Creative & Cultural

Drama

THE TEMPEST

Fourteen pupils performed a 30-minute version of The Tempest at the Victoria Hall Theatre in Halifax on October 16. Their play was presented alongside the work of three other schools. This is the fourth year that St Peter’s have taken part in the Shakespeare Schools Festival and it is an excellent opportunity to get experience of working in a professional theatre, meet people in the industry and see three other shortened plays. Elliot Millman designed the lighting and operated the desk himself at the theatre.

‘Congratulations to the cast and crew of St Peter’s School on their wonderful performance of The Tempest. This was an accomplished and original production, and I’d like to highlight a few key elements which really stood out for me.

Firstly, I was so impressed by the storytelling in this production. This was a filmic, humorous and detailed retelling of this story, with so many fantastic moments to enjoy. From Ferdinand (Peter Konstantynov) and Miranda’s (Ella Huckvale) sweetly choreographed and elegantly performed duets, to Caliban’s (Ewan Henworth) brilliant vocal choices as he emerged from the bin, and ‘Prospera’ (Holly Drake) and Ariel’s (Milly Gray) intriguing power struggles, the company created a rich and vivid world.

The acting in this production was excellent – committed, thoughtful and showing a real engagement with Shakespeare’s words.

I would also like to applaud this company for their work as an ensemble. They worked brilliantly as a team, supporting each other on stage. I loved the shipwreck, orchestrated by Ariel – a great ensemble moment which shifted perspectives quickly! I would like to applaud this cast for the touches of comedy which they brought to the story too – I liked the confusion of those discovering the island!

I would also especially like to commend this cast on their hard work, enthusiasm and concentration on performance day. They were very professional, and also very positive, and particularly supportive of their fellow performing schools too. They were bold and energetic onstage and connected with the audience so that those watching could enjoy your wonderful retelling of this story. This show was contemporary, vibrant and original. A huge congratulations to all the cast and crew who made it happen. I hope to see St Peter’s School in the Festival again in 2016.’

Freddie Machin, Shakespeare Schools Festival Venue Director

ECLIPSE

Eclipse by Simon Armitage was written for National Theatre Connections. This is a nationwide festival which gives young people the experience of engaging with new writing and performing in a professional theatre. St Peter’s performed their version of Eclipse at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds on April 29.

Eclipse begins as six friends (Felix Fraser-Krauss, Ewan Henworth, Freddie Cowman-Sharpe, Rosie McLeish, Shania Wong, Elliot Millman) are interviewed by police over the disappearance of Lucy Lime (Farah Mackenzie du Lieu.) The group of six meet beneath the cliffs on a Cornish beach to watch a total eclipse of the sun. There they meet a stranger, Lucy Lime, who mysteriously disappears in the darkness.

Edith Norvor was the assistant director, Joe Raper was the lighting designer and Mathis Piquiot was the on-stage sound designer.

‘A clear and imaginative production of the play, rising to the challenges of its poetic text and making some bold staging decisions. The characters’ eccentricities were brought vividly to life and the audience was drawn in to the strange world they inhabit. Each performer has evidently put effort into identifying with their character and there is not a weak link in the ensemble. The cast demonstrated considerable skill in delivering such complex text with such clarity of storytelling.’

Matthew Evans, National Theatre Director

THE CRUCIBLE

Set in the oppressive religious community of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible is arguably Arthur Miller’s most famous play. This damning indictment of the dangers of moralistic mass hysteria was brought to life by a cast of exceptional talent and commitment. All worked extremely hard to bring this challenging work to the stage, but particular praise is due to Eve Bracken, as teenage temptress Abigail Williams, Toby Johnston as her uncle, the cowardly Reverend Parris, and Jack Hargrave as the ruthless judge, Danforth. Pitted against them in the battle for Salem’s soul were George O’Neill, as well-intentioned zealot Reverend Hale and Amelia Bell as long-suffering housewife Elizabeth. Marcus Thomson played her husband, the everyman hero, John Proctor, in a portrayal we thought remarkable

for any actor, let alone a 16-year-old studying for his GCSEs at the same time, so congratulations to him. This especially multi-faceted, pathos-ridden and poignant role was the jewel in the crown of an electrifying performance by the entire cast and crew.

