The Peterite 2002-2003

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Prize List 2003 Prize Winner

Middle School Jack Brittain Memorial. Prize "I for Middle School Essay f

Emma Mammill

French feay Prize (Senior)

Tobias Burckhardt:

Chemistry Prize Old Peterite'Club Reading Prize (Junior) Duncan Tumbifll A III Form Prize for Academic Merit

. Mathematics Prize

Philippa. Bailey Bryony Pring SophicWright

Middle School Information" ..-..':•.".

Technology Prize ;F§ ,'

Sarah''Bell

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Natalie Baldry

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Adrian Warmington

Pemberton Prize for Wind and Brass Tudor Howat Prize for Music Composition

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Ralph Pelleymounter : T[: ' • ';^B 'm Morag LyaH

Whytehead iVis-moria! Prize fof Theology

Daisy Cannons Kate Saunters

Carl Burton .: Oiw-araphy Prize (Senior). .

:-!K I.-V - Kathryn Browne : •; .>;&

German Prize

Jayne Milburn j;S;' ';;);;" ;

••••• A V Form Prize for .Academic Merit - Aft Prize {Junior}

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; Army Scholarship Award

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; ~ V Form Prixc for Aejtiewif Merit ' •.'..;. ; Foluso Botowa Menwrifii Prize ;; ; ^ . •:'••' PiisoFOS'- Lovett "V 1 for Classical Civilisation Courseware •'

Jessica Barley if

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James ButterwOrth

lr 'focri Prize for Economics

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Penny Bqxail A V Form Priie for Academic Merit HpE Lord Prize for Classical . -:"";. ?£§ Ciyifertion (junior) . ' ffs HHffjl ., ; S- John CrooK Prize for Poetry :; './:

Iris Wong

» Old Peterite Lodge Prize pi :for Service to the Community

• Art Prize (Junior) ;'

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Duncan Dowries

Orange-Bromhead Prize for String Instrument /Accomplishment ;:

-XlastaTr MacLeod

The Milton Prize for Effortand : Progress ifi Biology

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Matthew Sufgitt

Stephenson Prize for Singing .

The King-leyriolds Prize for • r Middle School Mathematics

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James Gibbon

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Yayra Adobofi James Orakerf ii:|*l Jeremy Thonias Matthew Thomas-Peter

IV Form Prizes for Academic Merit

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Shuo Shang

Mathematics Project Prize : Wilcox Prize for Physics : ' •

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Eltanor Trotniah

= Music Prizes

: Geography Prize (Junior)

David Henderson

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.- Stephenson Prize for Latin (Senior)

Arthur Craven Prize for Middle .School French (III, IV and V Forms)" A 111 Form Prize for Academic Merit

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Chung Ming Li

Design and Technology Prize ..Art: Prize (Senior)

Esme.Telfer ,- .-. • Rory MacLeod -.

Ill Form Prizes for Academic Merit

Sarah Crompton

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131:?' Robyn Webster

A Barry Daniel Award

A Richard Atkinson Memorial Prize for Drama (Senior)

Jess Lee Andrew Moroney

the HSBC Priie for Upper Sixth Form Business Studies Course Work .

Joseph Shepherd [,-^ ' qffir

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B IK Friends of St Peter's Prize BjBlusiness Studies '• 111 PE Lord Prize for Classical (jviiisation (Senior)

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Army Scholarship Award .

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Oliver Duke

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" A V f'L'iWi Prix for Acaceniic Merlt:;" - ChNi? joiiraiit .StefihciiSOii Prize for Latin (Junior) ;The Walter Smith Prize for : : f--'!ijl|F~ j GCSE Practini! Science - '^ •• !p'l" > • ^

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"!ls=. ,,;ai Hannah Smith

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Rutti Wainaina

A Barry Daniel Award : AToyne Prize for European History

• A Toyne Prize for European History Politics Prize Stephen Pike ____________________ Norman Crombie Memorial Prize

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Christopher Garnett

Robin Shannon Memorial Prize for Contribution to School Debating

Toby Lamarque

Old Peterite Reading Prize (Senior) A Richard Aikinson Memorial :Prize for Drama (Senior)

Peter Townsofl

Arthur Craven Memorial Helen Hildebrand Prize for Senior French Skrentny Prize for Creative Writing Brian Holbeche Prize for a Critical Essay KH Rhodes Prize

2002 - 2003 Issue No. 420

Commemoration Senior Common Room News ft Activities

Acknowledgements When anyone asks me 'What does St Peter's offer?' I shall not hesitate to give them a copy of this year's Peterite. The tremendous depth, breadth and diversity of the many activities - music, sport, community service, CCF, Duke of Edinburgh's Award, foreign and national travel, house events and creative work both in the written and artistic form - are outstanding. Whether as an individual or as part of a team, whether representing their house, school, county or even country, whether on land, in air or on water, each and every pupil featured in the pages of this year's magazine demonstrates dedication, commitment and most importantly enjoyment.

I would like to thank every member of staff and every pupil who has taken the time to write about and otherwise record the events of 2002 - 2003 at St Peter's. They have contributed nearly one hundred articles and reports to make up this year's edition.

My thanks, also to Linden Richardson and his team for working round the clock, once again, to ensure the magazine was finished on time.

Finally, my sincere thanks must go to David Morris, our resident photographer (and Head of Physics, of course!), who's ability to be there armed with at least one camera at just the right moment on every occasion would put any member of the paparazzi to shame! Thank you David. This magazine would not have happened without you.

Tory Gillingham Editor

The Peterite 2002-2003

Commemoration 2003 Head Master's Commemoration Speech Honoured guests, Gentlemen.

Academic Scholarships 2002 Brook Adams Nathan Howard Richard Kiveat

LVI LVI LVI

Hannah Lloyd

LVI

lain Macalister Catriona Rajan

III III

Sarah Stefanini

LVI

Eleanor Trotman

III

Duncan Turnbull Alexander Woodraw

III LVI

Sixth Form Foundation Scholarships The Colin Shepherd Modern Languages Scholarship - Tobias Burckhardt The Shepherd Scholarship for Business Studies and Economics - Jonathan Forsyth The Merchant Adventurers of York Science Scholarship - Charles Strickland-Constable The Donald Shepherd Scholarship for Design and Technology - Martin Smallpage

Heads of School Helen Hildebrand Stephen Pike

Monitors Natalie Baldry Thomas Boyle James Brown Anna Clarke Lucy Collier Charles Delaney Duncan Downes Emma Farquhafson James Gibbon Matthew Hodsdon Morag Lyall Tobias Pring Qeorgina Robinson Joseph Shepherd Harry Simpson Helen Slee Ruth Wainaina

The Peterite 2002-2003

Chairman,

Ladies

and

"Where will you stand? will you be aligned with those forces that expand the horizons of opportunity for the weak, the poor and the powerless, or will you become members of the indulgent new majority who seem to feel that the quality of morality in our nations or public life is unimportant as long as they have good salaries and comfortable suburban homes? Will you be untroubled by the quality of life in our nation or world or will you care to make a difference?"

These words are taken from an address to new law graduates by the American Judge, Justice Higginbottom. He appealed to the leavers to make personal judgements based on values that cannot be acquired by the meticulous study of textbooks alone.

As a school community, today we celebrate our achievements; draw strength from our faith and values that have guided us through the past year. For our leavers, I implore you to remember that those values will give you hope and courage in the next stage of your lives.

There was a meticulous study of textbooks, for the examination results in August were very good indeed. There was delight that at A level, the school had matched its previous best league table performance and at GCSE, it was the best year on record. This joy in the overall performance was accompanied by a sense that something had gone seriously wrong with A level awarding, particularly in the arts subjects. After the turmoil came the inquiry. But we are still left with a system that is based on too many exams and an unnecessary examination hurdle in the lower sixth.

There was a unique opportunity for academic challenge in the autumn when the Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford, Richard Dawkins, held a seminar before officially opening the new biology laboratories. Pupils of all ages pressed home questions to the obvious delight of our visitor.

With similar vigour, our physics Olympics team won the annual science competition at Liverpool for the first time. Two pupils, Shuo Shang and Daniel Lightwing finished in the top ten seniors and top twenty juniors respectively of the National Mathematics Challenge. Our first Merchant Adventurers of York Science Scholar, Charles Strickland-Constable, became the first St Peter's pupil to have an article published in an academic journal while still at school.

Penny Boxall's poem in a creative writing competition won her a place at a poetry-writing course at Christ Church, Oxford. Emma Hammill, Jeremy Thomas and Matthew Thomas-Peter composed and wrote a song in Spanish that won a national competition at the Goethe Institute in London.

Another of our Foundation Scholars, Tobias Burckhardt, helped to host the opening of the Colin Shepherd modern language rooms. Many of Mr Shepherd's school contemporaries attended what was to become a memorable reunion.

Today, we welcome back many former pupils but especially from the leavers in ten year-groups 1923 to 1993. Next term, we host a reunion celebrating fifty years of Queen's House and we shall also host an official opening of the Art Gallery following a generous bequest to the Foundation.

It is a great joy to see the Foundation supporting capital projects as well as establishing academic scholarships. What a pleasure it was also to have the Patron of the Foundation, the Archbishop of York, in chapel on Ash Wednesday to bless our new altar.

"Will you care to make a difference?"

Two boarders, Sam Farquharson and Josh Tindell did when they went to the aid of an elderly lady they found in a distressed state after her handbag had been stolen. They helped her to compose herself and contacted the police. In her letter to me she wrote that she had given up on the younger generation until she met two such considerate and helpful boys in her moment of need.

Tom Snowball did not expect to have to use his first aid skills so soon after his course with the CCF. Tom and his father were the first on the scene of a major road traffic accident in June and rescued a number of young people from an overturned car that was about to be engulfed by flames. The police and ambulance service were full of praise for Tom's quick reactions and command of first aid.

Our lower sixth genuinely welcomed the opportunity to explore the challenges of disability in an awareness day in June. For many, it was the first time that they had considered the issues that Laura Chapman together with students from the University of York raised in such an inspirational manner. In a similar way, our youngest pupils responded so very positively to the World Challenge leadership day at the start of the new school year. Those skills learned will continue to be developed in the Combined

Commemoration

Cadet Force, our Foreign Exchanges, our Ecuador expedition this Summer, with the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and the Community Service projects which have continued to flourish in the school.

Our senior pupils wanted to make a difference when they supported the move to launch a Young York Civic Trust. They took part in a lively debate on the future of the city; attended the visits to a number of York institutions; visited the new Teardrop development site and were canvassed for their Vision for York. As well as serious issues, they can have fun too and now prepare for an eighteenth century ball next term.

It was with great community spirit that the school came together for the production of "Guys and Dolls". The musical was a delight, and our pupils showed that they could sing, dance and act. The production was special because it gave us the experience of working together with our friends from the Minster Lions, fundraising for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance. During the year, the school also organised or supported events such as the Talent Show, Red Nose Day, the Beverley Fun Run and Great North Run: supporting the charities listed in today's order of service and the British Heart Foundation. My staff and pupils have a generosity of spirit that is driven by a genuine wish to help others, with a sense of fun and a readiness to laugh together.

The school came together in its grief too, when one of our sixth formers, Hannah Smith, was cruelly taken from us. Today, Hannah wins a prize for her courage and commitment throughout her illness and during her time with us after her major surgery. Her Housemaster, Mr Grant, gave a memorable address to a chapel packed with family, friends from her hunt and tennis club as well as current and former pupils and staff.

Just before the London Old Peterite Dinner in November, we were to learn that one of our former pupils, Clive Walton, had died at the hands of international terrorism in the bombing outrage in Bali. His career cut short when on a rugby tour to the island with the Hong Kong club.

Later in the year, the historian Christopher Hill passed away. He was our most eminent academic Old Peterite and an expert on Cromwell, Milton and the English Revolution. A number of years ago, he spoke to our Historical Society. As Master of Balliol, he was the principal of my college at University, and I remember well the evening when he retired. We undergraduates bought him a new bicycle, complete with wicker basket and bell. At the end of his presentation he rode out of the hall, down the stairs and across the quadrangle ringing said bell. He wrote to me when I became Head Master and I still have his letter "Dear Trotman, Glad to hear that you have been appointed to my old school, an excellent establishment. Yours Hill".

"Where will you stand?" Well, there was not much room to stand if you were a member of the huge choir of pupils, parents, staff and friends who took part in Handel's "Messiah" at the University. It was a splendid performance and a major achievement for the school. At the summer concert, there were a number of outstanding items, including concertos by many of our leavers.

One of the soloists, Natalie Baldry, also made a major contribution to school rowing. She competed at an International Regatta in Ghent together with William Eastwood and Daniel Janes. Daniel and Natalie took part in National trials throughout the year, spurred on, no doubt by the success of a recent leaver, Helen Austin who won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in August. Our Boat club has continued to grow and show that it can compete with the best schools in the country. A bronze medal at the National Schools' Regatta won by the J16 crew bodes well for the future. Many of that crew rowed at Henley this week in the Princess Elizabeth Cup with our seniors in a quad scull in the Fawley Cup which having won on Thursday and Friday, races today in the quarter-final round.

Our girl hockey players had two representatives in the full North Yorkshire team and several younger players in the county squad. Emma Rowley played for the North of England.

The senior girl swimmers were again unbeaten in matches and came 4th in the National Swimming Relays at Crystal Palace. The captain, Jenny Hoggard, also captained Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. She has the unusual record of having never been beaten at butterfly in her career at St Olave's and St Peter's.

Four girls represented the county in athletics and Lara Gibbs and Emma Macalister Hall came 19th in the National cross-country championships with our intermediate team also reaching the final. Eleven school rugby teams played against Ampleforth in November, which was a new record. A total of ten boys represented Yorkshire at Rugby and the best team performance was that the U16 seven reached the semifinal at Rosslyn Park. The boys' senior tennis team shared the Yorkshire county trophy. The senior and Under 15 cricketers had a tremendous season and this term, five senior cricketers have scored centuries for the school. I wish

them well in the festival next week at Cranleigh School. Tom Woolsey was our only full International this year, representing England in Rugby at U16 level.

Those who have most made a difference have been my colleagues, the teaching and nonteaching staff. On behalf of all of you, I thank them for their support and hope that they enjoy a restful holiday.

Our Librarian, Mrs Pedley hands over the library to her successor next term, but she will stay with us part-time as our archivist. She has established under her leadership a resource that is envied by many similar institutions and is a genuine centre of excellence in the school.

A number of colleagues leave this term. Mr Doyle, Mr Tildesley, Dr Hockenhull, Miss Bass, Miss O'Leary, our German Assistant Imke Pannen and the Spanish Assistant, Francisco Gonzales. I know that you will want to join me in thanking them and wishing them well for the future.

In the autumn, our Bursar Major Brian Jelbert retires. He joined the school nearly eighteen years ago and for many years, he commanded the Cadet Corps. Under his management, he has brought the school strongly on a firm financial footing during a time of growth, new building and acquisition of Clifton Prep, Linton and Queen Anne School. I wish you and Mrs Jelbert every happiness in your retirement at the end of next term.

The Deputy Head, Mr Campbell Perry, leaves to train as a psychotherapist. I shall miss his company and support enormously. He arrived just before our full school inspection and his preparation and guidance was invaluable.

He introduced to the school a model of review and planning that will stand the test of time.

He has a shrewd and sensitive knowledge of pupils, parents and staff. I know that they will want to join me in wishing him every success in his new career.

On behalf of everyone, I would like to thank our guest of honour, Mr Terry Waite, for joining us today for our service of Commemoration and I shall shortly ask him to join me here on the podium to give away our prizes. Before that, I would like to wish all of our pupil and staff leavers a fond farewell and to everyone a happy holiday.

May God bless you all.

The Peterite 2002-2003

Commemoration

1

Chairmans Report 2002-2003 Board of Governors pg 2002/2003 dp: Chairman

Major General D M Naylor CB MBE DL

Vice Chairmen

P N Shepherd Esq 6 B Smalley QBE TD ACID

Members

As in previous years building on the social aspect of the F.O.S.P. has been the aim of the activities arranged over the last 12 months. A varied selection of events were held in an effort to attract a wide range of parents from all year groups in the school.

Mrs C Blenkin BSc AIRCS S M Burn Esq LIB TEP ACIArb Professor R A Butlin D P Coles Esq J.P. B W Collins Esq D Dickson Esq Canon J Fletcher Lady Emma Irtgilby Mrs D N Jagger LIB DipEEC Brigadier PJ Lyddon MBE

Our Christmas Wreath making evening was a huge success resulting in many of us having very attractive front doors! The Valentine's Day Quiz held at El Piano in York was extremely enjoyable despite the fact that David Hughes' questions really stretched most of us! The venue was perfect for the evening and the copious food magnificent.

Two musical events were organised, the first a return visit to Leeds Town Hall for another memorable concert after a gourmet supper on the coach and the grand finale to the year a River Ouse Dinner Cruise. This superb evening was enhanced by the playing of a jazz band fronted by Old Peterite Sam Branden and a firework display courtesy of York City Council.

