuclear device upon a pile of wood joined together by tacks and sellotape. Despite the technical excellence of the Clifton design, which was a catapult of magnanimous proportions, and a rousing attempt on the part of Manor to secure the trophy with their secret propulsion mechanism, it was not to be their night, as, in the end, the runners-up from the previous two years' competitions, Dronfield, managed finally to clinch what has become, in recent years, undoubtedly the most coveted Inter-House Trophy.

The whole event was, as ever, a resounding success, and thanks must finally go not only to the rabble who took part (including a lightweight staff effort) but also to the many staff, especially Mike Dawson who made the event possible, and without whom an exceptionally good evening would never have occurred.

Anthony Curtis

BOARDERS ACTIVITIES

This year a committee was formed under the aegis of Mr. Taylor to organise activities for boarders, especially at weekends. There have been two trips to ice-skating rinks, and a day at Alton Towers. On the last Thursday of the Summer Term Mr. Bulcock organised a highly educational visit to the Megabowl bowling alley in Hull. It is hoped there will be further excursions of this type in 1990-91.