THE ODYSSEY

This year’s middle school production was The Odyssey. This version of the play was reworked by playwright Hattie Naylor and the epic journey was condensed into one and a half hours on stage. The cast and crew of 39 made this an energetic, vibrant and colourful performance. The traverse staging captured the sense of journey, with a boat at one end complete with billowing sail and the constant reminder of Odysseus’ home, Ithaca, where Penelope, played by Rachael Hartley, patiently waited. Odysseus was played with maturity, authority and good humour by Joe Raper. His encounters along the way were presented to the audience by larger-than-life characters, for example the cheese-eating Cyclops played by Ollie Coulthard and crew, and the mysterious and calculating Circe by Farah Mackenzie du Lieu. Meanwhile on Mount Olympus, Zeus was played powerfully and inventively by Felix Fraser-Krauss. This production had three fates who knitted their way through the action – these were Vicky Amsden, Anna Geddes and Ellie Spencer – omnipresent and narrating the long journey to the audience. The eclectic live music from talented musician and singer Rosie McLeish underscored the production beautifully.

AS-level

ADULT CHILD/DEAD CHILD

Adult Child/Dead Child by Claire Dowie was originally written as one long monologue. It begins with a child who feels unloved. Growing up they are twisted by the world as they see it and feel unable to be understood by people. As a teenager the protagonist gets in trouble at home and school and when she leaves home suffers from mental illness – with a positive ending. As we see the main character predominantly at three different ages in her life – aged eight, as a teenager and as a young adult – the monologue was split accordingly. Christina Faeh was expressive and childlike as she told the audience about her defining childhood experiences, Edith Norvor embodied the angry teenager with sincerity and tension and Yana Martirosova found the instability and vulnerability as she took us forward into the hospital and bedsit.

The protagonist is not even given a name and with no specific character, stage directions or set ideas the text offered the group freedom. They worked tightly together as an ensemble, making excellent use of physicality to illustrate the stories and keeping a compelling pace. The protagonist addresses the text directly to the audience and therefore the piece was performed in traverse to allow the actors to connect more intimately. The studio was transformed by a set which represented a child’s playground, linking to the title Adult Child/Dead Child as she carries her childhood with her throughout.

GOD OF CARNAGE

God of Carnage by Yasmina Reza is a modern-day twist on the comedy of manners. It had its premiere in 2006, and has enjoyed productions all around the world, in a variety of different languages. It was also made into a motion picture, Carnage, directed by Roman Polanski. The play is a scathing examination of contemporary urban haut-bourgeois society; this play exposes the fragility of the ‘veneer of civilisation’. Vee and Michael Farnham (Eve Bracken and Matthew Ramalingam) invite Anne and Alec Radley (Amelia Bell and Toby Johnston) round to their house ‘in the spirit of cooperation’ to discuss a playground fight between their sons. However, the two couples degenerate into childish bickering and bitter infighting. The audience was invited round too, with ‘ringside seats’ in the living room for the series of angry remonstrations. Realism was key and the Memorial Hall stage was dressed with furniture and props to immerse the audience fully in the action of the play. Amelia as Anne was initially reserved, showing polite interest in the coffee-table books and apologising often, but after a glass of wine or two she grew bolder eventually throwing her husband’s phone into a jug of water. Toby as Alec had spent a large proportion of his time on the phone, loudly discussing his business with disregard for those around him, but as his phone was taken his confident strides and overbearing presence was lost as he sat crumpled on the floor in horror. Eve as Vee on the surface was a gracious and welcoming hostess sincerely trying to resolve the situation, but however dealt blows in her subtext to the others around her, including her husband. Matthew as Michael tried to keep everybody calm, but after he was accused of murdering the hamster took to the whisky and retaliated.

The sophisticated performances by the four actors made God of Carnage an entertaining rollercoaster to watch. We may laugh at the antics of these well-heeled urbanites, but to what extent does this performance hold a mirror up to our own selves?

GCSE

The exam board asked GCSE pupils to respond to the stimulus of ‘consequences’. Each group created a unique and imaginative take on this stimulus:

THE LANGUAGE OF THE UNHEARD

Using verbatim text, physical theatre and projection to explore the consequences of police shooting a man & giving no answers.

Marcus Dobson, Amber Enoch, Spencer Ingall

EVERY MOMENT COUNTS

Using storytelling from different perspectives to explore the consequences of losing memories.

Rebecca Green, Ella Huckvale, Amber Rose, Lauren Moir

THE LOST HOUR

Using multi-role-playing and two contrasting worlds to explore the consequences of not taking the medication you need.