Events are not planned in order to make money but should a surplus occur it is directed towards school projects.

This year the Friends have donated another trophy to be presented to the

girls at Sports Day and have agreed to help fund the new School Council.

The Friends have also again been active in helping at School functions such as the New Parents Evening, School Play, Sports Day and ever popular Cabaret Evening.

None of this could happen without the help of a very efficient team and I would like to thank all the committee for their ideas, enthusiasm and time, in particular Catherine Noble (Secretary) and Diana Kaars Sijpesteijn (Treasurer) who like myself are retiring after three very enjoyable years. I would also like to thank the secretaries, porters and catering staff for their assistance and hardwork on our behalf.

I wish the Chairman and committee every success over the coming year and can only encourage you all to attend the social events they will be organising. Why not join the Committee? new ideas are always welcome and you will have the opportunity to become more involved in your children's school - I would recommend it to anyone.

Sue Smallpage Chairman

N A McMahon Turner Esq Professor N J Maitland BSc PhD

J Pike Esq MA Mrs V M Rose J R Wood Esq

Clerk to the Board:

R C Dixon Esq BA

The Old Peterite Club 2002/2003 Office Holders President:

D P Coles J.P.

Secretary:.

P J Netherwood

Treasurer:

A B Tuck Harry Oration accepting a cheque on behalf of Yorkshire Air Ambulance

The Peterite 2002-2003

Commemoration

Hannah Ruth Smith 17 June 1984 - 18 February 2003 On Friday 21 February with only a very small number of close family and friends in attendance Hannah was laid to rest alongside her grandfather in the cemetery in Hovingham. In stark contrast, just one week later on St David's day, some 400 family, relatives, friends and current and former members of the School filled the Chapel to celebrate Hannah's life.

Back in September 2001 Hannah should have returned to school to start her Upper Sixth year.

Sadly on the first day of term we received a phone call to say that Hannah had a space invading lesion on her brain. The subsequent operation at Hull Royal Infirmary to remove the tumour provided temporary hope. Radio - and

chemotherapy at Cookridge allowed Hannah to return to school on a part-time basis in September 2002. Throughout this time the courage, dedication and support of Jenny was a true example of a mother's love for her daughter. Sadly a routine check-up in Hull (whilst the School celebrated the Carol Service 2002 at York Minster) concluded that the treatment was no longer effective. Hannah's condition deteriorated quickly and she passed away peacefully in her own bed at home. The all too little time

that Claire and I were able to spend with Hannah and Jenny throughout the period of the illness showed the remarkable inner strength and mutual respect of both women.

In The Peterite of her first year at St Peter's the U14 hockey coach really summed up Hannah's approach to life: "what really shone through" she wrote, "was her grit and commitment to each game that she played. She never once gave up on a ball and her determination was admirable."

Hannah loved life.

Hannah relished every challenge that she faced and accepted that the world owed her nothing.

She upheld her determination until the very end of her life, uncomplaining but all the while entertaining us with her sense of humour.

Hannah loved sport. It was the field in which she had aspired to build a career as a coach. She was an accomplished rider, a remarkable tennis player and talented runner, squash, hockey, netball and rounders player. Even in the summer term of 2002, too ill to participate herself, she wanted to volunteer a helping hand at School so that others might enjoy their sporting partic-

ipation. In a real sense Hannah was a selfless individual. In a tennis match or a squash match of course she played to win but in truth to play less than at her best was to do a disservice to her opponent.

Hannah loved people. Whether she was in the pub, at a party, in the dorm, even in the classroom she felt at her most comfortable with the company of others around her. Her funniest anecdotes were based on her observations of people: she could mimic their sayings and habits, and not many of my colleagues were St Peter's School spared her witty jibes.

5

Hannah's name I fanmli Smith will live on in the School through our charitable giving. The refurbished tennis courts at St Olave's are to be named after her. Jenny has also donated a trophy to be awarded annually to the best female rackets player. Hannah's passing has had a profound effect on the members of Dronfield and the many who were fortunate enough to count her as one of their friends.

M J Grant

The Peterite 2002-2003

Senior Common Room Senior Common Room 2002/2003 Head Master

Information Technology

A F Trotman, J.P, MA (Balliol College, Oxford)

M R T Jones, Cert. Ed. (Bretton Hall College of Higher

Deputy Head Master

Education) Head of Department.

R C Perry, M.Ed. (Stirling)

Mathematics D J Spencer, B.Sc. (Leeds) Head of Department.

Director of Studies

D J Watkinson, B.Sc. (Sheffield)

D J Watkinson, B.Sc. (Sheffield)

A W Ellis-Davies, B.Sc. (University College of North Wales)

Senior Chaplain

N A Matkin, B.Sc. (Leeds)

The Revd J Daly, M.A. (Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge)

Mrs M C Wike, B.Sc. (Loughborough) M Hall, B.Sc. (Edinburgh)

Art

J Darmody B.A. (Northumberland) Head of Department.

R D Tildesley, B.Sc. (Birmingham), M.Sc. (York)

C W Hall, MA (Leeds Metropolitan)

Modern Languages

Miss L Bass, M.A. (Camberwell Art College)

C A Hodsdon, B.A. (Lancaster) Head of Department.

Miss A O'Leary, B.A. (Glasgow College of Art) Artist in

MrsJ Bainbridge, B.A. (Durham)

Residence Biology M C Lawrence, M.A. (Selwyn College, Cambridge) Head of Department M A Monteith, B.Sc. (Newcastle)

M Duffy, B.A. (Stirling), P.G.C.E. M J Grant, B.A. (Manchester Polytechnic) MrsJ M Houghton, B.A. (Bath) Head of German.

J W G Shaw, B.A. (Leeds) Miss A Moore, B.A. (Nottingham)

P J Stephen, B.Ed. (Durham)

Music

Dr R Hockenhull, B.Sc., Ph.D., P.6.C.E.

A P Wright, B.Mus. (London), LR.A.M. Director of Music.

Careers Mrs P Bollands, BA(Manchester), P.G.Dip., L.S.E., M.B.A.(Open), Cert. Ed, M.C.I.P.O., Head of Department.

Senior Common Room It is a cliche to say that it has been another busy year but then few colleagues would dispute that. In September we were joined by John Darmody who took over the Art Department, Penny Bollands who took over Careers and Stephen Gwilliam who joined the History and Politics Department. Ailsa O'Leary became our Artist in Residence and Hugo Battersby, as graduate student, helped in Linton, the Games Department and Economics. Elisabeth Ellis took over as House Mistress of Grove as Maurice Monteith moved to House Master of Linton.

Claire Wike became Senior Mistress and Paul Taylor became House Master of Clifton.

Early in the Christmas Term, Peter Taylor was admitted to hospital for a course of treatment which was to last several months. Peter's positive attitude throughout his illness has deeply impressed colleagues. When he returned at the

C Blood, A.R.C.M. Cert. Adv. Study., (Royal College of Music, London) Head of Wind Studies.

J Pennington, B.Mus. (London) School Organist.

Ms M K Lamb, LRAM. (Royal Academy of Music) Head

Chemistry P D Northfield, B.Sc.(Manchester), C.Chem., F.R.S.C. Head of Department.

I H Lancaster, B.Sc. (Birmingham) R G Shread, B.Tech.(Bradford), M.Sc. (York), F.V.C.M. Mrs L Stark, B.Sc. (Leeds)

of String Studies.

J Moors, B.A. (York) (Head of Music St Olave's) Physical Education and Games M W Johnston, B.A. (Newcastle Polytechnic), P.G.C.E. Head of Department.

Mrs W M Shepherd, Cert. Ed. (Bedford College of Physical

Classics

Education) Head of Girls' Games.

P Taylor, M.A. (Liverpool) Head of Department.

Mrs P A Fletcher, Cert. Ed. (Coventry College of

Miss E Ellis, BA (Corpus Christi, Oxford)

Education)

Economics/Business Studies

H Battersby

Mr A Severn, B.A. (York) Head of Department.

Physics

Mr R W Doyle, B.Sc. (Cardiff)

D K Morris, B.Sc. (Liverpool) Head of Department.

Mr M Painter, B.A. (York), P.G.C.E.

M A Edwards, B.Sc. (Durham)

English

A W Rogerson, M.A. (York)

A Murray, M.A. (Glasgow) Head of Department.

Mrs H E Morgan, B.Sc.(Bristol), P.G.C.E.

Mrs S M Gair, M.A. (York)

Religious Studies

Mrs M Hopkinson, M.A. (London)

The Revd J Daly, MA (Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge)

D J Hughes, B.A. (York)

Chaplain.

I M K Lowe, B.A. (York) (Head of Department oT General

Mrs S M Watkinson, BA (Nottingham)

Studies) J A Owen-Barnett, BA(Open), Cert. Ed. (Borough Road College, Middlesex)

Technology M Dawson, Cert. Ed., (St John's College, York) Head of Department.

Geography 0 M Paterson, B.A. (Durham) Head of Department.

Miss S J Hall, M.Sc. (Newcastle) Mrs A Tooby-Smith, B.A. (Aberystwyth) Government and Politics P C Taylor, B.A. (Durham) Head of Department.

R C Perry, M.Ed. (Stirling) History R C G Drysdale, MA (St Andrew's) Head of Department.

Mrs P Garbutt, B.A. (Leeds) R C Perry, M.Ed. (Stirling) S Gwilliam, B.A. (Durham), P.G.C.E.

The Peterite 2002-2003

R Wallace, B.Sc. (Surrey)

start of the Summer Term he received an exceptionally warm round of spontaneous applause in Chapel to welcome him back. His place was taken first by James Wilson and in the Easter Term by Andrew Wilson. Peter has had to embark on another course of treatment towards the end of the Summer Term. We wish him a speedy recovery.

We congratulate John and Lynne Pennington on the birth of their daughter Maria, and Andrew and Belinda Murray on the birth of Grace.

Maurice and Ellie Monteith are expecting their first baby in the Christmas Term.

On the social side, there was a meal at Di Alto's to welcome new colleagues and another meal in the Summer Term at Son's new restaurant, Buzz.

This is the first time that a colleague has left to set up a restaurant and we wish him well in his new venture. Judging by the favourable comments from colleagues who have been to Buzz, the venture should be a great success. The Christmas party was held at the Grange Hotel.

Female colleagues went on a river trip in the Summer Term. We had heard of the ladette culture but hadn't quite realised it had spread to St Peter's.

ienior Common Room

A number of colleagues have left to fresh pastures. Campbell Perry, after six years as Deputy Head Master, has gone to pursue a postgraduate qualification in psychotherapy.

Ruth Hockenhull leaves after two years to pursue a postgraduate course at Manchester University but will continue her links with the Rise by continuing to do the occasional duty. Rob Doyle leaves after six years to go into business. He is setting up a bespoke bathroom business in the York area. Roger Tildesley retired after three years as a part-timer with the Maths Department. We wish him a long and happy retirement. Lisa Bass is returning to the West Country to be closer to her roots and will be teaching in Bath. She has bought a cottage at Midsomer Norton. We wish them all success.

Lastly, I would like to thank Sam Hall for all her work as Social Secretary of the SCR and Peter Northfield for his work as ATL representative.

More generally, I would like to thank all colleagues for their support. I have enjoyed chairing the SCR in this busy, eventful year.

R C G Drysdale

Mr Cambell Perry

national professional qualification for head teachers.

He taught History to our youngest pupils in the School and Politics to the sixth form. His pupils always looked to him as someone who inspired and encouraged them and a teacher with a genuine concern for the needs of the pupils.

Mr Perry's first qualification had been in Physical Education and he was a very skilled coach of rugby, hockey and athletics. He always amazed me with his own commitment to sport and was a very good hill runner and long-distance cyclist. He would set off for whole day rides in the Dales or North Yorkshire Moors covering distances that most of us would take days to complete. I remember one memorable summer when he joined the Prudential tour of Great Britain for one stage of the route through Kent, Sussex and Hampshire!

Mr Perry was exceptionally well-read, particularly in 20th century fiction and poetry. He was also a great enthusiast for the cinema and was a regular attender at the new City Screen in York. It was there also that he would take me on occasions to the comedy club, since we both appreciated good stand-up comics.

Mr Campbell Perry joined St Peter's in September 1997 as Deputy Head.

He came to the School from Dollar Academy where he had been Assistant Head.

Following the retirement of Mr Don Hamilton as Second Master, I had re-structured the Management Team with a Deputy Head responsible for the Pastoral system, the day-to-day running of the School, with the preparation of plans for future development and a Director of Studies responsible for the curriculum and timetable.

Mr Perry was seen by the pupils as a firm, fair and reasonable figure of authority. He managed to have the right balance between a formal presence and a person to whom the pupils could turn for support. It was not a complete surprise to me, therefore, that Mr Perry decided to offer his services as a counsellor in a voluntary role to those less fortunate in our city. It was a brave decision, for him to seek professional training at the Westminster Pastoral Foundation in London and to study for a Masters' degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. The degree course is much sought after and the training itself is exceedingly demanding. The pupils, my colleagues, parents and governors were very sorry to see Mr Perry leave St Peter's, but we all wish him every success in his new vocation.

He came to the School with new ideas and energy together with a careful eye for detail in organising School events. Shortly after his appointment, the School was to be inspected.

Mr Perry put together all the supporting written material to go out to the inspection team and ensured that every detail of the inspection itself was attended to. My colleagues and I greatly welcomed the guidance that he gave to ensure that the inspection went well. He then took on the responsibility for drawing up a revised improvement plan to take the School forward following the inspection in February 1999. He reviewed all School policy documentation and provided an effective coordination of our pastoral system. He introduced a process of staff induction which included the training of newly qualified teachers. In post, he continued his own training and development and became qualified as a school inspector and also undertook the enormous challenge of completing the

A Trotman Head Master

Rob Doyle Rob joined St Peter's in 1997 and although staying a relatively short period he made a significant contribution in all areas of school life.

Indeed, such has been his contribution it is difficult to know where to begin.

However, as his Head of Department I shall start by saying that his contribution to the teaching of economics and business studies was first class.

His knowledge of the subject area was wide ranging and his personal knowledge of the business world provided the vehicle to bring the subject alive for his pupils. From a personal view I shall miss his sense of humour and support given over the past years.

Rob probably achieved his highest profile throughout the school as being 1st XV rugby coach.

Under his guidance many pupils improved their performance and achieved regional and national recognition. The squad of players were always focused on the game and their team spirit owed much to Rob's own enthusiasm for the game.

In the pastoral area Rob also made a huge contribution. For four years Rob provided superb support to Paddy Stephen in Manor. His firm, sympathetic and also humorous style of dealing with pupils made him popular within Manor. It was therefore little surprise that Rob took over as Housemaster of Linton from John Owen Barnett. This was not an easy act to follow but Rob soon transferred his own style of leadership to build upon its already excellent qualities.

It was therefore with great regret that Rob's friends and colleagues heard of his decision to leave teaching and follow a completely different career path. We will all miss the 'big man' and the loss to St Peter's and the school mastering profession will be significant.

A W Severn

Roger Tildesley Roger joined St. Peter's as a part time teacher of Mathematics in September 2000, initially only for a relatively small number of lessons but soon becoming full time.

Roger retires from teaching this year after a successful career. At a young age he became Head of mathematics at Queen Anne's Grammar School, and prior to joining St. Peter's he taught at York Sixth Form College, where he had a number of major responsibilities including the construction of the timetable and organisation on exams. Roger has an impressive intellect and this along with his hard work and commitment, has been greatly appreciated by the department.

Roger's wife Valerie also retires from her position, headmistress of Ebor school, and we wish them a very happy retirement.

D J Spencer

The Peterite 2002-2003

Senior Common Room

Ailsa 0' Leary A teacher of quality whose patience, tolerance and quiet demeanour promoted an ambience of calm endeavour amongst the pupils in her studio, whose search for perfection in her own work engendered the same attitude in her pupils and whose passion for her subject spilt over into the department.

Ailsa is an exceptionally gifted young woman whose talent and generosity we have all benefited from over the past year. Ailsa came to St.Peter's having studied ceramics at Glasgow School of Art and with some previous experience of working with school pupils. She quickly settled in to the busy life of the department and was extremely generous with her time. Her open door policy attracted pupils to her studio in the knowledge that they would receive the benefit of her good ideas for developing their work and an unlimited amount of individual attention.

It is to her credit that ceramics has been reborn again at St.Peter's and much of the work on show at the recent annual exhibition is enhanced by the inclusion of ceramic forms either as a part or the whole of certain projects.

The role of an artist in residence is not easy to perform and requires not only the ability to teach and relate to pupils, to act as a catalyst between the world of art and school but also to produce a body of work which illustrates the difference in levels between school and post graduate work and which impresses upon the school community the importance of art. Ailsa fulfilled all of these requirements with aplomb.

