THESAVILIAN
THESAVILIAN
Editor: AlistairRees
StudentEditor: ArshGupta12TBE
Design: HarryGraham
InsideFrontCover: TimothySpawforth
OldSavilianEnquiries: lwhite@wgsf.net
THEODETOQUEENELIZABETHI LUKESEWELL12AJF
Elizabeth the First's reign our school was founded
To pass on knowledge and produce the well-rounded. Their aim - the governors - we should ' use forever' 'Good learning' - and so for that noble endeavour
To Northgate we do travel through sunshine and rain
Before we listen, chatter, enjoy and attain. And, I ask of you friends, to rejoice and elate
At our kind principal's hopeful choice to dictate And give us a half day off; some Christmas delight So that we may go forth, celebrate and excite!
Aswecometogethertoreflectuponthe culminationofyetanotherremarkableschoolyear atQEGSWakefield,Ifindmyselffilledwithadeep senseofprideandadmirationforourresilient schoolcommunity.Thepastyearhasbeena testamenttoourcollectivestrength,determination, andunwaveringspirit
OurMusicDepartmenthasbeenatruesourceof inspirationthroughouttheyear,enchantinguswith anarrayofunforgettableperformances.Fromthe captivatingmelodiesattheMarsdenJazzFestival tothejoyousnotesthatfilledourheartsduringthe summerandChristmasconcerts,thededication andtalentofourstudentsandstaffhaveleftan indeliblemarkonallwhohadtheprivilegeof attending.Theseeventswerenotjustmusical performances;theyweremomentsofunity, creativity,andsharedpassion
Intherealmofsports,theU15RugbySquadhas etchedtheirnamesintheannalsofourschool's historywiththeirremarkablejourneyto TwickenhamforthefinaloftheNationalSchool's Cup.Theunwaveringdetermination,teamwork,and sportsmanshipdisplayedbyouryoungathletes exemplifythecorevaluesweholddearatQEGS Wakefield Theirjourneywasatestamenttowhat canbeachievedwhentalentisnurturedand commitmentisunwavering.
TheDramaDepartmenthascontinuedtoflourish, unveilingtheircreativebrilliancewithacaptivating performanceof'SisterAct'Thededicationandhard workofouryoungthespians,alongwiththe guidanceofourdevoteddramateachers,brought thisproductiontolife.Itshowcasednotonlytheir artistictalentsbutalsothecommitmentto excellencethatcharacterisesourschool.
Nottobeovershadowed,ourJuniorSchoolalso madeitsmarkwithaspiritedperformanceof 'Macbeth.'Itwashearteningtoseetheenthusiasm andtalentofouryoungerstudentsonfulldisplay. Thisbodeswellforthefutureofourdrama departmentandreaffirmsourcommitmentto nurturingtalentateveryage
Thereturntoasemblanceofnormalityduringthe schoolexamseasonwasasignificantmilestone, especiallyafterthechallengesposedbytheCOVID19pandemic.Ourstudents,manyofwhomwere sittingfortheirGCSEandA-Levelexternal examinationsforthefirsttime,demonstrated remarkableresilienceandadaptability The dedicationofourteachers,alongsidethe unwaveringsupportofparentsandguardians, playedapivotalroleinguidingourstudentsthrough thiscrucialphaseintheiracademicjourney.
Theschooltrips,whichhadbeenonhold,also resumedwithourskiersventuringofftoValThorens andthewatersportstriptoCalaLlevado.Whileit camewithitsshareofdramaduetounforeseen circumstances,Icommendourstafffortheirquick thinkingandeffortstoresolvethesituation,ensuring ourstudentscouldenjoyawell-deservedtrip
Inclosing,Iwanttoexpressmyheartfeltgratitudeto everyonewhohascontributedtomakingthisschool yeararesoundingsuccess.Thetriumphsand challengeshaveonlystrengthenedourresolveto provideanexceptionaleducationalexperience As welooktothefuture,letuscontinuetonurturethe potentialwithinourstudents,guidingthemtowards evengreaterachievements,andintheprocess, shapingabrighter,morecompassionate,and resilientgeneration.
WELCOMEFROM
DIRECTOROFJUNIORSECTION
Well,hereweareattheendofanothervery enjoyableyearatQEGS.Itdoesn’tseem5 minutessincewewerecomingbackto school,stillundertherestrictiveshacklesof thepandemic,andwonderingifwewould everbeabletoonceagainrevelinevents andactivitiesthatmakeQEGSsucha specialplace.
Ifeelwecan(tentatively)saythatthings arebacktonormalandacoupleof highlightsfromthisyearformewerebeing abletowelcomeourgrandparentsback intoschoolontheJSGrandparents’ Afternoonand,ofcourse,ourproductions thatwerestagedthroughouttheyear(the Year4Nativity,Year5Musicalandrecent Year3andYear6plays).Thesewere expertlyorganisedbythestaff,superbly actedbytheboysandalsoenthusiastically
supportedbytheaudiencessoabigthankyou frommeforalloftheeffortthatwentintothese.
CharityisahugepartoflifeatQEGSandwemade surethatourCharityDayswentaheadwithas muchexcitementandeccentricityasusual The firstofourCharityDayshadtobea‘student-only’ eventandthethemeof‘InspirationalPeople’ producedsomefascinatingcostumes.Therewere anumberofGretaThunbergsandDavid Attenboroughs,alongwithsomeveryinteresting historicalfigures,includingahighlyconvincing FranzLiszt,completewithwildlyoversizedfingers. ThesecondCharityDaysawthereinstatementof thetraditionallargeeventwithparentsinschoolto witnessthepandemoniumforthemselves!The themeofDresstoExpress’gavetheopportunityfor theboystosharesomethingaboutthemselvesor somethingthatwasimportanttothem.