Tom Cowans, Martha Horner, Tom Lister

EVER AFTER

Blending well-known fictional love stories with real life to explore the consequences of falling in love.

Kitty Clapham, Holly Drake, Oscar Hales, Marcus Thomson MAN UP

Using research and real life and physical theatre to explore the consequences of having less stigma surrounding mental health

Nathan Goyea, Jack Hargrave, Charlotte Hollinrake, Jodi Smith

THE LUMP

A brave piece with poignant moments exploring the consequences of breast cancer.

Maddie Hunter, Peter Konstantynov, Lydia Palmer

SPARKS’ WORLD FAMOUS CIRCUS

The dramatization of a real life story when an elephant was hanged in 1916 in Tennessee exploring the consequences of working with wild animals

Charles Barry, Lucy Butters, Maddie Day, Will Farr

TEECHERS

A comedy with multi-role-playing exploring the consequences of leaving school.

Max Auty, Charlie Hudson, Ollie Hughes

Miss Helen Lindley

Art at St Peter’s

A selection from the 2015-16 Annual Exhibition of pupils’ Art

Music

Instrumental and Singing Examinations 2015-2016

The pupils have produced another excellent set of results in their instrumental and singing examinations over the course of this year. We congratulate the following on achieving the highest grade:

Grade 8 Beth Hartley Johnny Lau Zoe Stone Saxophone Flute Flute

Eve Adcock Tom Collinson Steph Frankland Jessica House

Singing Merit Singing Merit Flute Merit Piano Merit Georgia Legg Recorder Merit Concetta Scrimshaw Piano Merit Isabella Crook Singing Distinction Felicity Edwards Harp Distinction Daniel Kondratiev Piano Distinction Sam Lightwing Singing Distinction Jack McCartney Singing Distinction Jack McCartney Violin Distinction Helena Reeds Singing Distinction Concetta Scrimshaw Singing Distinction Sam Stanford Clarinet Distinction

In addition to these Grade 8 results, the following two pupils achieved diplomas during the year. These are outstanding achievements for secondary school pupils: Durham Evensong

The Chapel Choir travelled to the beautiful cathedral in Durham on Monday 16 November to sing Evensong. It is always an atmospheric place to visit and the acoustics of the building are very supportive to singing. The choir performed an ambitious programme, including Wood’s evening canticles in F, written for the choir of King’s College, Cambridge. The anthem was Bullock’s Give us the wings of faith, which helped to mark St Margaret’s Day, and the choir sang this with real assurance and enjoyment. I was grateful to my colleague Keith Wright for his playing. The organ in the cathedral is one of the finest instruments in the country and it was a joy for the choir to sing with such a colourful and rich accompaniment throughout the service.

Stephanie Frankland ATCL Clarinet Performance Max McLeish DipABRSM Trombone Performance

Autumn Concert

This was a very good start to the academic year. The Chapel Choir had prepared the Magnificat in F by Wood, a work written for double choir in eight parts, and they sang this with warmth and confidence. There were a number of assured solo performances, with a beautiful unaccompanied Bach Gigue played by Max McLeish on the cello and an impressive account of the third movement of Crussell’s Clarinet Concerto performed by Steph Frankland. Concetta Scrimshaw and Tom Collinson also performed solo songs, producing some lovely sounds. In between these solo items, our smaller chamber groups played a wide variety of repertoire, including a Spanish Romance played by the Guitar Group, Puccini’s Crisantemi performed by the Senior String Quartet and the virtuosic Ludwigstanz by Butterworth from our Clarinet Choir. The Chamber Choir were on superb form, with a particularly fine performance of Tippett’s arrangement of Steal Away and the Barbershop and Swing Band closed the evening with some enjoyable items that were warmly received by the audience of around 150 present.

Carol Service

The service began this year with a beautiful solo verse of Once in Royal David’s City and the choirs and brass ensemble supported the congregation fully in joyful hymn singing throughout. The lessons were read clearly by pupils, staff and governors and the three choirs sang a wide range of carols, from the Chamber Choir’s

nimble account of Ding, Dong Merrily on High to the School Choir’s Still, Still, Still, sung in German. The Chapel Choir’s performance of Bethlehem Down by Peter Warlock was a particular highlight. We marked the passing of David Willcocks, who was for many years organist of King’s College, Cambridge, by singing a number of his arrangements during the service. It is always a privilege to be in the majestic surroundings of the Minster to celebrate Christmas and to continue the long historical link between our two institutions.