I

It is not easy to classify or define Ailsa's own work. Her vessels are made from industrial materials, normally found in heavy industry, materials which usually have a utilitarian purpose and it is not difficult to see links between the sculptural forms of furnaces and chimneys seen in industrial landscapes and in the forms of Ailsa's pieces. It is also perhaps no coincidence that both the industrial forms and those that Ailsa constructs are seen as part of the environment in which they stand. The negative shapes become as important as the positive. In Ailsa's work the voids both within each vessel and the space around are important in how the work is viewed. Ailsa does not fit into any school or group of artists yet her work obviously, as all good artwork does, shows the influence of things that have gone before. There are elements of minimalism in the clean simplicity of each form as well as of the surface and spatial qualities of Hepworth. The concept behind the work plays an important role but each work

The Peterite 2002-2003

itself stands in its own right as an object of beauty.

Ailsa goes on to Goldsmiths to study for a PGCE qualification. Whether her future lies in teaching or as a working artist I do not think we have heard the last of her.

John Darmody Head of Art

Lisa Bass Lisa Bass came to St. Peter's as the artist in residence four years ago. After her first year she was so highly thought of that she was asked to stay. Four years down the line and it is hard to imagine what the department will be like without her. The requirement that teachers of art need perhaps more than any other is a passion for their subject, because without that they cannot enthuse their pupils. Lisa has passion in abundance and through this and constant encouragement she has engendered a very strong work ethic in her pupils, producing high standards of achievement. Her studio is always a hive of activity and the popular Art Club evening sessions were her initiative.

It is difficult not to like Lisa. She has a great sense of humour and the ability to get on with anyone. She has been a great support for me in my first year at St.Peter's and I know that her pupils and colleagues in the department will miss her. Lisa's passion has not been confined to the Art School. In fact, she has over the past four years covered more ground than Red Rum. She has been a stalwart both on the games front and in Dronfield House. Her organisational and social skills have been put to good use in the administration of many school events. In short, Lisa's life for the past four years has been devoted to St. Peter's and it has to be said that the only way in which she can be replaced is to appoint three others.

Lisa moves to Kingswood School in Bath to be closer to her native Devon. I hope that she will return to see us on a regular basis.

John Darmody Head of Art

Ruth Hockenhull Ruth crossed the Pennines to join the Biology Department in September 2001 from Adams Grammar School. As the Common Room's only PhD she immediately carried some mystique amongst the pupils and picked up the tag 'Doc Hock', a term of equal respect and endearment.

Picking up classes midway through their GCSE

and A level courses she made impressive efforts to get to know her pupils a task which, while not without its frustration and occasional heartache, she achieved and took pleasure from.

As a teacher Ruth is very perceptive about the needs of individuals and her pupils all felt they were having their own needs understood and met. The old adage that good teachers teach their pupils and not their subjects is entirely true with Ruth. Her individualised approach allows a greater input from the pupils and Ruth's pupils find themselves involved in a wide range of learning exercises. The celebrity of her classroom displays grew along with her modest amusement about their notoriety!

Ruth joined an expanding department and contributed to this expansion by helping to design more than just her own new laboratory; it was almost immediately obvious which of the new rooms has had a female touch in colour selection! Her laboratory quickly filled with imaginative posters, plants and (deservedly) all of the department's displays and models - a point of considerable mirth over the course of the year she spent in the new facility.

Outside the classroom Ruth made a full contribution to the life of pupils at St Peter's.

Stumbling into something of an abyss, she agreed to take on the work of managing the lighting of the musical and dramatic productions. While she will never talk about taking on this role without modestly describing the roles of others, her commitment to the work was extensive and, while occasionally accompanied by the odd cuss, enthusiastically shouldered.

While she would never describe herself as a sportswoman, she equally enthusiastically became involved in cross-country and swimming and as a tutor in the Rise, Ruth showed the same patience and care with pupils as she did in the classroom and she had a real positive impact on the development of a tutor group of strong individuals.

As members of the Biology Department, the Rise, or those involved in games or drama we will all miss Ruth for her professional input. But more than this we will miss her for her self-effacing good humour and her attention to the needs of all those in her care. She leaves us to return to her beloved Manchester where she will work towards a postgraduate diploma in Immunology and Immungenetics. I hope that she will one day return to teaching, for while she would blush at my saying so, she has a natural talent for the job and it would be a pity were not future generations allowed to enjoy the benefits, as have St Peter's pupils (and staff) had the good fortune to, over these past two years. Good luck Ruthiel!

M C Lawrence

News 8t Activities Community Service Report 2002-2003

receive, a Valentine Rolo - or who would receive the most. It was no surprise to anyone that the highest number of missives went in fact to Mr Murray and Mr Lowe - causing considerable disappointment amongst some of the sixth form boys!

The year has seen a number of whole school events - strong landmarks to show that we can all work together for the benefit of the community and enjoy ourselves at the same time.

Our Christmas Party for the local community went down really well thanks in particular to excellent organisation and preparation by Becca Dawson and Harriet Code.

They made and delivered invitations decorated gift bags, set out tables, and generally ensured a warm welcome.

The Biggest Coffee Party in the World in aid of Macmillan Cancer Relief was in September and St Peter's made a great start to the year by raising money at break selling coffee and home made cakes. James Butterworth also ran a competition in aid of Macmillan and it was great to see the dining room packed with staff and pupils contributing to a national event.

October saw the launch of the next Rudolph Campaign with fantastic support from the Minster Lions of York. The whole campus worked hard and hugely generous donations of food meant that an even larger number of luxury hampers were made up in time for distribution to the elderly at Christmas. Jayne Milburn, Chloe Johnson, Betony Lloyd, Hannah Thomas, Primrose Lovett, Sarah Crompton and their recruits worked non-stop to make beautifully decorated parcels and Rudolph came to take delivery, along with Santa who found time to visit the Christmas Fair at Clifton Prep, accompanied by his St Peter's fairies.

Red Nose Day for Comic Relief was an outstanding success. We decided to combine the event with our fundraising talent show T2003.

Jayne, Chloe and the team again worked every spare moment to prepare for the day. We started with a hilarious Chapel Service led by the Reverends Daly and Hughes whose double act was worthy of the Edinburgh Fringe. School was buzzing all day as the wildest and most imaginative ray of characters paraded through the campus. Mr Trotman was a convincing Ozzy Osbourne to the embarrassment of one colleague in particular who really did think he was a visiting parent.

T2003 was voted the best talent show for a long time. Duncan Downes and Simon Ryley were superb in their organisation and presentation of the whole event, everyone had a brilliant time and a great deal of money was raised for charity.

Valentine's Day gave the Community Service team a wonderful opportunity to make money for charity by appealing to the romantic side of the pupils and staff. A hardworking team, headed up once again by Jayne Milburn, Chloe Johnson and Hannah Thomas, made dozens, initially, then hundreds of secret Valentines - a single Rolo, elegantly wrapped, complete with a heart shaped card. These went on sale and long queues formed as people wrote messages and left Rolos behind in our special boxes so that they would be delivered by hand on February 14th. Much speculation was heard about who would receive, or not

The Swing Band members of the choir numerous volunteers joined in to make party a real success and Mr Spencer and Mr were once again in great demand as pianist bingo caller extraordinaires.

and the Hall and

Many pupils have volunteered their individual services over the year and we are extremely grateful to all the organisations who invite our students and give them invaluable experience.

We are always glad to respond to requests for help and pupils have really enjoyed their work with SNAPPY and the Wilberforce Trust in particular.

James Butterworth's exceptional commitment to volunteering at the Wilberforce Trust led to his receiving the Community Service Award from the Old Peterite Lodge and his enthusiasm for his time there has meant that our numbers of volunteers have significantly increased.

Service work for the Duke of Edinburgh Award has ranged from organising discos for youngsters to running a highly successful recycling project for the school, and we are always ready for a new challenge.

The Minster Lions have backed and supported a lot of our community work and as I write, there is another exciting project in the offing. I would like to thank them for the encouragement they give to our pupils, and to thank everyone who has helped with community service this year. There is still a lot more to come watch this space!

J Bainbridge

The Peterite 2002-2003

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Opening of the Biology Laboratories

CCF Report The year began with the opening of our newly refurbished accommodation. Now barely recognisable, the old wooden hut has been razed to the ground and replaced by a parade square and the brick building has been reroofed and redecorated. The effect is that of the modern image that this youth movement should convey. With only a small number of very keen recruits the training got off to a good start and prior to half-term the Colts' Canter finished fourth out of 13.

As the year progressed RAF cadet Oliver Suckling successfully completed not only his Gliding Scholarship {blue wings) but also his Flying Scholarship, an award for which there is much competition and th€ course demands are great Richard Fautley also successfully completed his Gliding Scholarship (blue wings) and achieved a merit in his Air Cadet Leadership Course.

Towards the end of the year Tom Snowball showed great prowess at the scene of a road traffic accident, saving the lives of two of the accident victims.

His ability to. deal with the situation was undoubtedly the result of the First Aid training he received as part of the T r a i n i n g Syllabus.

At the end of the year there was, as usual, much anticipation of summer camp. Thirtynine army cadets headed for a gruelling but satisfying week at Wathgiil. Three RAF cadets

The five new Biology Labs located at the top of the C-Block on the lower campus were officially opened by the prominent scientist and author Professor Richard Dawkins in September 2002.

The labs had been upgraded since the purchase of the Queen Anne site and are now equipped with the most up to date equipment and in addition one of the labs has been designed to allow the study of microbiology to take place.

went to RAF Wittering and two attended the adventure training carnp at Llanbedr.

As always we wish to extend our thanks to all our senior cadets for their service and dedication throughout their time at St Peter's and we wish them the very best of luck as they embark upon the next stages of their careers. There is,: however, special mention for Richard Lum, Georgina Duke and Natalie Hodge for their outstanding contribution throughout the year..

Such characters wilt continue to maintain the high standards of the Cadet Force and go on to be the future leaders of this extremely healthy section.

Sqn Ldr M J Grant VR(T)

Before the official opening ceremony, Professor Dawkins ran a question and answers session with pupils and staff from across the School.

Community Action The green bins have arrived!

Paper recycling has finally arrived at St Peter's School - in fact it has now been in operation for one year. Members of the 5th year helped launch the project in the summer term 2002.

They advertised via posters, placed paperrecycling boxes in as many classrooms as possible and dragged a large green bin over to each department. Schools Waste Action Club also sent a representative to give a presentation on recycling to the school.

This scheme has now been continued by members of the 4th year who, every Tuesday and Thursday lunchtime empty the green bins from around the school. With the help of one of the porters and his yellow buggy, they transport the paper down to St Olaves' car park where the paper bank stands. Since recycling began, together St Peter's and St Olave's have filled a total of 5 large skips!

Many of the students involved have chosen recycling for their Duke of Edinburgh community service. We will be looking for more environmentally friendly volunteers towards the end of the winter term.

A Robinson The Peterite 2002-2003

News ft Activities

Maths Challenges Senior School Thirty two sixth form pupils entered the National Senior Mathematics Challenge. The paper was, as ever, very challenging.

Certificates were awarded for:

Gold - 6 awards Silver - 7 awards Bronze - 11 awards Shuo Shang achieved the top mark at St. Peter's for the second year running, scoring 95 out of a maximum of 125. He was in the top 1% nationally and sat the three hour Senior Olympiad written paper. He gained a mark of 41 out of 50, placing him 8th in the country, our highest mark to date in this competition.

Middle School The younger pupils sat the National Intermediate Mathematics Challenge. Out of 115 entries results were:

Gold - 9 awards Silver - 22 awards Bronze - 27 awards

Physics Olympics Team trip to Liverpool On the 12 October 2002, the Physics Olympics team (Steve Caley, Matt Suggit, Shuo Shang and I) set off with Mr. Morris to Liverpool University - severely damaging the Manor sevens team, which were playing in the house sevens that day. Having caught the train (itself quite a feat) we were on the receiving end of a bridge lesson from Mr. Morris. This successfully made the journey seem very short, but I'm not sure everyone picked up the finer points of the game. So after a short detour through the shopping centre and a guided tour telling us how Liverpool had changed since 'my day', we arrived at the university. After waiting around for a while, we started with our first event, "Seedy Scales". This involved measuring the weight of a mass using a cd and a laser. The next event involved transmitting two elements in the periodic table across a room using a signal generator. This could have gone better if the receiving end hadn't mistaken an 'a' for nothing every time it was transmitted! The last event before lunch involved making a barge from sheets of paper and acetate to carry as much mass as possible. Credit at this point does have to go to Steve who at a point half way through demand-

ed we got it measured before it sank. Shortly after it was measured, it sank. So with a sense of relief that we at least got something out of that event we went for lunch, where we had to complete a Fermi quiz. The first event after lunch was to modify a bottle so that it would fly the furthest distance from a launcher. After a few attempts we managed to get a reasonable distance (well far enough not to be too embarrassing). The last event was to estimate the mass of air in a lecture theatre, given no measuring instruments and restricted to a small area of the room.

Daniel Lightwing gained the highest score of 122 out of a maximum of 135. He was then one of 400 pupils invited to sit the Intermediate Olympiad paper and gained an exceptional score of 43 out of 55. This placed him 19th nationally; this achievement subsequently gained him a place on the National Mathematics Summer School in Birmingham.

So after all the events we had resigned ourselves to a mediocre performance and were ready for the train and another bridge lesson. We found out that we had not won any of the individual events and were just ready to leave when they announced that team Orbit (which after a while we realised was us) had won. So having collected our nice big shiny plaque, medals, t-shirts and mugs, we made our way back to York, having had a great day out. On behalf of all of us that went I would like to thank Mr. Morris for putting up with us for the whole day!

M. Hall

David Henderson

Charlie StricklandConstable Mathematics Article

British Physics Olympiad and Challenge Competitions 2003

Charlie has recently received a note from the Mathematical Association to say that an article he has produced will be published in the Mathematical Gazette (unfortunately not until March 2005!)

The Mathematical Gazette is the original journal of the Mathematical Association and is over a century old. Its readership is a mixture of school teachers, college and university lecturers, educationalists and others with an interest in mathematics. One of the world's leading journals in its field, it publishes articles about the teaching and learning of mathematics, with a focus on the 15-20 age range, and expositions of attractive areas of mathematics.

Most of the articles are written by Doctors of Mathematics, University lecturers and Teachers, so this is quite an achievement.

Back Row: James Knox (Commendation), Alistair MacLeod (Commendation), Mark Jagger (Commendation), Helen Gray (Commendation), Emma Mackenzie (Commendation); Middle Row: Robin Johnson (Bronze), Michael Morris (Commendation), Georgina Duke (Commendation), Sally McLaren (Commendation), Roland Leung (Commendation), Jayne Milburn (Commendation); Front Row: Dominic Jameson (Bronze), Matthew Suggit (Bronze 1), Shuo Shang (Silver), Michael Delph (Bronze 11), Andrew Miller (Commendation), Joseph Tang (Commendation).

D. Spencer The Pcterite 2002-2003

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Duke of Edinburgh's Expedition We all remember the long, hot, dry sunny days of the summer of 2003. At times it became difficult to remember when it was cold and wet. That is, of course, until we cast our minds back to the St Peter's School Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Expedition.

Approximately 50 pupils and eight members of staff descended upon the kind hospitality of Mrs Robinson at Valley View Farm (the lady of national press and TV fame for her

www.amplebusoms.com internet business).

As usual the Expedition provided many memorable incidents. The successful and not so successful navigational skills of a group that turned right instead of left, another that took a route deviation to drop in on a parent for tea, biscuits and perhaps some sympathy.

The evening witnessed the unusual culinary skills demonstrated by many groups, the sight of Hugo Battersby bringing along a mattress to sleep in a transit van and of poor David Morris, our intrepid staff photographer, who personally tested, by accident, our one leaky tent during a night of torrential

However, as the photographs show a thoroughly enjoyable experience (!!??) was had and we look forward to 2004 in the hope that maybe, just maybe, we will see the sunshine and feel the warmth of a British summer.

A W Severn

Library and Archives The Alcuin Library After eleven years at St Peter's I suddenly find myself clutching my Senior Citizen's railcard and getting free prescriptions - retirement has arrived after yet another busy year. A stock of fewer than 6,000 books when I arrived has grown to approximately 15,000 and we are now in the middle of a rigorous "pruning" programme. Fiction titles number more than 1800, nearly a third of which have been added in the last three years. Use of the library and borrowing of all types of books holds up well, despite the challenge of the Internet and the changes to the sixth form curriculum which mean fewer "sit-outs" for Lower VI pupils.

Generous leavers and their parents have as usual provided a varied and colourful selection of books for the library. This year I must thank: James Brown, Toby Cleminson, Oliver Duke, Stuart Everard, Emma Farquharson, Tom Gastrell, Ben Graves, Andrew Hancock, Robert Heaps (leaver 2002), Joseph Holloway, Felicity Johnson, Ben Lander, Hannah Marsh, Alison, Richard and Stephen Pike (leavers 1999, 2001,

The Peterite 2002-2003

and 2003), Tobias Robinson, Richard Scott, Sam Stern (St Olave's), Matthew Suggit, and Ben Ward.