‘Asidefromthesekeyevents,charityand fundraisinghasbeenarunningthemethis yearwithmanyboystakingitupon themselvestoraisemoneyforhighly deservingcauses.TheYear6boysin particularundertookanumberoffundraising projectstosupportcharitiesthatwere significantforthemandtheirfriends
KevinLingavasanraisedmoneyforGreat OrmondStreetHospitalbysettinguphisown blogfeaturinginspirationalstoriesabout inspirationalpeople.
NatheshNanthakumarputinaHerculean fundraisingeffortinsupportoftheCeylon CricketFoundationbycompletinga50km charityrun&walkduringthemonthof September.Themoneywasusedtobuy cricketequipmentforchildreninSriLanka.
Attheturnoftheyear,AuravVintacompleted hismonumentalchallengeofwritingone poemeverysingledayduring2021insupport ofYorkshireCancerResearch.Auravmadeall ofusveryproudwithhiseffortsandhopesto setupapodcastsometimeinthefuture
Onasimilartheme,RohanVemulainYear5 raisedanincrediblesumofmoneyforMindTheMentalHealthCharity-bysettinghimself thechallengeofcreatinganddrawinga differentimageeverydayoftheyear.This wasawonderfulthingtodoandagreatway tosupportthosewhohadfoundthe pandemicaparticularlydifficultexperience
And,ofcourse,wewereallsoproudofthe strengthandperseverancethatLeoFisher showedinhissupportofacharitythat’svery closetohisheart Notonlywerehisefforts
impressiveonanindividuallevel,theywere alsoincrediblyinspiring,somuchsothat JamesBird-Smith,JacobEdgeandZac Hildyardtookituponthemselvestosetuptheir ownfundraisingpageforthesamecharity,in supportofLeo.Verywelldonetoallofyou-a trulycaringwaytocontributetosocietyand somethingwecanallaspireto
Andfinally,Iwouldliketowishtheverybestof lucktoourYear6boyswhohavemovedonto thenextstageintheireducationaljourney.You areasuperbyeargroupandeveryoneinthe JuniorSectionwillmissyouandwehopethat youpopbackandsayhellofromtimetotime andletusknowhowyouaregettingon
Parentsandboys,Ihopeyouhadagreatyear andthankyouformakingthisaveryenjoyable firstyearformeasDirectorofJuniorSection.
R. Thompson~.
THE YEAR IN FOCUS
Afterabriefhiatusoverthe courseofthepandemic,lifeat QEGSwasbackinfullswingthis year Alreadyitseemedas thoughwe’dneverbeenaway: inter-Housecompetitions seamlesslyintegratedwithin theschoolday,rekindlingthe pupils’competitivespirit;a plethoraofsportingevents,and theaccoladeswhichinevitably camewiththem,onceagain becamemajortalkingpoints; andmuch-lovedtripsand outingscommencedonce more.Culminatingtheyear weresomeexcellentacademic accomplishments,asYear11 and13studentsbravedpublic examinations Therehasbeen fartoomuchgoingonacross theFoundationtofitwithinthis briefintroduction,although hopefullythisprovidesaquick overview Iwillleaveituptothe restofthemagazinetoprovide amorecomprehensive highlightspackagefortheyear.
Sportingachievementsare usuallyagreatsourceofpride fortheschoolandthisyearwas
noexception.Inter-schoolfixtures wereback,andtheSports Departmentdefinitelymadethe mostofthis.FromtheU15hockey teamemergingvictoriousinthe YorkshireCuptothecricketing successinthesummer,sports acrossallthevariousdisciplines andyeargroupshavebeen thoroughlyentertainingandthe returntocompetitionwas enthusiasticallygreetedbythe students memorabledayoutforthe wholeschool.
Wecannotgotoolongwithout addressingwhatwasperhaps thehighlightofthesporting seasonthisyear:theTwickenham final Butgettingtothisstage wasn’teasy;theU15rugbyteam hadtobattletheirwaypastsome veryformidableadversaries.It wasastunningatmosphereas hundredsofpassionate supporters,formingavastseaof blackandgold,cheeredonfrom thestands.
Althoughwedidn’tcomeaway withawin,itwasneverthelessa greatwaytoconcludethe sportingseasonandatruly
Afteritsintroductiontothe wholeFoundationlastyear, QEGSwasquicktoadoptand embracetheHousesystem. Tomarkthisspecialoccasion, thenewly-unveiledHouseties (thelatestadditiontothe ever-increasingtiecollection atQEGS)wereawarded to thecaptainsandleadersof eachHouse,eachofwhom fulfilledtheirrolessplendidly.
FromHouseMasterchef competitionstoextreme readingchallenges-andthe myriadofdepartmental quizzesamongthemalltherehavebeennumerous opportunitiestoparticipate andearnHousepointsto improvetherankingsofeach House Intheend,thetallyofmerits turnedouttobeacloselycontestedaffair,withtwo differentHouseswinningin differentsectionsofthe school:FreestonfortheJunior SectionandBentleyforthe SeniorSection.
Overall,however,muchtothe delightofMrAffleck,itwas Cavethatemergedvictorious tobecomethefirst-ever recipientoftheCalvertCup, withalmost26,000House pointsaccruedacrossthe wholeschool.