Christmas Concert 2015

The Wind Band provided a festive opening to the show this year with Themes from The Snowman by Howard Blake in a wellcrafted arrangement that was performed with lots of dynamic variation. The String Orchestra then played three movements from Grieg’s Holberg Suite, with some lovely solo moments and musical phrasing from the ensemble throughout. Fleur Booth and Izzy Crook produced exquisite singing in their Flower Duet by Delibes,

exchanging parts over the two nights, and the choir closed the first half with Andrew Carter’s joyful arrangement of Angelus ad Virginem. The second half moved into cabaret format with a strong lead from the Swing Band and polished and enjoyable performances from the Barbieshop, Barbershop and Chamber Choir. Millie Grant and Jack McCartney delighted the audience with a characterful rendition of Baby it’s cold outside and Rosalind Tait’s singing of Losing my mind by Sondheim provided a wonderfully still and

engaging contrast to the swing items. Our School Choir of 165 students then finished the show with a really warm performance of a medley from Oliver.

My sincere thanks go to all the staff and students who participated in the performances and to those who supported them.

Whole Foundation Concert

We staged the first of what we hope will now be an annual Whole Foundation Concert on Thursday 11 February. This involved choirs and instrumental ensembles from all three schools. The evening began with a warm, lively performance of two songs from the choir of Clifton Pre-Prep School and this was followed by some accomplished playing by the St Olave’s School String Orchestra and Jazz Band. The St Olave’s Chapel Choir were in fine form with two contrasting songs and we finished the first half with a joint performance of You’ve got a friend in me accompanied by the St Peter’s Swing Band! In the second half, various ensembles from St Peter’s performed a wide range of music from Haydn to Herbie Hancock. It was a hugely enjoyable and valuable evening, bringing together the whole family of St Peter’s to make music in a packed Memorial Hall.

Senior Music Festival

We heard nearly 100 performances this year in the rounds and this was such a positive indication of the enthusiasm and commitment that the fifth and sixth form have for their music-making.

The final was adjudicated by Gareth Green, a senior examiner for the Associated Board and a former Director of Music at QEGS, Wakefield. There were enjoyable and high-quality performances throughout the evening and the winners of the various categories were as follows:

Boys’ Singing: George Pindar Woodwind: Steph Frankland Girls’ Singing: Isabella Crook Guitar: Joshua Ramalingam Drum Kit: Samuel Raper Brass: Max McLeish Strings: Max McLeish Piano: Max McLeish

The overall winner of the Senior Music Festival Prize was Max McLeish for a virtuosic performance of Pryor’s Fantastic Polka on the trombone.

Evensong at Jesus College, Cambridge

On Tuesday 1 March the Chapel Choir travelled down to Cambridge for a joint Evensong service with the internationally renowned choir of Jesus College. Their choral scholars met our pupils for tea and showed them around the college before a joint rehearsal in the chapel, led by their Director of Music, Mark Williams. The service was a great success, with a fabulous sound from the two choirs throughout. The repertoire was challenging, with Kenneth Leighton’s Responses, Francis Jackson’s Evening Service in G and Stanford’s beautiful motet Beati quorum via.

Director of Music, Paul Miles-Kingston said: ‘It was a great privilege to be with the Jesus College choir for this service and I was delighted to be able to direct the canticles

composed by former Minster organist Francis Jackson, which brought a little of York with us. Our pupils were really warmly received and had a wonderful experience.’

Minster Concert 2016

This year we began with a special commission from Dr Richard Shephard, who had kindly re-scored five movements of his Music from the Millennium Mystery Plays for our Wind Band. This première performance was directed by Iain Harrison and gave us a special start to the concert, as well as linking into the Minster’s overall theme for their events this year. There were four contrasting movements for the full band, which numbers 65 pupils this year, as well as an atmospheric chamber movement with solo parts for clarinet and bassoon, which were played beautifully by Steph Frankland and Peter Gray.

Our Deputy Head Boy, Max McLeish, then played Albrechtsberger’s Concerto for Alto Trombone, supported by an orchestra made up of pupils, old Peterites, academic and music staff under the direction of Keith Wright. Max produced a very well controlled performance, full of musical maturity and flair and this was rightly acknowledged by a very warm reception from the audience at the end.