Further items have been received from Andrew Marsh and Andrew Springgay (Old Peterites) and Mr Keith Pogson and Mr Dennis Young (friends of the School).

It has also been a year of changed furnishings in the Library. Our new carpet (a muted teal blue) and upholstered chairs (rust) add colour and comfort to our attractive building. During the summer holidays some more shelving is going to be squeezed in (and it is a question of squeezing now) and a new showcase will arrive.

Last year I reported the appearance of Mrs Lockett as a most valuable over-all addition to the library. It was too good to last - Mrs Lockett was promoted to the post of Librarian at St Olave's at Christmas time and I have become more conscious than ever of all the hard work she did. I know she will liaise with my successor, Miss Helen Briggs (formerly Librarian at Heckmondwike School and the International School in Berne), and they will make a strong team.

Archives Although I am retiringVas Alcuin Librarian, I am following the excellent example of my predecessor, John Mitchell, and continuing at St Peter's as School Archivist (and Alumni Officer), so this will not, I hope, be my last report from the Archives.

New space has been found for our growing collection next to School House (the old Kiln Room in Art and before that School House Housemaster's study) and I shall continue to add everything to our computer catalogue as time allows. We have received donations this year from Messrs Andrew Marsh, Richard Bough, Hugh Wentworth-Ping, Mark Hepworth, Peter Netherwood, Ronald Stead, David Kirby and Richard Hutchinson (OPs), Mrs Shirley Shearsmith and Mrs Ann Fisher (friends of the school). Items have included early copies of "The Peterite", photographs, sporting cups, notebooks and letters, a pace stick, a hockey blazer, and an "Eton" suit.

All donations to the Archives are greatly appreciated - thank you all very much.

A J M Pedley

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Chapel Foundations When I was in parish ministry the phrase 'the quinquennial 1 was often heard in conversation among clergy. It referred to the practice of an expert inspection of the fabric of a church

building every five years and the consequent report detailing the repairs and maintenance that were needed. However grim or consoling this process might be, it is a commendable discipline. Thankfully the fabric of the school chapel is largely in the stewardship of others, but the health of the spiritual life that the chapel allows is my concern and I offer this as a very brief, but important, septennial report on that - for this is the first time in seven years that direct mention has been made in The Peterite of this side of the school's life.

In a sense the school inspects its spiritual foundations not once every seven years but three times a week. The regular chapel services are a real chance to reflect together on fundamental

The chapel does become a very special place for many Peterites. It is significant that on average about three baptisms and three weddings take place each year. This is a more private side of the life of the community and it is looking deeper into spiritual foundations. Little is closer to the core of what is true and lovely than seeking God's blessing on a new life or on the committed love between a man and a woman from which new life will come.

Two particular aspects of the life of the chapel need to be recorded.

On Ash Wednesday 2003 the Archbishop of York blessed a new altar and then used it to celebrate the eucharist for the beginning of Lent. Many have commented that the new altar, made by Ormsby of Scarisbrick in Lancashire in light oak and with the cross keys and crown of the school's arms in relief on the pedestal, complements the existing woodwork of the chapel very well and worthily replaces the heavy adapted table that was used before. On the eve of St. Peter's Day 2003 the Revd Allan Hughes, chaplain of St Olave's, was ordained priest in the chapel by the Rt Revd David Smith, an Honorary Assistant Bishop in the Diocese of York, having recently retired as Bishop of Bradford. In these two ways the spiritual foundations of the school have been strengthened and the Christian life of the school has been enhanced.

and on June the 12th the three students, Emma's mother and a large keyboard, went down to London to the Goethe Institute to collect their prizes. There, they performed the song in front of the Spanish, French and German Ambassadors and a small audience of other language winners and runners up.

Afterwards, a small buffet lunch was held on the terrace outside the Institute. Then with time to kill before the return train, they went off to enjoy a day out in London, which I understand included a boat trip on the Thames and a stop off at Pizza Express!

I would like to congratulate the winners on doing so well but also the 4th year Spanish group for the enthusiasm and energy with which they approached this competition.

Emma's performance of the song has made a big impact on both students and staff alike. jEnhorabuena!

A Robinson

Schools Share Race Just over a year ago an article in The Economist cataclysmically informed its readership that a "28°/o average fall in share prices since 2000 had

Jeffrey Daly Chaplain

jEnhorabuena!

issues and values. Sometimes the stimulus for these comes from the rhythm of the church's year; it is good that for a few minutes the school's thinking, praying and worship are in tune with Christians far and wide and we are actively part of the universal church in whose service the school was founded. Sometimes the stimulus comes from within the life of our own community or from the tragedies and joys of the world at large. In all this we learn, I hope, a caring sensitivity that saves us from being narrow and insular in our concerns. It is good to note that at their own request arising from discussion in the Chapel Committee each House will be responsible for taking a chapel service in the coming academic year.

This year members of the 4th year studying Spanish entered a national language competition called "Free Spirit" which is run by The Bristol and West of England Comenius Centre.

Students between the ages of 11 and 18 write a poem or a song in a foreign language. This is the first year that the school has entered and we won the Spanish song category and received highly commended for one of our poems - a very impressive achievement since there were 124 schools from around the country! Emma Hammill, Matthew Thomas Peter and Jeremy Thomas wrote the lyrics and composed the winning song called Ella (She) for voice and piano, and Emma performed it.

Charlotte Buckley and Phoebe Harris wrote the poem called Mi Mono (My monkey).

Emma, Matthew and Jeremy were invited to a presentation

wiped $10 trillion off global wealth...Welcome to the first recession of the 21st century." So imagine the excitement when ten of Mr Severn's 'finest' were invited to ride the ups and downs of the London Stock Exchange. The reception was hardly clamorous. The brief at first seemed easy: £100,000 - fictional of course to invest as we like over 6 months, though something told me it would not be quite so easy. I found solace in The Economist - "Britain will avoid the worst" it promised me. Still, few would say that we awaited our monthly rankings with any great enthusiasm, especially when news came that we started the race having already made a great loss. But Mr Severn's advice quickly paid dividends, as our shares seemed to hold their value better than anyone else's. All in all we finished in second place, clearly no one being able to rival a £3,000 loss.

So what did we learn from our experience? Well, one thing above all, that the stock market, with all its pinstripe suits, city high-flyers and towering skyscrapers, is nothing more than an elaborate lottery; 'losers' can also be 'winners'; oh, and one other thing - never trust The Economist.

T Burckhardt

The Peterite 2002-2003

News 8t Activities

ST PETER'S

SCHOOL FOUNDATION securing the f a tare

The St Peter's School Foundation The St Peter's School Foundation has had another very busy and successful year:

Opening of the Colin Shepherd Modern Language Rooms On September 25th 2002 two new Modern Language Rooms were opened in memory of Old Peterite, and well known York Businessman, Mr Colin Shepherd.

where the Old Peterites were able to see first hand the ability of the School rowers today, as they competed in the Regatta.

Before the Regatta commenced there was a grand naming of six new rowing boats at the Boat Club. The funds for one of the boats, Cross Keys, a coxless quad, were donated by the Foundation and by the generosity of the Jameson family.

Following the scratch regatta, Old Peterites took to the water themselves, in their own boat for a trip not just down memory lane, but also literally down the Ousel! - for some not quite as smooth a ride as they had remembered.

Science entrants. The Ogden Trust, together with a match-funding donor found by the School, enables pupils to attend an independent school who would not otherwise be able to without this vital financial assistance. The Foundation will now be actively looking for a suitable candidate who matches the specific criteria laid down by the Ogden Trust.

In addition, to the Ogden Trust Scholarship we are also very pleased indeed to be able to announce that the Old Peterite Club kindly and very generously donated a Sixth Form Scholarship. The scholarship is not for any specific subject area and will be awarded to a candidate who is judged to have talent and skills in a number of areas both in and out of the classroom.

Scholarship Fund

The refurbishment of the rooms was made possible by a very generous donation, through the Foundation, from the Sylvia and Colin Shepherd Charitable Trust. The Trust also funds a sixth form scholarship for Modern Languages, which was awarded to Tobias Burckhardt, who accompanied Mrs Shepherd during the opening ceremony.

The rooms were officially opened by Mrs Sylvia Shepherd, Colin's widow, following a lunch that was attended by Colin Shepherd's children and grandchildren as well as over 20 contemporaries of Colin's who had left St Peter's around 1945-6.

Rowing Reunion On a dry but rather cool day at the end of June, over 30 Old Peterites, who had been enthusiastic rowers during their time at St Peter's in the 1940s and 1950s, attended a very enjoyable lunch at the School. Memorabilia and a trip down memory lane were the order of the day as the Old Peterites and their partners sat with their contemporaries as well as present pupils all with the common interest of rowing at St Peter's.

After the meal, everyone was invited to attend the School Scratch Regatta at the Boat Club

The Peterite 2002-2003

Last year we announced the creation of new Sixth Form Foundation Scholarships thanks to the generous donation of the Shepherd Family and the Merchant Adventurers of the City of York. In September 2002 the first recipients of these Scholarships were announced: The Colin Shepherd Modern Scholarship - Tobias Burckhardt

Languages

The Shepherd Scholarship for Business Studies and Economics - Jonathan Forsyth The Merchant Adventurers of York Science Scholarship - Charles Strickland-Constable Donald Shepherd Scholarship for Design and Technology Martin Smallpage This year we are very pleased to announce that we will be able to offer two further scholarships, at Sixth Form level, from September 2003.

St Peter's School has been accepted by the Ogden Trust to join their Scholarship Scheme for sixth Form

We hope to be able to announce further scholarship news in the near future.

We still firmly believe that the Foundation should be as much about keeping in touch with the Friends of St Peter's School, in its widest sense, as Fund Raising, and so as the Foundation enters it third year, the driving force behind its efforts is to ensure that St Peter's School is able to offer the best possible education to the widest constituency of children.

T J Gillingham

Music The Year The Music Department has had a very good year.

The String Orchestra has been particularly good this year reflecting the firm and clear directing from John Pennington. The Swing Band and Wind Band both saw younger players rising to the challenges presented as a number of excellent players had left last year. The School Choir and Chapel Choir produced some of their best performances ever.

Opera Workshop In October three members of the National Opera Studio came to take an Opera workshop. About thirty pupils participated in this exciting session singing, getting rid of inhibitions and observing how opera singers approach interpretation and different voice colours to convey different emotions.

Autumn Concert It was so good to see several of the new third formers playing in our Autumn Concert; Angelina Warburton's harp playing promised much for the future. Fifth Former, Lauren Walker's singing continues to give such pleasure and in the Sixth Form Brook Adams' demonstrated that his baritone voice is developing so well.

Music Scholars' Concert The Scholars' Concert was as high a standard as ever. Charles StricklandConstable's playing of 'Nigrun' by Bloch showing his intuitive understanding of this improvisatory-like piece. In Kreisler's Praeludium and Allegro Sally McLaren's playing continued to dazzle and Sophie Ottewell did well with the difficult first movement of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

James Froseth James Froseth, one of the leading brass and wind educators in the USA visited us primarily to direct a training day for teachers here; we had a good number from the local music service as well as our own teachers exploring different methods of learning. At the end of the day he took our Wind Band for a session giving them various tasks to improve their aural skills and overall confidence with their instruments. He was impressive in all that he did and it was very valuable to have new insights into old problems.

Christmas Concert

Lunchtime Concerts

We have had a splendid Saxophone Quartet this year in the third form who gave us three pieces in this concert including 'Groovy kind of love' in a suitably enticing arrangement. The Barber shop's 'Winter Wonderland' was very well received and the Brass Group's 'Red Dwarf was characteristically energetic. We are very lucky also to have a fine Wind Quintet all in the Lower Sixth; four of them doing A Level music- their performance of that old favourite 'Wedding at Troldhaugen' was full of life; Michael Weare, their coach who joined us at half term has already proved himself an excellent new member of the department. Many thanks to Maureen Hopkinson who arranged the readings which give a special seasonal character to the evening. The Wind Band and Swing Band added greatly to the success of the occasion.

Alex Woodrow has again done such valuable work organising our Lunchtime Concerts often producing most illuminating programme notes as well as accompanying and playing in these concerts himself at times. These are such valuable occasions for pupils to gain confidence in performance in an informal situation. Long may they continue.

Carol Service The range of styles and contrast in the groups was wide this year. Betony Lloyd's solo with Girls' voices in Britten's 'Balulalow' from 'The Ceremony of Carols' was superb. The Boys' choir in Schutz's 'Wo ist' from his 'Christmas Story' was powerful and the rich singing of all in Rutter's 'What sweeter music' was quite seductive. Judging by the demand for the CD it was all clearly appreciated.

Winter Concert In February our Winter Concert contained some very distinctive pieces. Alex Woodrow's performance of Johann Kindermann's Magnificat on the organ with plainsong interpolations from the gallery by a male voice group ( the Barbershop in disguise!) was quite exquisite.

The Brass groups spirituals were strong and impressive and Tom Hubbard's 'Apres un Reve' on the cello was evocatively played.

Music Festival This year's Music Festival returned to the format employed a few years ago with Senior and Junior Sections rather than a series of evenings based on instrumental groupings. With one expert adjudicator, Peter Stark, Leverhulme Professor of Conducting with the National Youth Orchestra, this proved very successful indeed. The evenings were entertaining and instructive and greatly valuable for our pupils.

Duncan Turnbull took the overall Junior winner after winning the woodwind and keyboard sections. Eleanor Trotman's delightful singing, Robyn Webster's sure footedness on the tuba and Angelina Warburton's nimble fingers on the harp produced the other section winners.

In the Senior Section Ben Noble's beautiful, controlled oboe playing was awarded the woodwind section and indeed the best overall senior performance with Alex Woodrow being highly commended on flute. Tom Wright was awarded the brass section, Lauren Walker with some poised singing and Alex Woodrow with precision organ playing also won sections with Betony Lloyd being commended for her singing. Sophie Ottewell won the string section with Sally McLaren and Charles Strickland-Constable highly commended. Charlie also won the Guitar section.

On the Thursday afternoon Peter Stark took a conducting workshop with Pipp Saul-Harrah and Alex Woodrow con-

The Peterite 2002-2003

Music

The Groups School Choir This has been an excellent year with many very fine performances. In the Christmas Concert 'Stand by me' and an elaborate arrangement of 'Jingle Bells' were very polished. The Third Form Choir contributed 'Summer Nights' from 'Grease' and have gradually become well integrated into the main choir.

ducting our String Orchestra and developing their techniques in this area.

On Friday Directors of Music and music teachers from schools in the North of England (Area 8) came for an inset day with Peter Stark on conducting. A most valuable day improving our rehearsal skills and discussing repertoire. We certainly made Peter Stark work hard while he was with us and what good value he was.

A P Wright

Composition Concert Now in its third year, the Composition Showcase Concert is becoming a feature of the Music Department's calendar. This year, there was an array of live performances and recorded music, and for the first time, music technology was brought into the Chapel giving the listeners and parents an opportunity to see the technology and how it is used in class. All compositions performed were taken from GCSE, AS and A2 level students. Although only 12 compositions were performed, a total of 39 were composed for this year's examinations. The new option at QCSE of composing music for a film scene allowed students to let their imaginations run wild, producing many fine pieces in this category. Many other styles of composition were presented, from simple piano pieces, baroquestyled string trios to more contemporary realisations such as Ralph Pellymounter's.Ballad, a deserving winner of the Composition Prize.

Congratulations to all the composers and performers on the excellent standards achieved.

J Pennington

Summer Concert Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture' was the Symphony Orchestra's opening, lively contribution before they moved to an accompanimental

The Peterite 2002-2003

role. In Mozart's Piano Concerto number 23, Natalie Baldry demonstrated her sureness of touch and Jun Okumura his musical control.

Adrian Warmington showed how his singing had developed in an aria from 'Messiah'. Duncan Downes danced his way through a movement of a Double bass concerto by Capuzzi. The String Orchestra the Chamber Choir and Barbershop added further colour to the evening.

Cabaret Concert The Friends of St Peter's again set the tone of the evening; the tables were beautifully decorated and the new chairs gave the Hall a bright atmosphere.

Swing Band, Wind Band, School Choir, chamber Choir, Barbershop, Barbieshop, Wind Quintet, Saxophone Quartet with some special groups including Charlie Strickland-Constable virtuoso playing on electric guitar ably backed up by Jo Holloway and some excellent solos. It was a really enjoyable evening. The bar was well used, the raffle raised over £450 and the whole evening raised over E1000 for the Music Tour Fund. Thanks to all who contributed in any way.