However,I’msuretheother Houseswillbebackwitha vengeancenextyear,andthe competitionwillbedialledup toanentirelynewlevel.
andSummerConcertsormore intimateeventssuchastherushhourrecitals,thewealthofmusical talentatQEGSwasvisibleforallto see
QEGSisveryproudofitsrangeof fundraisinginitiativesandthis yearwasnodifferent.Duringthe intervalsofthemusicconcerts,a multitudeofstalls,runbyY10as partoftheirentrepreneurship challenge,wasalwayspresentto receivetheswarmsofpeople rushingintotheSportsHall
TheDramaDepartmentonce againoutdiditselfthisyearwith theFoundationproductionof ‘SisterAct.’Threesold-out show-stoppingperformances, overthreememorablenights, perfectlyencapsulatedthe sheerbrillianceanddedication ofthepupilsandstaffinvolved. Thosegruellingmonthsofhard workandpreparationcertainly paidoff!However,ifyou couldn'tattend,don’tworry;the brilliantphotographyandfirsthandaccountslateroninthe issuewilltransportyourightto thecentreoftheaction
Musicaleventswereequally spectacular.Whetheritbethe eagerly-anticipatedChristmas
Sellingeverythingfrompopcornto souvenirs,thebudding entrepreneursraisedalmost£1000 fortheirchosencharities.Y7were justasimpressiveintheir charitableeffortsthisyear,raising £1500fortheRNIBaftercollectively walking250kmaspartofthe'250' challenge Moreover,withallthe globalinitiativesandevents transpiringthisyear, QEGSdidnot
holdbackingetting involvedandshowing support.
The‘StandforUkraine’ campaignandthe #onethinglesscompetition followingtheCOP26 summit(tonameafew) bothservedasatestament tothefactthattheQEGS communitymakesa differencefarbeyondthe boundariesoftheschool.
Itwillbeatoughactto followforthecomingyear asthewindsofchange blowthroughQEGS, bringingwiththemnew facesandnew opportunities.ButI’msure thatourindefatigablespirit willfindawaytomakeit equally,ifnotmore, extraordinary
ARSHGUPTA12TBE
I E S
P E R S O N A L I
KatyNorgate,SchoolNurseforthe last17years,leavesushavingseta veryhighbarforhersuccessor (Claire)whojoinedusintheSpring Term.Katyhasalwayshadthepupils’ bestinterestsforemostinher thinking,andhasprovideda sanctuaryforboyswhohaveneeded one(whethertheywereillorinjured orsimplyneededaquietword).Katy alsotakesawellearnedretirement, andIunderstandthiswillinvolvedog walkingandmountains(luckyher!).
LYNNVANDERSCHANS
LynnevanderSchans,hasbeena wonderfulteacherofModern languages,andnowdepartstotake upanopportunityoutsideof education.Lynnewillleaveagreat holeinourdepartmentandwillbe sorelymissed.Indeed,sheisaloss totheteachingprofession.Wewish heralltheverybestinhernewrole andgivehermuchthanksforallthe hardwork,goodtimesandlaughs wehavesharedovertheyears.
ChristineDenison,whojoined theJuniorSectionin2002 andfrom2008wasMrs Gray’sPA,admissions’ coordinatorandproviderof administrativesupporttoall intheJuniorSection;she takesawell-earned retirement.
S U E H O W E
SueHowe,whojoined QEGSasMrShevill’s, andmorerecently theHead's,PAbut whowillbewell knowntomanyofyou forheryearsof serviceinWGHS SeniorandJunior Sections.Shehas beenagreatsupport tobothMartinand measwehavegotto knowQEGSandshe willbesorelymissed.
BELINDALINDLEY
After21yearsofcommitmenttoQEGS,Mrs Lindleyishanginguphergown,puttingthe lidonherhandwritingpenandclosingthe classreadingbookforthefinaltime.
Havingapassionforallthingsliterary,Mrs LindleyledtheJSEnglishdepartmentfor manyyears,introducinganumberof competitions,challengesandinitiatives thathaveinspiredandempoweredour boys.
Asidefromthis,Idohavetosaythatoneof hergreatestachievementsisthewayshe canenthralaclassoftiredYear6boysby generatingthemostcaptivatingcharacter voiceswhenreadingaloudfromtheclass text Therehavebeenanumberoftimes whenIhavewalkedpastherclassroom andbeenalittleconcernedbyhearing blood-curdlingscreamsoraggressively deliveredinstructions,onlytofindthat thesehaveinfactbeenpartofthedelivery ofacaptivatingstory,ratherthanMrs Lindleybeingexasperatedattheendofa mathslesson.WewillallmissMrsLindleya hugeamountandwishhertheverybestof retirements.
AfterrunningAfterSchoolCare sobrilliantly,MissO’Malleywill bemovingonattheendofthis year.Wewillallmissher, especiallytheboyswhoattend regularlyandappreciatehow shegoestheextramileto makeOwlsenjoyableand stimulatingafteralongdayat school.Thankyou.
YEAR2STAFF
Iwould liketomakeaspecialmentionof thewonderfulYear2boysandstaffwho havebeenwithusatQEGSthisyear They settled-inimmediatelyandhavereally madetheplacetheirhome,runningrings aroundtheYear6sinplaytimefootball matchesandachievingahugenumber ofhousepointstocontributetotheend ofyeartotals.
Wewillnotmissyounextyearasyouwill beremainingatQEGSasfullyfledged Year3s,however,wewillverymuchmiss yourteachers, MsWhite,MissWaudby, MrsMeredithandMrsMillerwhowill returntoPre-Preptoworkwiththeirnew classes.
MsWhiteandMissWaudby,ithasbeen wonderfulhavingyouonboardas teachersthisyearandyouhavegivena greatdealtotheschool.Wewillmiss yourpositiveattitudeandIhopeyouwill popbackandseeusasoftenasyoucan.