To finish the School Choir and Choral Society sang Haydn’s well-

crafted setting of the Stabat Mater with orchestra and a quartet of soloists featuring two members of our singing teaching staff, Paul Gameson and Wendy Goodson. The choir responded so well to the technical demands of the choral writing and delivered a polished performance.

Junior Music Festival Final

This was an enjoyable evening of music-making with an appreciative audience of parents, friends and staff. We had heard 94 performances in the rounds over four days and 26 were put through to the final. Our adjudicator this year was Dr Alasdair Jamieson, a teaching fellow at Durham University and conductor of both York Opera and York Symphony Orchestra.

The winners of the categories were as follows: Girls’ Singing: Rosie McLeish, with Ellie Miles-Kingston highly

National Concert Band Festival

Our Swing Band were awarded a Platinum Award in the Senior School Big Band class at the national final of the National Concert Band Festival this year. This is the highest award available in the largest concert band festival in the UK. Only seven senior school big bands progressed through to the national finals, which took place at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on Saturday 9 April.

The Swing Band played with great control and musicality throughout and received warm praise from adjudicator Pete Churchill, who is Professor of Jazz Composition at the Royal Academy of Music:

‘I just love this band. This is great ensemble playing with evidence of serious rehearsal and attention to detail. This really feels like a band ‘played in’, all serving the music.’ We were one of only two bands in our class to achieve the Platinum Award at the National Finals, placing our band amongst the very best in the country for this year and this recognition is so welldeserved for a group of pupils who worked incredibly hard to produce a very fine performance.

commended Piano: Eleanor Spencer Brass: Harriet Edwards and Elfreda Cowman-Sharpe were joint winners Drum Kit: Sam Gowland Harp: Lily Kirkby Guitar: Adam Dalton Woodwind: Ellie Miles-Kingston, with Grace Freshwater highly commended Boys’ Singing: Mathis Piquiot, with Daniel Hicks highly commended Strings: Rosie McLeish, with Daniel Hicks highly commended

The winner of the Junior Music Festival Prize for the outstanding performance of the evening went to Lily Kirkby for her lyrical performance of Pistache by Andrès on the harp.

Cabaret

It was a fun and varied show this year, providing an emotional farewell for our upper-sixth leavers. The Swing Band provided the backbone for much of the performance, continuing with the fine form that carried them to such success in the National Concert Band Festival this year. The soloists all sang and played with maturity and poise and really engaged with the audience. There were some excellent sets from the Barbieshop, Barbershop, Chamber Choir, Little Big Band and String Orchestra with a wide range of music on offer. The School Choir’s medley from Grease was a particular highlight, with the enjoyment clear on the faces of all the singers. It was one to remember and a great credit to all the pupils who took part.

Mr Paul Miles-Kingston

Creative Writing

The English Department: out and about

What a great year it’s been! The department rings with the sound of voices as junior debating takes up residence here, St Peter’s Challenge gathers clusters of pupils to Q5 and Q6 and lunchtimes are punctuated by Mr Vann’s dulcet tones asking bizarre questions … We started the year by getting out and about, firstly to Leeds and the West Yorkshire Playhouse to see a claustrophobic 1930s-style Richard III; this look at the political intrigue of the play was reinvigorated later in the year with a visit to the live stream version of

Ian McKellen’s iconic portrayal of Shakespeare’s arch-villain and we were lucky enough to catch a few of the live Q and A sessions from the South Bank with Ian/Gandalf himself (the personalities seem pretty interchangeable, according to the sixth form!). Live streaming to the City Screen in York is something we think should be taken full advantage of: we trooped back down the road, clutching our school packed lunches to watch the brilliant Benedict Cumberbatch portrayal of Hamlet and then back again for our younger pupils to see the much acclaimed version of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge with Mark Strong in the lead role. A hugely exciting Friday night out for the fifth form, post-trial exams, to see the National Theatre version of An Inspector Calls, with over seventy pupils and many staff on board, underscored how invigorating seeing a live performance can be. It was the set in this production which was a fertile area for discussion and although some of our six-foot-andover boys struggled with the restricted seating area, spending much of the performance with their chins on their knees, it was a grand night out! The upper sixth also got their chance to let their hair down with a visit to Haworth, where they made full and disturbing use of the dressing-up box whilst also appreciating the absolute best in academic lecturing from the education officer resident there.