Commemoration Service Having Terry Waite to speak at this special service set the idea of having a Spiritual as one of the anthems. Liberation seemed to be an obvious theme so Michael Tippett's fantastic arrangement of 'Steal away' was chosen. Peter Townson was the tenor soloist bringing the passion which he had employed in the Musical 'Guys and Dolls' earlier in the year. Schutz's Psalm 100 with Choir and Brass set antiphonally was exciting and the Chamber Choir's final offering 'Holy is the true light' by William Harris was delicately sung.

A P Wright

In March we again took our major Choral Concert to the Jack Lyons Concert Hall at York University. It is problematic logistically doing this, but the Concert Hall has such a good acoustic and it is so good for our pupils to perform at other venues. Handel's 'Messiah' was the single work this year and it received a very memorable performance full of intensity and passion.

The orchestra lead by Kenneth Mitchell was so stylish and the soloists, Wendy Goodson, Caroline Sartin, Robert Thompson and Christopher Gulley were first class. Thank you to the many cards and letters received afterwards. There is no finer work for a choir to sing and enjoy.

The Summer Concert featured a well-crafted selection from 'Oklahoma' sung with enthusiasm - what great tunes it contains! - some of the audience were observed mouthing the words and thinking back to their times on the stage. Seiber's Hungarian Folksongs, test pieces written for Music Competitions were sung with real vigour and greatly enjoyed by the choir. In Cabaret Concert 'Jabula Jesu' and its Zulu chants were relished although we have not translated the text yet!

Chapel Choir Stanford in C and Alwyn Surplice's anthem 'Lord who shall dwell in thy tabernacle' were the main items for the Choral Evensong at York Minster in October sung well with the brightness of the Stanford ringing around the Minster. In the Advent Carol Service Wesley's 'Thou shall keep him' and Tchaikovsky's 'Crown of thorns' were especially well sung but the highlight of the year was Taverner's The Lamb' sung at the very beginning of the Carol Service beautifully in tune and so delicate.

Chamber Choir Friday evenings are lively evenings where we cover a huge repertoire of music in preparation for the numerous and very varied occasions for which the Chamber Choir sings. The end of the Christmas Term is an especially busy time with, again this year, the Advent Service at Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, the Christmas Concert where 'Long time ago in Bethlehem1 so atmospherically sung, singing at Guardian Court, an old peoples' home and at the Community Service party as well as a lovely contribution in the Carol Service.

Music

In the summer we had a special excursion to Sutton-on-the-Forest to launch the Church's Fabric Fund. Nick Devlin's 'Ca' the Yowes' was so sensitively sung and such items as 'Bare necessities' were greatly enjoyed. The Swing Band joined us for this lovely sunny evening.

A P Wright

phy required under the guise of claiming to be refined actors albeit with dubious imaginations and Duncan has provided backing with his double bass. Matthew Hodsdon has been a great asset to the team even throughout his time on crutches, which during the Christmas Concert were adorned with fairy lights. Toby Pring has maintained his image of being a thoroughly tal-

The Orchestra contributed much to the Summer Concert. We merged with some wind players to form the school's Symphony Orchestra and opened the evening with Mendelssohn's 'Hebrides Overture'. It was a rousing start, and despite the complex nature of the string parts the orchestra produced a splendid performance.

The highlight of our performance was our rendition of 'Star Trek'. It was a short and simple piece, but one which allowed the orchestra to relax and enjoy performing. The voice over by Mr Wright added that extra air of sci-fi in a way that only Mr Wright could achieve! Obviously a closet Trecky!

I have enjoyed taking the orchestra this year and look forward to great things in the future.

Thanks go to Mr Mitchell and Natalie Baldry (leader) and to all the individual students who make orchestra what it is. It is very much a team effort, and when all are focused the results are spectacular!

Beam me up Scotty!

J Pennington

Staff Caroline Vaughan, one of our clarinet and saxophone teachers, left us at Christmas to move to France, we wish her every success in her new ventures there. Michael Weare replaced Caroline and his valuable experience as Head of Woodwind at Ampleforth has proved such an asset here.

Organ success Alex Woodrow attended the Oundle Summer School for Organists during the summer of 2002. Alex won two awards for his organ playing and was subsequently invited to perform recitals at St. Oswald's Parish Church, Durham and at Shrewsbury Abbey.

Barbershop

2002-3

Duncan Downes Matthew Naughton Toby Pring Matthew Hodsdon Ben Noble Pete Townson Brook Adams Adrian Warmington Another year of the phenomenon that is 'Barbershop' has passed and as usual every concert has been prepared for with the customary precision and hard work that has become synonymous with our rehearsals! It has been an entertaining time; rehearsals dominated by laughter and wit and punctuated with Mr. Pennington's hopelessly bad jokes. In the Tenor corner Ben Noble, Pete Townson and Matthew Naughton have added percussion to our rehearsals in the form of tambourine and maracas. Adrian Warmington has been our saving grace in such numbers as 'Bermuda Buggy Ride' bringing with him an extraordinary timbre in the high-pitched passages. In the Bass corner Matthew Hodsdon and Duncan Downes have played a big part in formulating any choreogra-

ented musician with a veneer of audacity. Even with little 'organised' rehearsal our performances have been well received yet Mr Pennington has yet to hand over the promised and hopefully intoxicating spoils. On a serious note we thank Mr. Pennington for his enduring guidance and support and we await his next selection of Barbershop music with anticipation.

Brook Adams

String Orchestra In September I was given responsibility for the String Orchestra. This would be an exciting challenge for two reasons; I had never even picked up a 'fiddle' before and I had to maintain the excellent standard achieved by Miss Lamb during her command. In January I was supported by our new violin teacher Mr. Ken Mitchell, who was able to advise on any technical aspects of the orchestra.

The orchestra have had a very busy schedule beginning with the Open Day. Many who stayed to listen commented on the impressive sound.

This was followed by the Winter Concert, during which a small number of the orchestra played the first movement of the Brook Green Suite by Hoist. This was to feature later in the year as part of the Conducting Course and Easter Concert.

The Christmas Concert featured the Nowell Sequence by Roy Douglas. This was a medley of some traditional tunes but focused predominantly on the tune, The first Nowell'.

Kenneth Mitchell joined our string teachers in January; we are very fortunate indeed to have such a distinguished teacher here. His experience in teaching at Leeds College of Music and various schools and his playing with a wide range of international orchestras has already been a huge benefit to us.

Wendy Goodson achieved national fame when she appeared in 'Operatunity' on Channel 4 where her beautiful voice was heard by so many.

Stephen Ridley joined the piano teaching team here and Sam Hobbs took over the Drum-Kit teaching. We have an impressive amount of talent in our Visiting teacher team which was so evident at the Staff Concert in February in a Concert in aid of Jessie's Fund, a charity providing Music therapy for terminally ill children.

Christopher Blood has worked his normal magic on the Swing Band and Wind Band converting many young inexperienced players into seasoned performers and his work with the Brass Group for our major School occasions is as impressive as ever. John Pennington continues to do good work especially with composing within the curriculum and his work with the Barbershop and his directing the String Orchestra has demonstrated what potential these groups have. My thanks to all the Music Department, a diverse body with so many contrasting characters but all working so clearly and effectively for the pupil's development and welfare.

A P Wright

The Peterite 2002-2003

Music

Swing Band 2002/3 The school swing band continues to perform and entertain audiences with their unique style of music from the 40's and 50's. Over the past year the band has given performances in and out of school. In the summer term the Band together with the Chamber Choir gave a concert in the parish church at Sutton-onthe-Forest to help raise funds for the church restoration. The trombone section, led by Adrian Warmington, gave a fine rendition of The Basin Street Blues and set the mood for the rest of the evening. In the Christmas term the band got to grips with the style of Count Basie and Bert Russell. Simon Wallis (trumpet) and Charles Strickland-Constable (guitar) continued to impress audiences and the rest of the band with their improvisational skills in 'Spinning Wheel' (Clayton-Thomas) and 'Down for the Count' (Edmondson). With the added bonus of a Baritone to our sax section (Joshua Storrs) we are all looking ahead to another exciting and musically challenging year.

Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama CHRISTMAS TERM 2002 Grade Name

Instrument

Result

2 3 3

Rory Stark

Piano

Pass

Thomas Rowlands

Trumpet

Pass

Katherine Miller

Flute

Honours

Catherine McTurk

Eb Saxophone

Pass

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 7 7 7 7

Joseph Tang

Piano

Pass

Duncan Turnbull

Piano

Pass

Mark 109 102 240 107 114 73 81 88 231 247 108 109 117

Bryony Tallack

Singing

Pass

Lauren Walker

Theory

Pass

Duncan Downes

Theory

Merit

Felicity Johnson

Theory

Merit

Georgina Hayward

Clarinet

Merit

Emma Rowley

Flute

Honours

Sally Henderson

Piano

Pass

Michael Foster

Violin

Merit

217

Chloe Johnson

Piano

Pass

107

Victoria Janes

Violin

Pass

Maria Lee

Violin

Merit

117 228 124

Angelina Warburton

Cello

Merit

Violin

Honours

Violin Performance Pipp Saul-Harrah

EASTER TERM 2003 Grade Name

Instrument

1

Eve Newby

Piano

2 4 4 5 5 5 5 5

Rebecca Gill

Piano

Emma Bennett

Piano

Ellie Trotman

Singing

Sebastian Cannons

Oboe

Matthew Thomas-Peter Theory Alice Scruton

Theory

Laura Williamson

Flute

Alice Scruton

Piano

The Peterite 2002-2003

Result

Mark Pass 115 Distinction 134 Pass 101 Merit 126 Pass 109 Pass 66 Pass 72 Pass 182 Merit 122

6 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 8

Katherine Saunders

Oboe

Penny Boxall Sally McLaren

Violin

Morag Lyall

Oboe

Duncan Downes Morag Lyall

Double Bass Singing

Ben Noble

Oboe

196 204 115 Pass 256 Honours Distinction 130 103 Pass 108 Pass 120 Merit Distinction 132

Viola

Honours

85%

Violin

Honours

88%

Result

Mark

Laura Eastwood

Flute

Merit

Laura Howard

Viola

Merit

Piano

Certificate in Performance Pipp Saul-Harrah Charlie Strickland-Constable

SUMMER TERM 2003 Grade Name

Instrument

3 4 4 4 5

Nikolai Sirotinine

Cello

Pass

Laura Eastwood

Piano

Pass

184 116 Paul Middleton-Walker Euphonium 117 Pass Alex Storrs E Flat Saxophone Distinction 130 Helena Wike Viola 181 Pass

5

Terence Mak

Clarinet

Pass

5

Georgina Duke

Piano

Pass

117

5 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 7

Stephen Blackman

Piano

Merit

Esme Telfer

Theory

Distinction

Duncan Turnbull

Organ

Distinction

Toby Pring

Clarinet

Pass

Alex Kaars Sijpesteijn

Merit

Angelina Warburton

Piano Harp

Sarah Hayward

Voice

Merit

Alice Scruton

Classical Sax

Honours

Sally McLaren

Singing

Distinction

Pipp Saul-Harrah

Singing

Distinction

122 96 134 187 125 134 221 243 137 140

Distinction

114

Music

Choir and Wind Band Tour 2003Austria This year's school music tour was to Austria, taking the school choir and wind band, but was slightly different, as one person was missing from the tour who always enjoyed them and having a laugh, Mrs Ellie Monteith, due to her pregnancy.

As usual we left school in the early hours of Monday morning, with everyone racing on to the bus to get the best seats, but the tradition of 6th form on the back seats continued.

After the long coach journey to Dover everyone was ready for some food, as most of the pack ups were eaten as soon as we got on the coach.

When we got to France the weather was pretty hot, and as Mr Wright felt that air conditioning would affect our voices we had to die of heat on the bus, but at least we had Pete keeping us amused in the back with his complaining about the heat and the noise of the videos.

We stopped in Germany for the night just to break up the journey, and when we arrived everyone was tired. After having a proper meal, we headed into the small town where we were staying, as there was a beer festival, much to the males' delight! There we had the pleasure of listening to some delightful, attractive, young German woman singing! As normal it was suggested we had an early night, ready for the long journey ahead. When we finally arrived at the hotel in Austria, we were all surprised at the good choice made by Mr Wright. During our stay there were two other schools from England that we got to know, especially certain individuals (Hodgo!!), but with whom we also had a few clashes! The nearest town was about a 10minute walk depending on the speed of walking and had a few steep hills much to Pete's and others disgust!

We performed four concerts, with the first one being a slight disaster, in the pouring rain where we had to carry all the equipment into a small church where the number of people there was 13 with two of those being Mr and Mrs

Hodsdon. The concert had been poorly advertised and at two different times! Mr Monteith made several phone calls to the tour company.

The other three concerts were a lot more successful. Two of them were in public gardens with a constant audience. One was on a purpose-built band shell with the Barbershop on form keeping everyone amused. The other, in the beautiful Mirabelgarten was so hot we had to sing under some trees and had to get changed in a maze found by Mr Monteith, much to the girls' horror.

The band's 'Lord of the Rings' arrangement was especially well received.

Every year we go to a water park, but this year we had the privilege of going to two! Although one was by a lake there were still diving boards, much to Andrew Black's and Chris Wordie's delight, as wherever there was water they were bound to be there. The second one was rather large with an Olympic sized pool and diving boards, and where people could sunbathe etc.

One of the most tiring days was when we went to see Hitler's retreat and The Eagle's Nest; to get there we had to go up some very windy narrow roads which was probably the scariest part.

However, it was worth it when we got to the top

with the view being beautiful, and then we had to look forward to the journey back down, with Mr Monteith's constant optimism that if we fell over the cliff we would all die!

One day enjoyed by everyone, especially the girls, was going to Salzburg where we could all go shopping and buy souvenirs. It gave us a chance to go sight-seeing and see some of the beautiful sights which Salzburg had to offer; the weather could not have been better.

The last day in Austria was a Sunday and Miss Ellis' birthday, although she wasn't letting on how old she was! To celebrate it we had a BBQ with Mr Savage making a very good chef.

Our final concert was quite emotional for the few of us that were leaving and especially as we ended with 'For the Beauty Of The Earth' with Mr Monteith holding his phone up so Ellie could hear it! The concert was in a small Roman Catholic Church, where the congregation thoroughly enjoyed it. We all knew that the next day was going to be an early start back to Germany. Arriving back in Germany, everyone was too tired to go back to the village so we all stayed in the hotel and had our own small party.

When we finally arrived back in England after our long journey, everyone expressed their enjoyment of the tour, which is why all that's left to say is thank you to all the staff: Mr Wright, Mr Monteith, Mr Savage, Miss Ellis and Mr Blood. They all sacrificed some of their summer holiday to take us all away and on what was a very successful and enjoyable tour and even Mr Wright's jokes kept everyone laughing!

Rebecca Gill

U6 The Peterite 2002-2003

rama Guys and Dolls Before it is anything else, Frank Loesser's musical Guys and Dolls is a wonderfully involving show. Exuberant, engaging and fun, the St. Peter's production rattled along at a rate of knots, moving with extraordinary jauntiness from the opening ensemble piece 'Runyonland' to the final, triumphant and resounding 'Guys and Dolls'. Throughout the evening, the young cast threw themselves into the piece with an energy and enthusiasm that raised the spirits.

Whether a production of this piece is working effectively can normally be gauged by the audience's reaction to the show stopping 'Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat'. This particular number was orchestrated beautifully by the production's Nicely-Nicely Johnson (Peter Townson). School audiences can be notorious for the time it takes them to really engage with what is taking place onstage, but, on the night I viewed, the cast were quick to establish a link with those watching. 'Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat' had them rocking (and swaying and clapping) in the aisles of the Memorial Hall.

The pairs of lovers were perfectly cast. Sarah Crompton was a sweet-voiced, delicate Sarah Brown; Duncan Downes' rendering of Sky Masterson captured the character's charisma and charm. Daisy Cannons' performance of Miss

The Peterite 2002-2003

Drama

Adelaide was remarkable for its precision of diction - here was an actress with a perfect ear for New York's slang. This was an Adelaide that was both funny and moving; by always remaining this side of caricature, Daisy managed the very difficult feat of making us empathise with a ridiculous character. The casting of Ben Noble as Nathan Detroit meant that the cast's biggest, most expressive voice filled this role. The greatest tribute that I can pay to Ben's vocal performance is to say that he did not suffer in comparison with Frank Sinatra (who played Detroit in the 1955 film version of the musical).

Indeed, the Cannons-Noble version of 'Sue Me' was a highlight of the show, the two actors turning what is essentially a comic turn into something of real depth and subtlety.

Many of the smaller parts were filled by individuals who seemed determined to steal the show.

Ran Harrison's Arvide Abernathy, for example, was an astounding impersonation of a kind, old man whose faith in his protege, Sarah Brown,

was the keystone to his life. Ran's solo 'More I Cannot Wish You' was genuinely moving, providing a moment of genuine human feeling amongst the show songs.