2021/22
ON
STAGE
SUMMERCONCERT
Afteratwoyearhiatus,thestartofMay sawthewelcomereturnoftheWGSF SummerConcertsandthetwoevenings wereaspackedfullofensemblesasever Thereweresomesuperbperformances byourlargeinstrumentalensemblesYouthBrassBand,StringEnsemble, IntermediateStrings,SeniorOrchestra, SeniorConcertBand,SeniorStrings, OrchestrasandofcoursetheSwing Bands,aswellasourwell-established choirs:MajorMinors,Cantabileand FoundationChorus.
Alsointhemixwerethreeexcellentstudentledgroups:ShowChoir,SessionOrchestra andFunkBand.CongratulationsgotoMia Sedgwick,AlexandraLeeandCharlotte McKinlayforbringingthegroupsuptosuch ahighstandard.
Theeveningwasroundedoffwithan emotionalmusicalfarewellputtogetherby Year13,whomwethankforalltheirhard workandcommitmentovertheyears
Theconcertscouldnothavehappened withoutthesupportofourfabulousteamof VIMs,thesoundandlightingteamand stagecrew.
Meanwhile,contrastwasprovidedbya numberofsmallerensembles:Mantabile (boy’schoir),‘Clarantella’(clarinets), PercussionEnsembles,ElectricEnsembles, FluteEnsemble,Barbershopand SaxophoneEnsemble,aswellassome newventures:MrMeredith’sWakefield TrainingOrchestra(anoutreachproject linkingwithWakefieldMusicHub),Folk Band(completewithdancers!), ‘Nonsensical’(guitars)andthe appropriatelynamed‘HornswithHats’
Thanksalsototheschoolofficesfor producingtheprogrammesandticketsand totheParents'Associationforprovidingthe intervalrefreshments
CHRISTMASCONCERT
Itwasalongtimecoming,butfinallywewereabletoputonsomelarge-scalemusical events!OurmusicianswereeagertogetbacktoWakefieldCathedralfortheendofterm carolservicesandtheFoundationBrassBandformedthebackboneofthecarolservicesfor bothQEGSandWGHS AlsoperformingattheQEGSserviceweretheboysfromtheQEDTrio, withsomebeautifulrenditionsofInDulciJubiloandWhiteChristmas,whilsttheFoundation ChorussangAdamlayyboundenandMidwinter.
Inthesameweek,anewventuretookplaceinSt.John’sChurch,whenYear7tookpartina specialChristingleservice Therewassomesparklingsingingfromthewholeyeargroup,as wellasMrVarley’schoir‘Mantablie’,andasublimepianosolofromEmmanuelRichards. ThankstoMrsFitzsimonsforsupportingthereadersinbothoftheseevents
ThefinalweekoftermsawthewelcomereturnofthetwoFoundationChristmasConcerts, withaneclecticmixofmusicalitemsandentertaininginterviews.Thankstoallwhohelped ensuresuccess-theperformers,VIMs,thesoundandlightingteam(SALT),stagecrew,the Parents’Association,seniorleadershipteamsfrombothschools,theportersandofficestaff.
FOUNDERS’DAY
OnFriday19thNovember2021,wecelebratedourschool’s430thbirthday.
Founders’DaycelebrationsintheSeniorSectionsawYear13boysvisittheWakefield Cathedralforaspecialcommemorativeservice,withtheliveperformancesfromanumber oftalentedmusiciansandvocalistsfromacrosstheFoundationprovingtobeareal highlight.
CAMPHILLCOMMUNITYCONCERT
OnWednesdayafternoon,talentedQEGSmusicianspresentedaverywellreceived concerttomembersoftheCamphillCommunity,alongside6thFormersfromWGHS.As wellasitemsfromourBarbershopEnsemble(CharlieTrueman,MichaelDube,Isaac SmithAkonduIyoko,JoshuaLiwondeandWillGarside),thereweresomeimpressivesolos andduetsfromIsaacSmithandCharlieTrueman(voice),WillGarside(trumpet)and MichaelDube(saxophone)
Toroundofftheafternoon,BenGreenwood,JoshGreenandAkonduIyokoperformed someextremelypolishedrenditionsofsongsfromtheBeatles’Album‘AbbeyRoad’. Theboysshowedofftheschoolinanincrediblypositivelightanditwasreallyquite movingtowitnessthereactionoftheaudienceastheconcertprogressed. Congratulationstoallwhotookpart.
JUNIORSCHOOLCHOIR2021/22
ComingbackfromawholehostofCovid musicrestrictionshasnotbeenwithoutit’s challenges,especiallytwoyearsofnot singing,thenverysociallydistanced singingetc.Theboyshaveworked incrediblyhardtopreparethemselvesfor theirperformancesthisyearthoughand haverisentothechallengeswithgusto andpassion TheJuniorSchoolChoirhas hadsomewonderfulperformancesearlier onintheyearwillsomeabsolutely incrediblefeedback,notablyfromour adjudicatorsinthecompetitionsthisyear wheretheywonboththeRothwellMusic FestivalandtheWharfedaleFestivalJunior Choirsections,cominghomewith2 trophiesandahugepatonthebackfor theirachievements
Theyalsoperformedthisyearinourschool eventsincludingRemembranceservice, FoundersDay,HarvestFestival,Spring ConcertandSpeechDay,aswellasinour wonderfulWakefieldCathedralforour annualCarolServicewhichwasafabulous festiveoccasionasitalwaysis. ThehighlightsoftheyearincludeTeshomi Kayode,ourJSChoirleaderreceivingthe trophiesalongsideoursoloistoftheyear AuravVinta
TheybothhelpedtoleadafabulousJunior SchoolChoirthisyearintheir performancesof“SunArise”,“4Chords”(A wonderfulandcomplexmedleyof32pop songswhichallfittothesamechord progression)andtheirstunningrendition of“Adiemus”byKarlJenkins,whichreally helpedthemtoclinchvictoryinthe competitionsseasonandwhichwowed theaudiencesatSpringConcertandat Speechdaythisyear.