In-house, we also made our own fun. Kicking the year off in a literary sense was the Man Booker Prize debate. Absolutely gifted (thanks to the magic Mrs Wong) with the chance to visit Birmingham City Library and take part in a Q and A with shortlisted authors Tom McCarthy (Satin Island) and Sunjeev Sahota (The Year of the Runaways), our upper sixth were temporarily privy to how a great writing mind works. Whilst this was a fairly opaque experience in the case of Tom McCarthy (‘You wouldn’t want to be at a party with him,’ said Peter somewhat tartly as we got back on the bus …), our pupils asked searching, pithy questions about the books they’d read and were answered thoughtfully by writers who always seem to appreciate the fact that people under the age of twenty read their books. The debate itself, delivered by Izzy Hedley, Ed Kettleborough, Peter Gray, Beth Bradley, Concetta Scrimshaw and Polly Moss, saw each pupil argue for a book on the Man Booker shortlist, seconded by a member of staff from the English Department. Izzy won the St Peter’s debate, with her emotional plea for A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara; Polly’s book by Marlon James (A Brief History of Seven Killings) won the actual prize, which was announced the following evening.

World Book Day celebrations keep everyone moving forwards with our reading crusade: this year, the challenge was ‘Iconic Books in Interesting Places’. Here are some of the results: enough said!

We also went down to York Castle Museum, newly refurbished, to have a look at an exhibition publicised enthusiastically by Jane Garvey on Radio 4, entitled Shaping the Body. This gave us a fascinating insight into the way that bodies – both male and female – have been ‘shaped’ by clothing (sometimes unbelievably cruelly). Studying Victorian literature, it’s necessary to understand just why characters keep on refusing food at parties and swoon at the slightest agitation. It’s not the plotline: it’s the corsets!

Fashion made its first appearance in the smaller sibling of our in-house magazine, Keystone; Rose Gabbertas’ superb article on the Bowes Museum’s Yves St. Laurent: Style is Eternal exhibition was itself a stylish piece of writing and was accompanied by pieces from Alice Jackson, Jess Webster, Peter Gray, Esme Wright, Polly Moss and Wendy Wan. Keystone 2016 took style to new heights with the most beautiful front cover (a pretty collaborative effort, with thanks to Mr Hall for the camera) and articles as diverse as The Rise of the Rock Duo, The Demonization of Food, Keystone’s Café Crawl, The Return of Game of Thrones (with the encyclopaedic knowledge of Polly Moss) and two fascinating looks at film – subtitled and Chinese. The voice of Keystone is a strident, cultured, funny and democratic one: long may it live and prosper!

Creative Writing Time for a sample of pen to paper both in and out of the classroom: some super vignettes this year and more entries for the Creative Writing Competition than ever before. The theme this year, set cannily by Mr Robinson, was Grim and Grey with a Silver Lining.

Results were as follows: 3rd form

1st Reuben Carter 2nd Nick Gill Highly Commended: Will Guyer

4th & 5th form 1st Clara Wright 2nd Rebecca Dowson Highly Commended: James de Planta

6th form

1st Mel Cowans 2nd Concetta Scrimshaw Highly Commended: Niall Collinson

Poetry

1st Rosie McLeish. 2nd Angus Wilson Highly Commended: Georgie Lawrence

Below is just a sample of the quality of some outstanding writing.

Fourth Form Winner: Clara Wright

I shut my eyes and enter the maze that has now become my mind. Desperately searching for something I recognise, I can pass hundreds of memories without knowing whose they are or where they come from. I am in a room full of people yet I feel isolated because I cannot identify my mother or sister or son or husband – if I even have these relations. I am trapped in no man’s land, neither here nor there. We are defined by our memories, by the people we love and the moments we share together. Our minds gather snippets of our lives without us knowing, stealing moments which knit together a cornucopia of smells and tastes, sounds and sights. But mine is broken, the wool has unravelled, and the walls have crumbled. I am lost in my own mind.

Minutes turn to hours and hours to days and suddenly a whole week has passed, it would seem. Maybe no time has passed at all; I am simply running circles in this hollow mind that is my own. A whole week of sitting in my faded pink chair in the corner of a room in a part of a house that is not my own. Perhaps I had a life once.