Finally, I think the most enjoyable aspect of the production is that everyone onstage appeared to be enjoying themselves so much. The adept direction ensured that song and dance were seamlessly integrated. The pace of the show is frenetic and it must have taken steady hands on the tiller to have ensured that the scenes progressed in such a precise manner with a nonprofessional cast.

Messrs. Wright and Spencer deserve a great deal of credit for the quality of the music making throughout. The musicians played Loesser's demanding score with a confidence and verve that frequenters of musical concerts at St. Peter's have come to expect.

A Murray

The Peterite 2002-2003

Art ,:.a%

-s

Kathryn Browne V Form 'Organic Form

Melody Lam VI Form 'Flower'

Ming Li VI Form 'Illusion ft Reality' The Peterite 2002-2003

Joanna Simpson VI Form 'Body Parts'

Art

!

.v

Form Ceramic Designs from African Masks

Miles Baker VI Form 'Architectural Form'

Priscilla Kong VI Form 'Shells

Joe Bucklow V Form 'Self

Rosemary Woo VI Form 'Architectural Form' The Peterite 2002-2003

Art

Jayne Milburn V Form Architectural Forms

Ming Li VI Form 'White Still Life

IV Form 'Naughty but Nice' The Peterite 2002-2003

Georgina Robinson VI Form 'Life Studies'

Art

Kathryn Browne V Form 'Self

Tommy Tse V Form 'Self

Georgina Duke V Form 'Self

Georgina Robinson VI Form 'Illusion ft Reality' The Peterite 2002-2003

Foreign Trave -f mm-i

Ecuador Expedition On the 6th July, following a successful picnic provided by our parents, 17 excited but apprehensive backpackers departed the horseshoe for what was to be a 30-hour journey to Ecuador's capital, Quito.

As we arrived in the bustling South American airport, no amount of planning or research could have provided us for what we were about to experience. Driving from the airport our first sights were of MacDonalds and Pizza Hut restaurants (to Simon's delight), and we felt that we could have been in any modern city.

However, as we made our way up to the Old town the next day it became apparent that intense poverty exists in much of the city.

The first phase of the expedition was spent doing project work in a run down village called Benito. Here we spent four rewarding days painting the interior and exterior of a primary school, at the same time interacting with the local school children. Mike, Ashy, Bennett and Gibbo entertained the kids with skilful 'Wacko Jacko' moves. Rachael's impressive artistic talents soon came to the fore as she took charge of the sea-life murals painted onto the perimeter wall. We were all very moved by the tears of appreciation shed by the teachers and children alike as we left on the final day. We will also always remember our diminutive contact, Mesias, especially for forcing us speak to him in Spanish when we later learnt he was a fluent English speaker! On a resources trip to Pelileo we decided that the group needed a treat after

The Peterite 2002-2003

Foreign Travel

all their hard work so we decided to buy the local delicacy 'cuy1 - better known as roasted guinea pig!

Our next destination was Macas, referred to in the guidebook as a 'tourist attraction', but this myth was soon dispelled. The long bus ride to Macas was indescribable, both in terms of beauty and the driving. I shall never forget the look on our leader Paul's face, when the wheels of the bus slipped over the side of the cliff. Yet Laura was most disgruntled when told that she wasn't allowed to travel on the roof. That night we slept in the 'Hotel Splendid' - let me just say it didn't live up to its name! Thankfully, Tsunki, our local Shuar guide (referred to as 'dude' by the group for the rest of the trip) rescued us the following morning to lead us on our jungle trek.

This phase of the trip made sure that Wardy could truly be at one with nature, as he carved out his own hunting stick and sported tribal face paint for the rest of the phase. Trekking to our first Shuar community, Ranolph and Nathan soon showed off their culinary expertise, the menu being described as 'giant ants on a bed of leaves'. Sophie's balancing skills were tested to the limit as we struggled through sticky kneehigh deep mud in Wellingtons.

Following a traditional lunch of yam and bananas we set off on a medicinal trek around the local area. We were amazed at the variety of medicines that can be made from natural environment. The jungle allowed us the opportuni-

ty to really get to know each other as the dining, socialising and washing area were all under the same roof. The evenings were spent listening and dancing to live Shuar music, accompanied by the sounds of the jungle. I'm not sure the locals were too impressed with our own rendition of 'Jerusalem'. The last day in the jungle provided us with the opportunity to have our first fresh water shower for several days under a magnificent waterfall. However, reaching this waterfall tested our ability to walk over a log suspended several metres above the river with 70 litre backpacks on: 16 across, Gibbo in! Due to the lack of 'modern conveniences', Ben fashioned a 5-star toilet facility out of branches and banana leaves. Although we had been warned about the number of dangerous spiders in Ecuador, we were not expecting to return from a night walk to find a huge poisonous one inside Sophie's and my own mosquito net. What was perhaps even scarier was to be woken in the middle of the night by Sophie's nightmare induced screams to be met by our guide, Jose, wearing only grey baggy y-fronts and Wellingtons, carrying a loaded shotgun poised to shoot a jaguar that was devouring her!

After we left the adventures of the jungle we headed up to Banos (with Ben as the tour guide).

Here we bathed in the natural volcanic waters of Volcan Tungurahua and sampled the traditional sugar cane toffee. These few days gave us some much-needed relaxation time before heading up to Latacunga to start our acclimatisation trek.

This trek involved a few 'interesting' days trekking around the rim of the Quilotoa volcanic crater. However, this time was cut short with the flute blowing Senor Latacunga due to his unusual guiding style. We therefore proceeded to climb Mount Charlie and Mount Brown, so named by Bennett and Gibbo, which were foothills around the town of Zumbahua. This was to be our acclimatisation to prepare us for our peak, Illiniza Norte, standing at a hefty 5,126metres (16,813 feet!). I think the whole group would agree with me when I say that reaching the snow sprinkled summit after climbing uphill for 7 hours (after leaving camp at 4am that morning) was the most difficult yet most rewarding moment of the trip. Especially for Nazeeha, who made a very close friend that day.

The last phase of the trip was rest and relaxation. This involved exploring the local markets in Quito, and a day spent white water rafting down the Rio Colorados. We couldn't have asked for a more superb end to the month-long expedition as we were thrown down the grade 2/3 rapids, jumping in at every opportunity. Our guide, Diego soon impressed Laura with his talk of his captaincy of the national rafting team.

All that is left to say is a big thank you to Paul Harvey, and Mike and Sam Hall; without them such an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience could not have been achieved.

S Hayward

The Peterite 2002-2003

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Ski Trip 2002/2003 - Val Thorens Forty-eight intrepid skiers and snowboarders departed from St Peter's on a chilly December afternoon and headed for France, ready to burn-off many of the extra calories that had been piled on during the many preceding Christmas festivities. The journey to the slopes proved to be as uneventful as usual and the party were pleased to finally arrive 24 hours and 10 videos later in the not-so-picturesque, concrete-jungle of Val Thorens. On seeing the intimate cosiness of our apartments in the Temples du Soleil we realised that we were likely to get to learn a lot more about our room mates in the week ahead.

The morning lessons offered an opportunity for everyone to hone-up on their skills, for the advanced groups to be taken to some very scary and inaccessible slopes by their fearless instructors, and for Piers to gravitate from the intermediate - to the beginner-group. A scrumptious lunch each day in the Grange Restaurant provided us with the necessary fuel to display and develop our alpine talents during the 'free-skiing' sessions in the afternoons. The abundance of snow and lack of visibility on most days created very testing conditions, even for the best of skiers, and so Mr Monteith and Mr Watkinson were often in real trouble (ask Felicity). The upper sixth 'lunatics' (Joe, Duncan, Chris, Pikey et al) revelled in these conditions and we shall miss their on piste air-borne exploits in future trips. All the beginners made splendid progress, and pleasingly by the end of the week, Claire, Marcus and Raife were skiing as fast and 'out of control' as the majority of the party! Andrew B. nearly caused several diplomatic incidents after fracas with foreign nationals, and strangely Richard T. seemed to spend more time in a horizontal position as the afternoons progressed.

Georgie and Laura skied as prettily as ever and managed to keep the boys in check most of the time. As usual Mrs Watkinson assured us that she never fell - although there was a report that someone resembling Mrs W. was seen 'having a strop' whilst stranded on a black run.

Le Sherlock provided the focus for the majority of apres-ski activities in the village and all had a very memorable and merry New Year's Eve. The Grange restaurant served us well throughout the week, although some of the less cultured members of the group never really did get to grips with the French cuisine e.g. the Raclette grill. For what the resort lacked in beauty, it was made-up by the variety of pistes and quality of snow on offer and an excellent time was had by all. A tired, yet ebullient party returned to York after a very challenging but rewarding week in Val Thorens.

Our thanks go to Mr Monteith, Mr ft Mrs Hall and Mr ft Mrs Watkinson for all their hard work during the trip. On behalf of many Peterites, both past and present, we want to express our gratitude to Mr ft Mrs Watkinson for their organisation of many memorable St. Peter's ski trips, on this their last school ski trip.

The Peterite 2002-2003

First World War Battlefields1 Trip 'Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori'. It became apparent in the short time we spent in France and Belgium that this phrase is far from the truth. To experience the tragedy of endless graveyards and monuments, is something that can't be replicated in the text books we read or from history lessons and we came to appreciate the horrors and devastation a war causes.

It was seven o clock on the first day of the Easter holidays when a somewhat tired group of historians set out for a few of the First World War battlefields. The coach journey down was uneventful save for the constant beating of music speakers from all areas of the coach.

Thankfully we were not subjected to Mr Sergeant's dubious taste in music. A quick journey under the Channel via the Shuttle and we were on our way to Arras and the Hotel Moderne.

Eventually, bedraggled and weary, we arrived at our destination. We were thankful to get into our rooms after some food, and amidst one remark of 'it smells so French' we got some well needed sleep.

Early the next morning Mr Hughes came into his own as he guided us through the battle of the Somme. We soon came to appreciate the magnitude of the tragedy of War as we solemnly wandered around perfectly kept graveyards with row upon row of bleak white gravestones.

The number of unnamed gravestones hit us particularly hard with their harsh words of 'A Soldier of the Great War; known unto God' Starting to appreciate the harsh reality of war we moved on to Delville Wood where we learnt the importance of tactics and strategic positioning in winning a battle. Slightly rejuvenated by lunch, our next encounter was the Thiepval monument, which listed the names of some 70,000 missing troops from the battle.

Having seen the hugely impressive Lochnagar crater, giving us an insight into the destruction

mines could cause, we returned to our hotel emotionally and physically drained.

The next day we travelled to Bruges via Vimy Ridge, the sight of a Canadian offensive. The arrival at Bruges brought a look of glee to the faces of the girls, as stereotypically there were many excited whispers of 'shopping'. Bruges was one of the most impressive cities I had been to, with enough Chocolatieres to keep any chocoholic happy.

Tired from the rigours of shopping we arrived at Hotel Oude Abdij (or old abbey) near Ypres. A good sleep later and we set off to the world renowned 'In Flanders Fields' museum. It was truly fascinating, giving us a detailed look at what it must have been like on the battlefield.

The Tyne Cot Cemetery was our next visit and the sheer size of it was incredible. When I first saw the cemetery, I was overwhelmed by the amount of graves I saw there and the grand architectural design of the memorial wall. The cemetery contains 11,000 soldiers graves plus another 34,000 names on the memorial wall.

The cemetery is very much the same as many other British cemeteries but much larger and grander. However it was very different to the German cemetery of Langermarck, which was very dark and gloomy.

A visit to the Essex wood cemetery was the most heart wrenching of them all, looking on a grave of a young soldier no older than ourselves.

Hill 62 provided an insight into what trench life was like, since its trenches had been perfectly preserved and open to the public. The vast network of trenches and tunnels proved great entertainment, however as we began to think back to what they would have been like for the soldiers in the war our mood became sombre.

The perfect end to a terrific trip was catered for by the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate.

From 11 November, 1929 the Last Post has been sounded at the Menin Gate memorial every night and in all weathers. The only exception to

Foreign Travel

this was during the four years of the German occupation of Ypres from 20 May to 6 September 1944. It was deeply moving and an experience that will stay in our hearts for a long time.

Finally after three emotionally draining days we set off home. It was a truly breath taking experience one that all of us who went are thankful for and all the more apposite because of the events in Iraq.

Many thanks to the teachers who shared their knowledge, enthusiasm and time, to guide us through a thought provoking trip.

French Exchange to Brochon October 2002 After weeks of uncertainty about whether or not the French exchange could take place due to safety reasons, a coach full of Peterites, (and not forgetting the one Olavite) armed with sheets of risk assessments, left the horseshoe at 10pm on Monday 14th October. The long journey, dominated by Tom Cruise and card games, ended in the car park of the Stephen Liegard lycee in the village of Brochon at teatime on the Tuesday.

As we sat in the car park waiting for our correspondents, adrenalin was running high. Feelings of nervousness and excitement flooded the coach. The weather was the only comforting thing around being 'typically English' the whole time. When we finally got off we were greeted by our correspondents in the typical French manner with 'the bise' as Mr Hodsdon took reams of photographs. Tom Bartram won the 'best bise' award for being caught on camera with fantastic expression on his face! After saying goodbye, we all went home with our French families for the first time.

in French (and therefore incomprehensible to most of the group), we got to see the work of experienced craftsmen whose skill was shown in the form of a grand marble staircase which ran throughout the entrance hall leading to the first floor. The building was impressive both inside and out, but I thought the elegant paintings on the ceilings made it look more like a cathedral than a boarding house.

The tour over, we returned to the main school, where for most people, this meant two hours of sitting in the cafe, playing cards, before being reunited with our correspondents for the remainder of the day.

We visited many different places on the Thursday in the region of la Bourgogne.' These included an aniseed ball factory, ruins of an old church and a museum displaying old bits and pieces. But the highlight of the day was definitely the trip up a hill to look at the ruins of an old Roman village. While the views were amazing, the weather was not in our favour. It was gale force winds all day. I must commend Sophie Rose for her dress sense on this occasion, wearing only light jacket and a top more suitable for clubbing on a Saturday night in the middle of summer, rather than for walking across French countryside in the middle of autumn.

We returned to school on the Friday for the whole day. This meant settling in the cafe at 8:30am with several packs of cards and lots of money (just for the little essentials from the

vending machines!) The location was ideal, with lots of chairs and tables to play cards. The game 'Nomination' got very serious. Tom Bartram decided to form 3 divisions - 'the premier league', 'division 1' and the 'junior division'! but that's not all, there were even relegations and promotions after each game! Come on Tom, it's only a card game! Everyone was competing for the title of Nominations King, or Queen of course (which, incidentally was won by Gibbo in the end)..

As well as sitting around, we did get to take part in plenty of lessons. This was very interesting as the lessons are so different. They have large class sizes - about 25 in each, and the teacher teaches in a very different way. Each single lesson lasts an hour and, luckily for Hannah, Sarah and me, we only had to face one of the two lessons of 'histoire-geo'. If you think history and geography are boring in english, they are nothing compared to the same thing in french! But, that lesson, we did discover Sarah's popularity with a certain French pupil (of the female gender)!

The first day began relatively early for me, as my correspondent lived so far away from the lycee. We had to take the train, which was an advantage to me as I got to see much of this beautiful region of France, in the pitch black, at 6am!

At the lycee, we started the morning with a tour of the chateau, which stood in the school grounds, and is used as the girls' boarding house.

Despite the tour being The Peterite 2002-2003

Foreign Travel

The day ended for me at 6pm.

After the weekend with our French families, we all met up again on the Monday morning for a visit to a wine cellar in Beaune. After an interesting tour through what seemed like centuries of cobwebs, we finally got to the wine tasting part! We were given the chance to taste 2 wines of the region and a liqueur. Pipp proved that it actually is possible to get very very 'light headed' after drinking what we could have called 3 glasses, but was probably more in the way of 3 mouthfuls!

When the tasting was over, we moved on to the shop, where the upper 6th had the opportunity to buy some of the wine on sale. Moving away from the vintage bottles at 100's of pounds a time, they quickly found the stuff more in their price range. They certainly took advantage of this opportunity, yet I have to say, some did more than others - how many bottles of liqueur does one person need Dave?

Later, after devouring the delights of French school food in another lycee (not an experience I could recommend), we went shopping in Beaune, where Sally Henderson came down with a rare case of hiccups. These 'hiccups' were so unusual that they sounded almost fake, but, like her personality were very loud! If there was a chance of Sally and her voice getting lost before, there certainly wasn't with these 'hiccups'! (This little episode led to her winning the well deserved award for 'funky hiccups').

The final day was the Tuesday, and a trip to la Toison D'or' - a huge shopping centre with shops to satisfy every personality. It was certainly the perfect way to spend 3 hours. A visit to the perfume shop was a mistake for some (or perhaps it was coming out that was the mistake). After trying on every perfume in sight, the lingering smell was not pleasant for everyone around, Pipp!