Bothadjudicatorscommentedthatthe performancessoundedasiftheywere recordedinastudiowhichishighpraise indeedandawardedoutstandingscores toeachperformance Therewasahuge amountofhardworkwhichwentinto theseperformancesandsomereal challengestoovercome.Itwaswonderful toseetheboysdevelopinvocalstrength andconfidenceovertheyeartooandit reallywasworthallthehardwork!Well doneboys-we’reallveryproudofyou!
AsuperbyearforJuniorSchoolChoir whichIthinkverymuchsetsthatstandard goingforwardforthisyear’schoirboys Theyareahardacttofollowthoughso risetothechallenge!
MARSDENJAZZFESTIVAL
CongratulationstomembersoftheWGSFSwingFoundationwhoopenedtheMarsdenFringe FestivalonFridayoflastweek,thesecondoutsidegigoftheterm Thebandstartedwiththeir signaturetune‘IGotYou’andsomeandfollowedupwithagutsyperformanceof‘Birdland’ MichaelJackson’s‘ManintheMirror’providedawelcomecontrastandJamesSmithhitnew heightswithhisinterpretationoftheoriginalBlood,SweatandTearstrumpetsoloin‘Spinning Wheel’.Thesetfinishedwithtwo1980sclassics:Flashdance-WhataFeelingandSoulMan. Inadditiontotheensemblenumbers,thereweresomeconfidentandmelodiousindividual performancesfromCiaranReeves,JosephDowdandHannahPoulton-Haselier,astheystoodup fortheirdebutsolos,withsomewonderfullyfree-flowingaccompanyingfromMrUrbanski. ManythankstoMrUrbanskiandMrVarleyfortheirmusicalsupport,andtoMrsBenthamfor organisingthegig.
LOWERSCHOOLCHOIR
2021/22
TheLowerSchoolChoirhasenjoyedanamazingyearfromstarttofinishandIwasespecially delightedtowelcomeafewboysfromY2intothefoldforoneyearonly Oursummertripto Wharfedalefestivaltoppeditoffnicely
Theboysreallypulledoutallthestopswiththeirlivelyandentertainingperformanceof‘Lifeisa WonderfulThing’andtheverymoving ‘Iamasmallpartoftheworld’(apersonalfavouriteof mine).Idon'tthinkI’veeverbeensoproudoftheirdedicationandpersonality!Atrulystunning performance,boys!
Abigthankyoufrommeforalwaysbeingcheerful,foryourconcentrationandeffortandfor makingMondaylunchtimessuchapleasure.I’mexcitedaboutnextyearandchoosingsome morefunandinteractivepiecesforyoutogetyourteethinto!
MrsRogers
THESISTER ACT
Hereweare,attheendofatermandahalfofwork.Itallamountsto3days:3final, gloriousnightsofperformingtoourfriendsandfamily,makingthemostofevery second ButourproductionofSisterActismorethanthose3days Overthecourse ofmonths,theentirecastandcrewhaveworkedtirelesslytomakesuretheyknew everyline,songandsetpiecelikethebackoftheirhand.Though,nothing comparestothosefinalfewweeks.
Ontherunuptotheperformance,wehad2fullrehearsalsaweek;oneforact1, oneforact2.Itwasduringthesethatthecasttrulybecameafamily.Friendships wereformed,gameswereplayedandmanyorderlyrowsofchairswereturned intocirculargatherings Infact,IwitnessedourownTravolta,OscarSmith,become well-versedwithcardtrickswhilstkillingitonthestage.Thiscyclecontinued,with friendshipsandconfidenceonlygrowingstronger,untilwereachedthetechnical weekend Thismarkedthestartofthefinalrunup,withsoundcues,setpieces, propsandcostumesbeingbroughtintorehearsalsandtheshowbegantocome together.ThisisalsowhatI’dcallthegreatestmomentofcamaraderiethroughout allrehearsalsas9-5onSaturdayandSundayisnoteasy
However,duetobondsbeingmadeandeveryonebecomingcomfortable performinginfrontofoneanotherthelevelofconfidenceandactingwas undoubtedlyboosted,aswaseveryone’sspirits.Sotherewewere:Monday.Intwo days’timewewouldbeperformingandweweren’tabouttoslowdownourroll. Thiswasgoingtobethelatestrehearsalyet,andunlikeallpreviousrehearsalshad ustacklingmicrophones,costumesandmakeup.Thiswasofcourseachallenge butbeingthetight-knitteamwewerewepushedthroughtothesecond
dressehearsalwhichtookupTuesday.Thisconsistedofusfixingsoundissues,polishing deliveries,entrancesandexits,andthestagecrewknucklingdowntobringsetpiecesand propsonandoff Asformakeup,itwasduringthesetworehearsalsIwasfacedwiththe factI’dhavetobemadetolookold.Giventhisunfortunateinsightintomyfuture,Iwas giftedwrinklesandcreaseslikeanun-ironedshirtandhairthatwasstreakedwithgreyby theverytalentedmake-upteam AndsobytheendofTuesdaywewereready Afew thingswouldchangebeforethefirstshow,suchasnewmicrophonesbeingbroughtin,but everythingwasinplace.5:30ontheopeningnight,weassembled.