It is autumn; I know so because there is a tree outside the window. Today the leaves are a rich auburn colour, much like how I imagine my hair to have been. I have to imagine in case I get stranded without anything to hold on to and end up being swallowed by a sea of confusion. I watch the leaves tumble from their ancient branches, slipping away from the tree’s grasp, like memories falling from my mind, collecting in a decaying mass just out of reach. They left me one by one at first, just little things but then they started getting bigger and faces left me and the room full of family and friends became a swarm of perfect strangers. So I stopped trying to run after them. I stopped trying to collect the tiny jigsaw pieces that made up my mind because no matter how hard I tried to hold up my world I was doing it alone.

A man has come to sit with me, he is wearing a green jumper and his shoes have flecks of mud splattered on them. He is looking at me intently, like he is waiting for me to perform a magic trick. His kind eyes, framed by inquisitive eyebrows, sparkle expectantly. He speaks softly with a refined and rich voice asking me about the weather and what I have been doing since he last saw me. Of course I correct him because he is nameless to me and we have never met before. In my mind I have never met anyone before. I tell him that he must be mistaken but as I speak he drops my gaze and reaches into a pocket and produces a photograph.

I hold a fragment of someone’s life, just a single moment captured forever; a picture of a young woman holding her child. The man tells me that I am the woman and he is the child so I shut my eyes and enter the maze. This labyrinth I am caught in, forever trying to prevent my escape, a web of lies I am entangled in. But as I run hopelessly searching for memories I pass a boy, a boy with kind eyes that sparkle expectantly. His name is Teddy and I remember. Somehow in amongst the mess and confusion I have found my son, my darling boy. I know a moment so precious as this will not come by often, I know that for every memory I find I have lost thousands, but I have found my son. I am in a room full of people who don’t matter anymore because I have all I need.

Overall Winner: Mel Cowans, winner of the Skrentny Creative Writing Prize

Akilah was dead. She not only knew this because she could see her body, but she could see that it was definitely dead because it was actually just half a body. Her parka was ripped and bloodied, torn apart at the fabric as her legs were torn from her torso. It was a strange sensation, observing one’s form after death, and Akilah noticed the frailty and tininess of her frame in comparison to the other bodies lying strewn in the sand. Akilah looked down at her corpse, and God stooped next to her as they shared a contemplative silence. “Am I dead?” “Yes.”

Akilah was eight. She did not have to comprehend death as an inevitable concept at her age, because her parents had decided that such ugly aspects of life should not yet possess any relevance to a child. But now it did, and she understood why her parents had avoided the subject as she gazed into the milky eyes of her twisted corpse. Glancing at the old man beside her, Akilah wondered just how a merciful God could allow such unfairness. She hadn’t disobeyed Him, she tried her best to pray with her mother even when she found it hard to sit still, and even through Ramadan she had fasted so devotedly that she had evoked the praises of various family members. She hoped they would be alright without her.

A brief moment of fear flitted through her as she realised that the small aspects of her short life that she had come to cherish were no longer a reality. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair, actually.

“Did I live a good life?” she asked suddenly, breaking her gaze away from her shattered carcass and gazing up at God with her childish, fearful brown eyes.

God did not answer.

The air smelled like the smoke that coiled itself around them, infused with the stench of charred flesh and smouldering steel. The red dust of the road swirled in the lashing desert winds and stuck to the faces of the dead like a mask of crumbing clay, their lifeless eyes assaulted with grit and dirt. The two figures stood alone, and time ceased to exist.

Finally, God stretched out his hand for Akilah to take. Akilah took it but did not move. “Did I live a good life?” she asked again, more resolute than before, hoping that a definite answer from God would provide her with a sense of validation – of reassurance that her short life was not insignificant.

“Not especially,” said God sadly, twisting his head to stare in the opposite direction, out along the wide dirt road that stretched far across the desert to the shimmering horizon. Another silence

between them ensued, denser still than the first, the only sound the shrill whipping of the wind over the shallow sand dunes.

They walked along the road, hand in hand as the sun began to set. They left no footprints, the dust undisturbed by their steps.

“Where are we going?” Akilah asked, examining the old man’s face as he turned towards her. His eyes were dark where galaxies had once swirled within them, his skin creased with the burden of eternity. How lucky I am, thought the child, to stare into the face of God.

God pointed, his thin, crooked body shuddering with the effort as they walked. The sunset blazed with such intensity that Akilah could not stand to look at it. She gripped God’s hand tighter.

“Is that heaven?” she asked.

“I do not know,” he replied wearily.

“But why not?” she cried, her voice shrill as the wind that howled around them. “You’re God!”