Before the last Euros had been spent, everyone crowded into the well known, high class eating establishment, known to most as McDonalds! (come on the trip wouldn't have been complete without it). That evening, a reception was held in the chateau for us - Peterites, correspondents, parents and teachers crammed into a room to hear a fantastic speech (in french) by Helen Hildebrand. Then, the teacher of the school gave out prizes to winners of a quiz that was set earlier in the week - Sarah Stefanini won a prize for the best drawing of a polar bear that I've ever seen. Soon after, we were left to clean the plates of food and glasses of champagne that filled an enormous table in the middle of the room.

The Peterite 2002-2003

Next morning I had to wake up at 3AM!! This was a necessity in order to get ready, eat, travel to school and be on the bus for the insane time of Bam! After saying goodbye, we were on the road again. The long homeward journey was enlightened by the annual awards ceremony. As well as the aforementioned, among an endless list were the following:

I just want to say thank you to Mr Hodsdon as the trip could not have taken place without his endless efforts. Similarly to Mrs Rose and Mrs Robinson, who willingly gave up their holiday time for our benefit.

•

The Male chauvinist pig (MCP) award for services to women's rights and just about everything else - Tom Bartram.

•

The best dressed English gentleman award Tobias (for being perfectly dressed at all times)

French Exchange to Selongey October 2002

•

Best (or worst) French accent - Boyley

•

The lovey-dovey, sickly, non-stop couple award - Dave and Pipp (although Duncan and Lizzie came a close second)

Samantha Ford

On Monday 14th October at 10pm nine St Peters pupils and one brave Olavite (who unluckily got left alone when his friend dropped out), along with the 24 other pupils going to Brochon, set off anxiously for France (or not so

Foreign Travel

anxiously, as far as the 4 pupils who were repeating the exchange were concerned). The ferry journey was anything but pleasant, but most people managed to keep what little breakfast they had eaten down. When we finally arrived at Selongey, all the younger pupils met their correspondents for the first time and were taken back into lessons, while the four repeating with the same correspondent stayed in Mr Kruszynski's (the English teacher) classroom, catching up on work, eating and eagerly awaiting the arrival of our correspondents who had been on a field trip all day.

All day Wednesday was spent with correspondents, getting to know them and just generally recovering from our long journey! Then on Thursday we visited an aniseed ball factory, which was highly educational, but only enjoyable for those who like aniseed balls, as well as visiting a Gallic oppidum and some Roman remains. The weather was cold, but sunny and the view from the highest point of the remains was amazing! When it was time to leave, we said goodbye to those returning to Brochon, as we wouldn't see them till Monday, and then returned to our families!

For the next day and a half we attended the French school, while being a brilliant experience, it was also very different and on Saturday afternoon most pupils left having made at least a few French friends if not more in Richard's case! Sunday was spent with correspondents and we all returned to school on Monday with many stories to tell some bad but mostly good!

Then we were taken to Beaune where we visited the familiar wine cellar and then we took a guided tour around Beaune where we learnt that most of the buildings in Beaune have a story to tell. We dined at a local school, where a few people's stomachs were tested by the undercooked meat (by English standards). To end the day we were set loose on the streets of Beaune to shop! (in other words "the younger pupils were allowed time to shop, supervised by members of staff'.. .CAH)

The German Exchange June 2003 At the end of June a party of 46 German pupils from York's twin city, Miinster, arrived in York on a rainy Friday night. Thirteen of these students were hosted by pupils from St. Peter's, and the rest stayed with families of pupils at Huntington School. On arrival at St. Peter's some students thought they had arrived on the film set of a Harry Potter film but soon settled in and were impressed by the warm and friendly welcome they received. Despite the wet weather, an enjoyable time was had by all.

Highlights of the trip were a traditional afternoon tea with Earl Grey tea, sandwiches, cakes, scones and trifle, expertly prepared by Mrs Bainbridge, a day trip to Whitby with the compulsory visit to a fish and chip restaurant and a

game of rounders, which took some explaining but was worth it in the end! For some St. Peter's pupils this was the return visit of their partners and for others it was the first leg of the exchange they are looking forward to completing this summer when it is the school's turn to visit Munster.

Victoria Sugden/ Timothy Dennis

Tuesday arrived and we went shopping at the large complex Toison d'Or (my personal favourite) we stayed there until after lunch and then the Brochon students were dropped off, and we were taken to some caves, unfortunately the river was too low, which meant we could not take the boat trip through the caves, but we killed time by taking a walk around the village, and were very generously each bought an ice cream by Mr Hodsdon! Finally we returned to our houses to pack our bags and say our thank yous and goodbyes!

I think I speak for everyone when I say we all thoroughly enjoyed the trip. I'd like to thank all the teachers who made this trip possible especially after all the trouble with the risk assessment!

Kate Ashworth

The Peterite 2002-2003

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always greeted by the neighbouring provincial farmer who brings wine and olive oil.

I remember I used to dread visiting the house. The car journey was long and tedious and I used to view the countryside with boredom and contempt whilst my parents marvelled at the beautiful landscape of Tuscany.

The house was located on the top of a steep hill in a small remote village and it was hidden by a large cluster of trees. It was square and painted a shade of yellow which contrasted with the dark brown shutters. At least at one point the house had been yellow but now, due to lack of maintenance, the paint had started to peel and the plaster had started to crumble as old age ate away it.

Our family usually come and visit us during our stay and these are the times when I am very happy that my father persisted in his battle to retain ownership of the house. This is because when the house's four walls are struggling to contain the sound of conversation, laughter and music, the house which has shared the joy of so many before us feels alive again.

At these moments I feel the eyes of so many of our ancestors upon us and I know they must be very proud.

The house had been built by my Great Grandfather with the winnings from a bet on a race horse. I had seen paintings of it and I gathered that at one point it had been a social centre for the young and glamorous as grand parties had been held there in the idyllic setting. Yet as a young child I viewed the house as a dated wreck which had begun to wither away; I felt that it had been consumed by its years.

Despite the humid climate when I entered the house I always felt a chill.

The house was constantly dark and gloomy inside as the shutters were always closed, and I felt that there was something forbidding about it.

Vast paintings and stone statues littered the high-ceilinged reception rooms and I felt unable to escape the intense stares of those depicted. Fur coats hung in the cupboards and an oven fuelled by a wood fire sat in the corner of the kitchen. These things added to my sense that everything was frozen in another age.

I used to sit in an armchair next to the rest of my cousins in silence as we listened to my Great Aunt, who occupied the house, clutching my parents' hands and talking to them in a frail Italian voice. We all instinctively feared everything about the house but we felt compelled to sit there obediently. To leave would make you a disgrace. After all, it was a dying woman's wish to have her family by her side. Guilt seemed to take over my mind every time our visit ended. I felt like it would be the last time I ever saw her again but in all my selfishness I did not care. I just wanted to escape from it all.

She died about five years ago but my nuclear family was unable to attend the funeral in Italy. However on our next visit there discussions began on what was to become the fate of the house. My Aunts and Uncles were adamant that it should be sold. They were bitter about the way that in their childhood they had been dragged away from all their friends to spend endless hours locked up inside the foreboding house, and memories of their visits still lingered close to their hearts. However my father, having grown attached to it, was determined that it should be kept in the family.

He bought the house from his siblings three years ago and to my horror I found I was going to return there. Yet, when I returned to the house, it seemed to have changed. I think perhaps it was the fact that I had associated the house with my old Aunt who had grown wretched and miserable because she was so weak and lonely. So as the house began to be restored and cleared of clutter I began to appreciate the beautiful marble stairs and the ornate oak furniture which for so long had been hidden by a thick layer of dust. I also began to feel that maybe one day I too would become attached to the house and its tranquil surroundings and would cherish it.

Now we return twice a year to the house to relax in the harmonious atmosphere. The restoration is still not finished as in our absence the house always gets infested with insects which seem determined to destroy everyone's hard work. When we arrive now each year, the house feels welcoming and familiar. Young flowers blossom in the garden and we are The Peterite 2002-2003

Sarah Stefanini (Lower Sixth)

In the cold room In the cold room, with a steel-barred bed Flanking each wall, they hide the false papers Under the boards. The sound of heavy foreign boots Echo mercilessly down stone halis. They pass.

The mysterious packages from home come every month.

Once, they found a map inside the record's paper disc; They smashed them all to find another. There were none.

It has become a game: they hear one man got out, And make bets among themselves.

Meanwhile, they slice strips from their rubber soles And copy the unfamiliar franks. The trains continue West, towards the small, shy island they call home.

Penny Boxall (V Form)

Paper - A Short Story Here's where we stood. The edge of the cemetery, surrounded by gawping graves that gathered around us like motionless soldiers, inspecting our every move.

My grandfather, Peter Clarkson, and I had come on our annual visit to lay fresh flowers on her grave. Due to distance and busy life styles, the only time we were able to visit was around Christmas - exhaling puffs of white smoke as our hot inner breath condensed in the surrounding air.

The air carried a chill and the atmosphere was bleak. Frozen crisp ground crunched beneath our feet. I rammed my frostbitten hands into my pockets in an attempt to thaw them.

Mary Clarkson 1870-1923 A wonderful wife, mother and friend.

Miss her forever, always in our hearts.

Kneeling down beside the headstone gave me a sudden sense of reassurance. I took a deep breath, trying to hold back any emotions I had trapped inside my teenage cage, whilst tipping out the wilted flowers and replacing them with newly picked chrysanthemums. Reciting the Lord's Prayer, I slowly regained my initial height and looked up at my grandfather, who

Creative Writing

had watched my every move. I smiled back and turned for the tall iron gates, rubbing my hands - at least what I thought were my hands: at this point I couldn't feel a limb on my body. As we approached them, he took my arm and beckoned me to wait a moment. My longing visions of a warm fire and a large cup of my mother's finest cocoa faded out of view.

A Red Dragon Amongst Roses

He perched on the wall which bordered the cemetery. I leaned to his right. He pushed his tweed jacket aside and drew out an aged sheet of paper. Mumbling under his breath, he read what seemed to be a letter.

Not quite hearing what he was saying, I leaned in and took a glimpse at what was written He handed the paper to me. I took it uneasily; although I had a desire to read what was written, a part of me felt like I was intruding his privacy.

He nudged me as if to say "read it". So I did. My grandfather, who was totally illiterate, began to recite what I read.

January 1923.

My dear Peter, My illness came over like an unexpected dark cloud. I

Racism makes me racist; , Hatred makes me hate. .;-\:^f=SL;:;

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have no apprehension, because I have faith, but my only fear is leaving you behind.

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Holty Hughes (V Year)

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Remember to attend church every Sunday and keep the garden in good condition. Take core of Sue and her littl'uns.

Tell them our story.

/^•pp;'-Today: 'v-^rjijpPi : Every last petal : : ; : Fell •;;:•::.: From the rose; ;,.;;:.:;;; :

Be a brave soldier, and always think of the good times.

Will think of you always.

Love lasts forever.

Your Mary

I looked into my grandfather's eyes and he returned a glance at mine. I had never met her, my grandmother; she died when I was young, at the age when rattles amuse you most. I knew their story. I've heard it a thousand times. The garden is always in pristine condition and we attend church dressed up in our glad rags every Sunday, without fail. For a moment I glanced at the letter, and then at him, and back at the letter.

The crimson folds of velvet, Aged by the passage of time, ... Relinquished their hold.

Helen Hildebrand (Upper Sixth)

A Birthday Gift An extract from a story written in the style of M.R. James

I handed it back, which he carefully folded and placed back in his pocket.

We edged towards the welcoming gates; I felt that visiting hours were over. I wondered, "Why did he show me the letter? He had nothing to prove." I smiled to myself; old minds work in mysterious ways.

I smiled at him, as he flung his arm around me. "Tell me the story again, Grandfather."

"Well..." He smiled and shut the gate Arm in arm, we left. Visions of the blazing fire swooped back into view.

Until next year, back to the garden.

Emma Hammill (IV Form)

Female Politics I don't know if she knows that rs^;^ I know that she didn't want me to go, But I know that she wouldn't want me to know.

She'd want me to think that she wanted me to go, But I knew that she knows that, that just isn't so.

Helen Hildebrand (Upper Sixth)

"My story starts the way these things always start. It didn't happen to me, but it did happen. By goodness it did happen, that is for certain."

The women gathered closer together around the flickering fire, their card game abandoned some half an hour before. Mrs Croft had turned her back to them, warming her hands on the fire whilst her quiet voice broke the silence of the dark night.

"Miss Charity Hornsby - not so close to me that I should know her, but not so distant that I shouldn't know of her. A cousin of my close relative's friend, I'm not sure you were acquainted. Well anyway, Miss Hornsby was quite the radiant beauty to be sure. A girl of such refined taste and elegance ne'er had so fine a face.

"Of course, her character, or looks, are of no matter to our story. What concerns us is the February of Miss Hornsby's eighteenth birthday. The story is quite something, I'm sure you'd agree."

One of the women folded her hands nervously on her lap, whilst another pulled her chair closer to the fire. Mrs Croft cleared her throat.

"You know how miserable it is in February. At that time of year the fog rolls down into the valley and encloses each house in its own little world.

It comes right up to every window and door - forcing the people to stay at home waiting for it to clear. Often the fog settles heavy in the valley for hours at a time, and the waiting can become - as some would say maddening.

The Peterite 2002-2003

Creative Writing

"Miss Hornsby arrived in the valley on the eve of her eighteenth birthday.

An uncle and aunt had suggested, since the dear child was their only niece, that her birthday be celebrated at the family home there - a mansion of handsome Georgian build. It is a lovely house, set back from the village by its own large grounds. The first owner planted acre upon acre of exotic trees, and it is often said that such healthy and diverse a range of vegetation is not found anywhere else.

skin crawl. The many sculptures that she had been so entranced by before, now lurked in these shadows, seeming to watch her as she passed them on her way. The windows of the route had been left uncovered, and she walked more briskly as she passed them - for some reason afraid of what could be outside looking in. As she looked through the bay window at the corridor's end, strange shapes seemed to shift and move in the gathering mist...

"Well, she arrived at the door of the Hall, and found the place most beautiful in the setting sun, its windows shining gold in the half-light. It was as she remembered from her last, and only, visit to the Hall. It was a cold February evening, so she made to the doorstep in double-quick time, somewhat annoyed that her cab driver had left her alone. 'Oh I must get home quick Miss,' he'd said 'the horse gets afraid waiting out here.'

Ellie Trotman (III Form)

"Her uncle answered the door himself, and after some friendly talk showed the girl to her room in the west wing. It was such a long walk round, she thought, and surely there were plenty other bedrooms for her to sleep in closer than this? Along passageway after passageway she followed her dear uncle, until she had quite forgotten the way back to the front door - so entranced by the hundreds of tapestries and paintings that lined these walls was she."

It fits no equation And can't be defined, The essential emotion

Is infinitely refined.

Standing alone, Simple and pure.

It heals all wounds, All pain it can cure.

One of the women shivered. Mrs Croft paused to put more coal on the fire.

When she was satisfied, she sat down in a large comfortable armchair and looked around at the women.

Turns black into white,

"I'm sure you know the kind of house I mean, each generation of owners had added to the collection of artefacts that filled each room."

And hearing and sight

One of them nodded, and, seeing that she had her audience's attention, she continued her story.

"Eventually they reached a door at the very end of a long, panelled corridor. The uncle pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the door for his niece. As she walked in, he apologised to her; the room had not been slept in for some time. Well, Miss Hornsby found this a little odd, as you can imagine. It would have been far more practical to make up a bed for her in the main house, rather than this remote wing where none had slept for years. She said nothing about it, but instead thanked her uncle, who proceeded to leave her to prepare to dine with her aunt and uncle that evening.

"No significant incident occurred from that time until the meal that concerns our story, nor did anything odd happen throughout it. It was a threecourse meal, during which Miss Hornsby was delighted to talk in detail to her uncle and aunt about her future plans, and a certain young man who had seemed very eager to dance with her at a recent ball. Likewise, her hosts were eager to discuss her coming of age, how very exciting it was to have such a beauty in the family, perhaps on her way to marriage. These topics and others filled time between the meal and Miss Hornsby's bedtime. That time, after dark, is of great interest to us."

A quiet woman gasped as she caught a finger with her busy needle. She brought the bleeding fingertip to her mouth and put the half-finished embroidery down on a table beside her.

"As you've noticed, things can be easily misjudged in the half-light."

It evolves perception, Messes with the heart,

Helen Hildebrand (Upper Sixth)

Ma Famille Jte vous presente...

Lepere tres litteraire un homme debonnaire et authorataire La mere necessaire menagere et surtout, fiere I

de nous, Lefrere quel mystere!

::£;;j|j;:.!;!i:v

toujours en plein air La soeur

de bonne humeur soprano dans un choeur

The woman shivered at Mrs Croft's words, which had been spoken without a turn of the head; the narrator's gaze fixed on the crackling fire.

et sans peur...