Thoughtensionswerehigh,Iknewthateverysoulamongstushadputinamountainof workpriortothisanditallpaidoff.Thenightwentsplendidlywitheveryonehavingablast. Aftereachperformance,theentirecastwouldcelebrateandhugasthe curtainsclosed,completelyelectrifiedbytheproduction.Myfavouritepartofthispostperformancetradition,asitbecame,wasthefacttheboys’changingroomrangloudwith renditionsofourfavouritesongsaswecelebratedajobwelldone
"Before the final performance the cast went out to eat and the atmosphere was one of pure joy and excitement that will without doubt stay with us forever. Each night was better than the last, and I can safely say that the play has given me a family I will never forget, even as we all go our separate ways. "
Tim Spawforth
AyoungboynamedJonahwassetataskandinstructedtogotothecityofNinevah! Instead,hesetsailforSpaintoavoidhavingtovisitthisawfulcityandthepeoplewho livedthere.Onhisjourney,theshipwasrockedbyaterriblestormandJonahbegged thecaptaintothrowhimoverboard.Swallowedupbyawhale,Jonahrealisedhis mistakeandbeggedtoberescuedfromhisterriblefate!Fromcrustyoldseadogs,to pirateswithasoftside,thisstorytookusonajourneytoremember
TheYear3boysworkedveryhardlearningtheirlinesandthesongsandtheyclearly savouredtheirmomentinthespotlight.WithsomenotableperformancesfromHoracio Winchasthecrab,ourfabulousnarratorsandParkerGoodair,asJonah,youwerean absolutelysupersetofboystodirectthisyear Excellentsinginganddancingfromallof youmeantthatthiswasoneofthemostinfectiousperformanceswehaveeverseen!A specialmentiontoGeorgeFearnleyforhishighenergydancemoves!Thanksmustalso gotoeveryoneathomewhohelpedtheboyswiththeirbrilliantcostumesandlearning lines.Yougaveuslotsoflaughsandwonderfulmomentstoremember.Welldone,boys!
FIENDSREUNITED
MACBETH
99%ofthetime,IamperfectlyhappywithmyYear 6playcastingbuttherehavebeen,three occasionswhenhaveIgotitwrong.
Twentyyearsago,mysecondeverYear6(or Form2asitwasknownthen)playwasthe infamous‘JosephandtheAmazingTechnicolor Dreamcoat’.
OneoftheYear6boysin2000wasatalented artist,AdamCunis Icasthimlateonasoneofthe hairyIshmaeliteshavingfinallyestablishedwhich elevenboysweregoingtobethebrothers.Adam wasoneoftheunluckyoneswhowaskeenand hadauditionedbutannoyinglyIhadcommitted myselftoothers Iwaswrong!Ithasbeena genuineregretthatIdidn’tgiveAdamtherolehe deserved.
Moveonovertwentyyearsandafew weeksawayfromourMacbeth performancesandMrThompsonasked meifIknewanAdamCunisashehad recentlydonesomeworkshopswiththeA levelEnglishstudentsandwasknownto beaformerJuniorSchoolpupilfromthe darkages Ididrememberhim,theshame ofmymiscastingburning Despitenot gettingaleadrole,Adamhadn’tbeenput offdramaandwasnowinthebusiness, working,IbelieveattheGlobeTheatreand rubbingshoulderswithsuchactinggreats asJonathanPrice!AndIhadcasthimas ahairyIshmaelite!Whoops!
Anyway,forgiveandforgetandluckyfor me,Adamhad Hehadheardabouta rockmusicalofhisfavouriteplayandwas keentoreturntohisoldschooltoprotect MrShakespeare’sreputationaswellas seeingwhattheYear6playhadnow become.Ithinkhelikedit.Here’shislovely review (Thanksagain,Adamand apologiesagainfortheIshmaelite casting!)
CCheffins
MACBETH
‘Fairisfoul,andfoulisfair: Hoverthroughthefogandfilthyair.’
A REVIEW BY ADAM CUNIS A REVIEW BY ADAM CUNIS
Macbeth(theMusical),Act1Scene1,Adesertplace(TheQE Hall)
Thunderandlightning EnterthreeWitches
Ohhangon.Enterthreewitchesandthenanothertenwitches?IknowJames1stwas keen,heevenwroteabookaboutthem,butMrCheffinsmustreallythinkwitchesare cool.Witchesand…ROCK!
WhenIfirstheardabouttheyear62022SummerproductionIknewIhadtowitnessit OnetrainbookedfromLondon,afewmonthslaterandIwassittinginthefrontrowofa familiarroom,familiarbutdifferent;Iknowthisstory,Iknowitverywell.Butnotlikethis.I waspromisedaRockOperaanditwaswellandtrulydelivered(NB:titlechangedto Macbeth‘theMusical’perhapstoencourageticketsales)
Ataleof‘vauntingambition,’secrecy,liesandbloody(watchyourlanguage)murder Perfectforabunchofschoolchildrenthen!
InmyprofessionalexperienceofShakespeareit'sveryeasyfortheaudiencetolosetrack ofwhat'sgoingon,getboredandultimatelygohome/tothepubattheinterval We oftenviewShakespeareasstuffy,oldfashionedand(dareIsayit?Withapologiestothe Englishdepartment)...boring.
That’sbecauseactors,directorsandtheatremakershavebeengettingitwrong. Shakespeareisallabouttheaudience.Hemightusefancywordsbuthe’sheretohelp: ‘No,thismyhandwillrather Themultitudinousseasinincarnadine, Makingthegreenonered.’