“And what is God without a kingdom?” God bowed his head. His hooded eyes fixed on the sunset as they drew closer to it. “What good is a shepherd when robbed of his flock?”

“But we pray to you … we celebrate Ramadan … are we not your flock?” Akilah protested angrily.

God turned to her, his face twisted with rage.

“Humanity has surpassed God.” He spat, his voice thunderous. “Humanity, in all your pride and your folly and your glory – humanity has surpassed the need for God. Through war, corruption, sacrilege and the desecration of the Earth that I entrusted you to protect, Man has injured the spirit of God far more deeply than the ostentatious prayers of the “righteous” are able to heal. Yet it is my love for Man that shall be my undoing, not solely the depravity of Man itself – for my children’s undeserved survival, I have sacrificed everything.”

God paused, his eyes sweeping the landscape and brimming with tears. He sighed. “And thus, this world is dying – and with it its creator.”

“Are you to be judged, then? Like us?” Akilah asked.

“What is there to be judged, child? Without God, what shall distinguish right from wrong?” God motioned around him at the dusty plateau that encircled them. “As you examined your corpse, I examine mine.”

The child laid a hand on the old man’s arm.

“Then our fate awaits us.” said Akilah.

God looked at her, a soft expression spreading across his face, nodded and stepped forward. Akilah followed, gripping his hand and glancing behind her at the distant lumps of bodies lying halfburied in the blood-soaked sand. She shook her head and bid the world farewell, vaguely wondering how and when her body would be discovered, and by whom. She decided it didn’t really matter. The lights of the city glistened in the far distance, and the wind swirled around them, sand spiralling as if with a life of its own as they stepped into the sunset with hearts of pure hope.

It was peaceful, she supposed – the aftermath of chaos.

Poetry Prize Winner: Rosie McLeish

What is a Woman?

What is a woman? Who is she that sits quiescently upon the begrimed seat, awaiting the bus that shall take her away, I know not where? Who shivers, yet, through maternal tenacity, has enveloped her companion in her own coat, her extremities growing as blue from the chill as the remainder of her form, from the ramification of months of torment and disregard? What is a woman, base in her afore sentiment; a disgrace to her sex?

What is a man? Who is he, seething in the comfort of his own newly deserted abode, cursing the audacity of life to have given him such misfortune in situation? Who, apoplectic and intoxicated, both by liquor and the grief he is yet to feel, in lack of the absent woman and child, turns his fury instead to his possessions, sent with force against the memory drenched walls? What is a man, proud, cruel, yet none deliberate, hitherto never understanding his short comings?

What is a boy? Who is he, confused and cold, uncomprehending in the sight of his broken mother? Who, though too young to fathom, still observes her dolour, and squeezes his clammy hand on hers, showing already more profound maturity than he had ever learnt from his father? Is he, in his juvenile innocence, a superior man than any other, or is he merely oblivious of the evils of the world, and just as susceptible to them, so that when his time comes, his incorruptibility too is broken; will he then follow his father’s footsteps?

What is a narrator? Who am I, sitting beside this woman and child, clinging to one another, as a drowning sailor to a rock? Who am I, scratching notes as the rain lashes against the glass, that I may judge the contingency of this pair as I choose, whose unnoticed and unlauded bravery under these bleak skies shall never cease to pursue me, of how the grit determination slowly begins to soften, and as the rain subsides, the boy turns to see the approaching bus, excitedly returns to his mother, whose eyes shine with hope renewed for their awaiting future.

And some further highlights: National Poetry Day saw the third form produce some pretty great poetry concerned with the theme

of Light with Mr Robinson’s groups taking a particularly visual approach. A J Coates’ poem won our first competition of the year:

Night to Day

The stars’ stunning sparkle takes breath away They perform a blinding dance that saves life in every way. They are always lurching: even when out of sight As the night goes on, they emit more light. Comets whizz by, leaving beams of blazing light Fuming through the sky, unimaginable flight Fading faster than has ever been seen Darting from one side to next, leaving smouldering beams.

But as night fades and the sun starts to rise The light of the stunning stars starts to die Finally the sun fills up, lightening the sky.

Creativity and a visual impact hasn’t just been limited to our younger pupils and one of the highlights of the year has to be Miss Pearson’s lower-sixth dioramas of Ibsen’s suffocating domestic drama A Doll’s House.

Serious fun, as always!