"After getting down from the table, and thanking her hosts for a lovely meal, Miss Hornsby took a candle, and began to make her way back to her bedroom in the west wing. Along her way she had encountered a housekeeper who advised her to take the candle - there were no lights that were left on in those corridors after dark, for 'they would be of no use to anyone down there1. Strange, thought Miss Hornsby, who after some consideration decided that perhaps her uncle had valued her privacy when deciding where to let her sleep. It did, however, still make her feel uneasy knowing she was by herself in the west wing.

La tarite

"Even so, the girl continued to make her way alone. As she passed through the corridors, she found the candlelight to seem feeble in such vast rooms.

It created light, yes, but it also created large black shadows that made her The Peterite 2002-2003

..':. :,.,..;;,;..,.;::;,.

il aime les choses militaires

§ .

c'est moi. amusante!

Hipp:., pour les enfants, une poisson ardente exploratrice ambulante et nourritures appetissantes.

L'onele il ne fait rien, done c'est tout.

By Ellie Trotman - winner of The Arthur Craven Memorial Prize

House Reports 2002 - 2003 Clifton Christmas Term September 2002: thirteen blase third years, one laid back new fourth year, fifty-four curious old-hands and one new Housemaster. It all seemed to come very easily as the Great Egg Race brought the first silverware of the year. Skippered by Qeorgie Robinson, the team outscored their rival with ease. Further success, however, in inter-House competition did not come so easily. Confidence was in no short supply as we started the senior Sevens cup. The First Fifteen were enjoying a tremendous season and Clifton House provided the backbone of the team: Butler, Bevan, Garnett, Delaney, Hodsdon, Kemp and King plus Scott from the Seconds and Butler and Slower from the 16s were a squad full of talent, though injury robbed us of Kemp on the day. It was The Grove, however, who robbed us of the cup in an exciting final. The girls Hockey provided another opportunity for success and, with the first team captain Heaps and other regulars in Robinson, Wainaina and Taylor, we should have been more confident than we were, finally finishing third. Nor did we win the girls Cross-country, though this probably came as less of a surprise. However, Laura Heaps (6th in the Seniors) and Helen Buss (10th, Juniors) deserve our congratulation.

The junior boys finished 6th in their competition, though Nick Jennings finished a creditable 6th boding well for next year's run. John King was our big hope for the swimming but an injury from rugby cost us dear.

Chris Garnett was our best finisher, coming second in the senior breaststroke.

nightmare! Seriously, we would no doubt have slaughtered our opponents were it not for the vicious attack on the Head of House! (We later lost in a very close replay.) The junior girls were placed in a tough group with Dronfield and The Rise and lived down to their own expectations.

However, the swimming proved more successful, finishing fourth overall, with Rebecca Jacobs winning the junior backstroke and Hannah Lloyd the senior backstroke.

With no more silverware on display it was left to our more cultured members to display their skills. The Music Festival saw four Cliftonites win their respective categories; Robyn Webster (Brass), Angelina Warburton (Strings), Tom Wright (Brass) and Alex Woodrow (Keyboard) performed splendidly as did Chris Wordie who was Highly Commended for his singing.

Good luck to Alex next year on his appointment as Music Secretary.

Summer Term

Of course sport is only one of the many opportunities our pupils have outside of the classroom. Indeed, my personal highlight of the Christmas term was undoubtedly the performance of Guys and Dolls. All the pupils and staff involved deserve congratulating for such wonderful entertainment.

It was particularly good to see Matthew Hodsdon, Claire Taylor and Hannah Lloyd so obviously enjoying themselves.

Easter Term The junior Sevens proved less successful than their elders, though with Messrs Hustler, Rounding, Holmes, Hall and Jennings all stalwarts of the U14 XVs aspirations will be different next year. Wordie, Nicholson and Mannion represented the U15 B XV. The junior House Hockey saw little improvement, but Harry Hustler and Matthew Hall must be congratulated on their part in the excellent U14XI. The seniors fared much better under the leadership of Matthew Hodsdon and finished as runners up. Our senior Netball was always going to be strong with a squad of Lloyd, Slee, Hanly, Heaps, Taylor, Robinson, Rounding and Head of House Ruth Wainina and the final was always likely to be against The Grove. Later in the report I will thank Ruth Wainaina for her work this year. However, suffice it to say that Ruth's "performance" in the final provided me with my worst

As is now the custom, the summer term began with the Beverley 10k sponsored run. Congratulations to Natalie Hodge, Ellie Burton and Tom Chambers and I would like to thank all members of the House who sponsored me. Soon after came the House Dinner, a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I hope that my speech about character and characters gave the pupils some idea of my ethos and hopes for the House.

The junior Cricket started positively, bowling out eventual winners Queens for only 46. However, only James Rounding with 17 not out responded with any degree of application and we were bowled out for 33. Though there was no senior competition, Matthew Hodsdon and Henry Scott represented the First XI in what proved to be one of the most successful seasons on record. The girls had less success in the Rounders, being the strongest team only in that the final table shows them holding up all the other teams!

The Peterite 2002-2003

House Reports

Dronfield "So long, farewell, aufWiedersehen, adieu..."

The Sound of Music This year will long be remembered for its good-byes. Some left us either temporarily or permanently as a result of wrongdoing. Some left because St Peter's could no longer offer them what they needed. Others left because they were unhappy. The hardest farewell came when Hannah passed away and we were left with a great feeling of emptiness. She is honoured elsewhere in this magazine.

Sports day did bring some individual successes - Robyn Webster in the Shot and Jono Kemp in the senior Discus and Long jump - but little on a team level. Thus it had been some time since silverware had been lifted; indeed since the Great Egg Race in September. Enter Chris Garnett. The captain of Tennis enjoyed a hard fought victory against James Ellis of The Grove to win the Alcuin Cup and finish the year on a good note. The Grove did seem to get the better of us on some occasions this year so it was about time they were put in their place!

Term ended on a positive note with Terry Waite's inspirational speech in the Minster. Clifton was very well represented amongst the prize winners.

Esme Telfer's hard work and achievement and Sophie Wright's musical talent were rewarded. I was delighted that Robyn Webster and Ruth Wainaina shared the Barry Daniel Award for their two very different but equally exciting ventures. Chris Garnett, Ralph Pelleymounter and Ruth were awarded prizes for sixth form subjects. Outstanding academic achievements continued as results were received in August. My congratulations to all the Upper Sixth as they enter the next stage of education.

Remember: school is a mere platform from which you are projected into the stratosphere of life! Ruth is one of the hardest-working students I've met at St Peter's and she proved to be an excellent Head of House, embodying the kind of spirit needed in a day house. I could not have asked for a better person in my first year in the House and I would like to wish her and all of her peers good luck as they leave the school. Best wishes also to Daniel Lightwing and Tom Chambers at the College and to Will Butler on his defection to the other side.

I would like to finish by conveying my thanks to a superb team of tutors I am very lucky to have you. We all missed Mr Peter Taylor this year and look forward to having him back with us as soon as possible. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first year in the House, easily the most enjoyable year I've had in teaching. That fact is, of course, down to you all.

PC Taylor

The Peterite 2002-2003

This year should also be remembered for winning. Three Dronfield girls won honours at Commemoration for their academic achievements. Yayra, Kathryn and Iris must have been very proud to receive their rewards from such an eminent personality as Terry Waite.

In the field of sport the Juniors showed real strength, determination and commitment. They stormed to victory in the netball (goals for: 55, goals against: 2!) and just held out in the rounders, pipping Temple on rounders difference. Without a doubt the bond between Yayra, Harriet, R J, Lorna, Catherine, Kate, Emma, Laura, Fliss and Holly R helped us to victory, whether on the actual field of play or on the sideline shouting encour-

House Reports

agement. That kind of support was also evident in the Hockey tournament where Emma, as a Third Former, showed her strength and willingness to get stuck in. The badminton also provided the opportunity for Juniors and Seniors to work together and Amanda, Kris, Lorna and Catherine did so to bring yet another victory to Dronfield. In the squash the same four also brought more silverware to the House.

As the first term drew to a close Catherine, Kathryn, Marie and Holly H all threw themselves into the School production of 'Guys and Dolls', an energy-packed show of song and dance.

The willingness to participate showed itself among the Seniors, too, even in events that they might not always participate in. Thus Daisy, Amanda, Aimee, Marie and Vivian played in the Senior Netball competition. Peggy

and Iris swam in the heats of the swimming competition and Rosemary completed the cross-country course. These may have been somewhat unfamiliar roles, but they are winners by furthering their self-development.

Much more goes on in School and House than has been summarised here.

And all the girls in the House have done far more than has been documented in this report. My apologies, therefore, for trying to keep this review as short as possible.

No house can succeed without a hierarchy of some description. This year Rosie and Fliss shared the role of Head of House. It is no easy task to share responsibility but Rosie and Fliss's greatest success was their 'Ant and Dec' review of the year at the House Dinner - a great blend of timing and good humour without recrimination.

I extend my thanks again to the tutors Miss Hall, Mrs Houghton, Mr Darmody and Mr Shread. As always, and never sufficiently I extend my thanks to Claire. But I shall finish as I started with farewell. Firstly to the Upper Sixth leavers. Rosie, Daisy, Fliss, Peggy and Iris have offered companionship and example throughout their time in Dronfield and we wish them well in the next stage of their careers. Lastly we extend our very best wishes to Miss Bass who goes on to teach in Bath. Her enthusiasm, energy and directness will be greatly missed by everyone in the House.

I leave you with these words which I first heard sung by Mica Paris: There's no greater sin than missing your chance when it's staring right at you...

M J Grant

The Pcterite 2002-2003

House Reports

The Grove The year has zoomed past in a whirl of diverse achievement for the house.

I have been amazed at the Grovites' stamina and the sheer variety of activities in which they are involved, whether academic, sporting, musical or dramatic, and all with exuberance and flair.

In autumn fourteen lively III years, and Richard Fautley (LVI) joined the house, all of whom quickly made their mark. The Great Egg Race was the first of many house team events - after a promising practice session our catapult came lost! Luckily Grove house honour was redeemed in style when our competitive spirit was put to the test on the sports pitch for the senior rugby Vll's. A strong team, formed mainly of 1st or 2nd XV players, and ably captained by Harry Simpson, led us to an exciting final victory against Clifton (24 -7). The boys' hockey team got through to the finals although were beaten into second place. The girls matched these successes with a second place in house hockey, and they won a hard-fought final in the senior netball (again against Clifton, 13-9). Lara Gibbs ran a record beating time in the Girls' Cross Country and overall we also clinched the seniors' competition, with Laura Mclntyre (senior event), and Sophie Cuthbertson (junior event) both finishing in the top five. The girls also gained a very creditable second place in the House Badminton (Alex Kaars-Sijpesteijn, Charlotte Alpin, Lucy Collier, Pippa Bailey and Chloe Burns). The House Swimming was not an auspicious event for either the boys or girls. However Amy Taylor did well to win two events and Pipp Saul-Harrah and Sam Ford also swam well. Jake Troughear and Matthew Naughton should be particularly commended for gamely being the mainstays of their team, both swimming in over three events each!

In the summer the girls secured the house tennis cup, with Lucy Collier and Alex Kaars-Sijpesteijn as 1st pair an unbeatable combination, and James Ellis only narrowly lost in the Alcuin Cup final. The end of the sport-

ing year culminated with the girls' victory in the House Athletics, with Pippa Bailey, Alex Kaars-Sijpesteijn, Sophie Cuthbertson, Sam Ford, Charlotte Alpin and Lara Gibbs winning their events and Lara claiming the title Victrix Ludorum too. The boys also put up a good show, with event wins for Andrew Moroney, Harry Simpson and Jake Troughear, and a brilliant display of teamwork and speed in the senior relay.

It would be fair to say that this has been the year for the senior members of the house in terms of winning competitions. The juniors will have a lot to live up to in house sport in years to come! However all Grove teams have been well supported and everyone who has taken part has done so with sportsmanship (even when losing!). We continue to have strong CCF presence in the house especially in LVI who took on new position of responsibility. The Grove rowers also deserve a mention as although they are not tested in any interhouse competition they assure me that they would win if one existed, and they have continued to show enthusiasm and dedication to achieve their best, come rain or shine!

On the music front we continue to go from strength to strength with Grove providing more school choir members than any other House (when they remember to turn up!). In the Music Festival in February, Alice Scruton and Pippa Bailey were 'Highly Commended' in their Junior Woodwind and Strings sections respectively, and Sophie Ottewell won Senior Strings. Grovites were keen to get a taste of the limelight in 'Guys and Dolls'. Most notably, Sarah Crompton was the perfect example of demure charm as Sarah Brown, and Ran Harrison and Pipp Saul Harrah made suitably virtuous and tuneful Salvation Army members. Grove also managed a strong line-up in the Talent Show - we were all impressed by the IV year girls' 'Dirty' dancing, and Matthew Naughton's duet with Joe Venables was stunning. And who will ever forget Richard Fautley's 'David Brent' dance!

At the end of the Easter term the House Dinner was well attended and much enjoyed. Tom Downey's manly display of arm wrestling against John Ramsden won the coveted romantic table for two for himself and Pippa Bailey. James Gibbon's speech was illuminating on the habits of the Upper VI contingent over their school years, much of which is unrepeatable in this publication!

As the summer public exams and study leave loomed it was sad to start to lose the Upper VI. This year has included a distinguished list of Grove school monitors, with Lucy Collier, Harry Simpson, Tom Boyle, Toby Pring and James Gibbon. I thank James also for fulfilling his role as Head of House with tact and maturity. The day-to-day working style of the Upper VI has not always been exemplary (especially those in the downstairs common room who read the Daily Mirror as their main textbook)! However they can all be proud of themselves for their excellent sets of A level results. Between them they have gained places on some very competitive university courses, in particular, Laura Mclntyre and James Gibbon are both off to

The Peterite 2002-2003

r House Reports

Linton The peaceful calm of summer in Linton was abruptly replaced on the first Sunday of term by the noise and bustle of 42 keen and energetic boys. The 7 new boys in the third form and 3 in the lower sixth were warmly welcomed by the rest of the house. The camaraderie and good spirit displayed by the boys was apparent from the first day of term and it didn't take long for many of the diverse range of lively characters within the house to make their presence felt by all, for example: Will Smith - with the loudest voice in the world; Stephen Blackman - who seemed to be a female magnet; Archie Dallas - with his love of hunting and other activities using green wellies; Dominic Clough - who seemed to enjoy being a 'naughty boy1; Andy Ma - with his aversion to time-keeping and love of Mariah Carey; Joe Clarke - with his love of all things agricultural; Paul Rushton who makes too much noise (S.M.S.); Andrew Black - just generally being himself; Shuo Shang - with his love for Maths, Physics and Boyzone songs; Josh Bennett - with his love of all academic work, and Alex Mullings with his immense musical talent.

Cambridge, and Andrew Moroney and Toby Pring will read Medicine. As they all finish their long and eminent careers at St. Peter's we wish them every success as they start university or gap years (most notably Sarah Fishley has intrepid plans to teach in China). I am sure they will all make the most of the many new opportunities that life has in store for them.

We are also saying farewell and good luck to Bryony Tallack, Lizzie Wallam, Sarah Dabbs and Nardair Arjomandkhah who all leave to go to new schools.

Having started my first year as Housemistress of the Grove with feelings of slight trepidation, I can now honestly say that I have enjoyed the experience, and have been impressed by the friendly and welcoming atmosphere.

I thank all the house tutors for their hard work, patience and support in what has been a busy twelve months.

E Ellis

These boys, along with the rest of the house worked hard together to contribute towards the success experienced by the house throughout the year.

The Junior boys beat the other 6 houses to win the Junior Cross Country, with Tom Lloyd finishing in 5th place out of 108 competitors. We finished a close second in the Great Egg Race, but alas, the catapult, resembled the members of our team a little too closely - with too much energy, but lacking a little in direction. In the inter-house swimming, the house qualified for 14 of the 28 finals, but unfortunately we only gained a podium place in 3 of these races, placing the house in 5th position - I fear the previous night's house dinner had taken its toll, particularly on the sixth form. The House fared much better on the rugby pitch and both the Senior and Junior boys teams just lost narrowly in two tightly contested finals.

Andrew Chalmers and Tom Woolsey were selected to represent Yorkshire in rugby at Under-18 and Under-16 level respectively. Tom went on to represent England in a series of international matches, and both boys were awarded rugby caps and House colours in recognition of their tremendous achievement. The demands of external exams restricted the opportunities available for inter-house activities in the summer term, but we had 2 notable victories in the inter-house Athletics: Jimmy Cheng in the Senior Javelin, and Tom Woolsey over 800m. Elsewhere, there appears not to be a wealth of musical talent within the house, but Andrew Black, Paul Middleton-Walker and Archie Dallas did their bit (when they remembered to turn-up). I hope the remaining and future house members will work hard to fill these voids in our repertoire of talents.

These achievements of the house were matched by much honest endeavour within the classroom, which resulted in some splendid exam results.

The Peterite 2002-2003