Makingthegreenonered He’sthere,immediately,explaininghiscomplicatedlanguage Whatdoesincarnadinemean?Red.Howdoweknow?Hetellsus.Andthat’sexactlywhat year6,ablysupportedbyMessersCheffinsandRenshaw,did!
Firstly,thetext;Iwasdelightedtodiscoverthathugeswathesofitremainedunaltered. Unalteredandbeautifully,naturallydelivered,ripplingwithnuanceandunderstanding Theboysmadestirlinguseoftheirskills Facialexpression,bodylanguage,toneofvoice, paceshiftsandanunderstandingoftherhythmandmeterofthewordsthatseveral professionalactorsIknowwouldberightlyenviousof.
Thesecondarytextwasequallywellconceivedanddelivered Ourmodernreceiptof Shakespeareassumesafixednatureofhiswords Well,TheTragedieofMacbethwasfirst performedin1606,earlyinthereignofJamesI,andtheycouldn’tevenspelltragedyright. Notonlythatbutitwasn’tproperlypublisheduntil1623aspartofthefirstfolio,some8 yearsafterShakespearedied,rememberedbyactors,whomaynotevenhavebeenin theoriginalshow!Itisthereforeessentialtoupdate,editandalterthewordsoftheplayto suitourcurrentaudienceandcurrenttimes MrCheffins’wordswoveinandaroundthose ofMrShakespeare,irreverentbutalwaysrespectful.
ClarifyingandgentlymakingfunofEngland’smostfamouswriter Particularhighlightsformewerethecensorshipoflanguagelike‘Bloody’,‘bosom,’etcby Malcolm,hereaprudishandfourthwallobliteratingLukeGallagher.Hisperformancereminded meinpartofHughLaurieinBlackaddertheThirdandinpartwasveryCarryOn(boys,don’t watchthisforatveryleast5yearsplease).
Theintroductionofcharacterstoa400yearoldplaymaybesurprisingtosomebuttheaddition ofthecleanerandgeneralhousestaff(castlestaff?)attheMacbeth’splacewasverywell observed.Theideaofanexasperatedcleanerinacastlesteepedinbloodhadmeandthose aroundmeinstitchesoflaughterandfitsofapplause.AlastairHelmremindedmeofvarious MontyPythoncharacters,andtheoutfitwasperfect,indeedinmyownstorytellingversionof MacbethIincludeacleaner
Themusicwasgreatfun.QEGShasagreattraditionofrockmusicingeneralandclassicrockin particular,agenretoooldformeandmyclassmatesbutnonethelesssomethingweinherited shortlyaftersteppingintothoseshortsandgettingputintoourhouses20+yearsago.
ClearlyMrRenshawandMrCheffinshadanextremeamountoffunputtingthistogetherandit reallypaidoff.From‘Bloodsoakeddagger’(tothetuneofalltimeclassic‘CatScratchFever’)to ‘CrazyHorses,’duringwhichtheMDdonnedaparticularlyfrighteningrubbermask,themusic andtherewrittenlyricsinjectedsuchpaceandenergythatanyconcernsaboutanaudience holdinginterestinastoryfrom1057werecompletelyforgotten ThiswasMacbeth,butitwas Macbethyoucouldjumpupanddownto,airguitarto,singalongto
Themusicalsounderscoredmuchoftheviolenceandactionsequences.Headbangingwitches (makingsenseoftherebeingsomanyofthem,it'ssoimportantinthesetimesofcrisistokeep localwigmakingbusinessinprofit),redfloodedlights,kitchenutensilsstrewnliberallyaround Itmaysoundasifthiswasallabitmad,anditwas,butitmustbestatedclearlythatthis productionwasalwaysridingthewave,bringingtheaudiencewithit,contrastinghighenergy withreallymovingemotionaldepthandstillness.EthanLangstaffandAuravVintaweresuperb asMacbethandhisLadyrespectively.Ethangaveguiltriddenregretandovercommitmentto hisdamnedcausewhilstAuravwaschillinglyevil.I’malwayssadwedon’tseemoreofLady Macbethinthetext
‘Sheshouldhavediedhereafter; Therewouldhavebeenatimeforsuchaword.’
Asuccessfulproductiongivesyoutears,laughter,aracingheartandarousingdance.Macbeth theMusicalgaveallthisandmore BetweentheWitches,themurderers,theLordsandThanes, thestorywasinsafehands,confidentandcollaborativethiswasacompanyproduction nonpareil.Boysandstaffshouldbeincrediblyproudoftheworktheyputin,youraudiences adoredyou.I’mstillthinkingabouttheplay3weeksonasIfinallyfindtimetowritethisreview. I’msurethatyouwillrememberthisshowforyearstocome,IcertainlyvividlyrememberJoseph from2000 Ihopeyourememberthecamaraderieandthejoy That’swhatShakespeare(andMr CheffinsandMrRenshaw)candoforyou Ifanyonesaystoyou‘Shakespeare’sboringisn’the?’ Youcangleefullytellthem‘no,’andstarttappingabeat…
SUMMERCONCERT
FIENDSREUNITED
QEGSONTOUR
WeallarrivedatManchesterairportterminal1 onthemorningofSaturdaythe9thofApril.Ski jacketon,baggageinhandandafter2years ofwaiting,wewerereadyforatripandwhata tripthatwouldbe
Icannotlieandsaythatuponarrivalat Manchesterairportthingsweremostcertainly notlookinghopeful,asintheweekbeforeour departureManchesterairportseemedtobeat itsworstwith:Staffshortages,hours-long queuestogetthroughsecurityandeventhe possibilityofEasyJetcancellingourflightlike theyhaddonetocountlessothersintheweek runninguptothetrip.
Ourexperiencecouldnothavebeenmore different-promptlygettingonwithcheckingin, viaEasyJet’sobsceneself-check-inwherewe wereneversureifwe’dtrulygotitrightandjust hadtohopethatourluggagejoinedusonthe plane.Security,whichifyouwerelookingatthe newstheweekbeforewouldbeexpecting massivequeueslastingtwohoursormore,had oneoftheshortestqueuesIhaveseenat Manchester.
ThebusjourneyfromGenevatoValThorens wasthehardestpartofthejourney,lasting3 hoursinasurprisinglyhotbuswasquiteatask butthebusdidallowustoseetheamazing scenerytheAlpshadtoofferandaswegotto thetopsnowwasfallingallaroundus
ValThorensisthehighestskiresortinEurope sittingat2300metresabovesealevelwithski liftsthatcantakeyouupto3200metres,with 319pistesaddingupto600kmofslopes.The resortalsohadanassortmentofshopsand restaurantswithabowlingalleyandarcade beingtheplacewheremostapres-skiactivities tookplace
WestayedattheResidenceChevalBlanc apartments,afteraself-cateredbreakfastof cerealandpastrieswecouldskioutdirectly fromtheapartments.Breakingupthe6hoursa daywespentskiing,lunchwasservedatan Asianfusionrestaurantjustoffthesideofone ofthemainpistes.
VALTHORENS SKITRIP'22
Therestofthedaysofskiingweregreat butbegantobeplaguedbyextremelyicy morningsfollowedbyslushyafternoons endingupmakingeveryoneextremely tiredandconstantlyhavethefeelingthat yourlegscouldturntojellyatany moment.Theheatonlyseemedtoget worsethroughouttheweekwithsomeof theon-pistethermometersreading upwardsof25degreescelsius,meaning ifyouweren’tmovingaroundthenitfelt likeyouwerealmostbeingcookedand forthosewhoforgottoputsuncreamon thengogglemarkswereassured,of whichtherewereafew.Butformost theseconditionswereawelcomed surpriseandcausednotrouble.
Inmyopinion,Iwouldsaythatthefirstdaywas oneof,ifnotthebestdayofthetrip;with amazingsnowduetothefactithadsnowed thewholeweekbeforethetripsothesnowwas completelyfreshandpowdery,butalsothe facttherewasnotacloudinsightproviding someamazingviewsfromthetopat3200 metreswhereyoucouldseestraightoverto MontBlanc.
Duetotheheat,Icouldgetbyjustwearing thermalsandsalopettesbutstronglytinted goggleswereamust.Ourinstructorswerealso veryaccommodatingandalsokeentopushus toourlimits,butmaybealittletoomuchat somepoints.
Thereturnjourneyfelteffortless comparedtothedeparting Idohaveto sayIdidfeelabitofsombreleavingsuch agreattrip,whichhonestly,Iwishcould havegoneonlongerbutjustwithoutthe legsturningtojellybit IcannotliewhenI saythatIcan’tthinkofanything compellinglynegativetosayaboutthe skitrip;pristineskiingconditionsand weathercontributingtotherangeof activitiesthatmadetheweekso enjoyable.
So,whatIwouldsayisifyou’reonthe fenceaboutgoing,goforitasit’san amazingopportunity!
ChesterLomas-Cave
WATERSPORTS
TRIP2022
E G S O N T
QThe20thAugustkickedoffthemost bizarre,stressfulandchangeable24 hoursofanytripI’vehadtheprivilegeto run.Itsawourgroupturningupatthe airporttobeeventuallytoldthat,despite ourbookingbeingonthesystem, everyonebeingpresentandknowing whereontheplanetheyweremeantto sit,theycouldnotbecheckedinand boardtheirflight-whichleftonlyhalf full.Afterexploringalloptions,comingup emptyhanded,andtellingparentsthe tripwascancelled,wethengothometo findaflighthadbeencreatedforus! Thisledtoalatenightscrambleto resurrectthetrip
Itwaswithsometrepidationthatwe arrivedbackatterminal3inManchester AirportontheSundaymorningtosee whatfatehadinstoreforus Thankfully, duetoalotofbehindthesceneswork ourjourneythroughtheairportwentoff withoutahitchandweboardedabump flightthroughthePyreneanstormsto arriveinBarcelona24hourslate,tired butdelightedthattheboysweregoing togetthetriptheyhadspentoverayear lookingforwardto.
CalaLlevadoisanidealbaseforatrip; selfcontainedaccommodationonthe edgeofapineforestthatleadsdown tothebluewatersofthe Mediterranean.Acrystalclearpoolthat wouldputahighclasshoteltoshame andbakingheatundercloudlessskies Afterthetrialsofthejourneyout,the groupenjoyedadaythatstartedwith anearlymorningwalktothebeach, variousgamesaroundthepoolandan afternoonwalkintoandaroundTossa deMar.
Wewerethenintotheactivitiesproper;a dayonthebeachwheretheboys(and staff)enjoyedbananaboatingand paddleboarding,interspersedwith swimmingandsunbathingalongsidethe locals.
LloretdeMaraquaparkwasonceagain thehighlightofthetrip,adayinthesun withyourfriendswillneverfailtobea greatexperienceanditdidn’tdisappoint withthefoolhardybravingthrillingfreefall waterfallslidessuchasSpeedFurious andHurricanes.
Asecondbeachdaywhereboysgotto snorkelfromkayaksaheadofafinal eveningsessionaroundthepoolwiththe chancetotryourscubadivingalongside theobligatorygamesoffootballand basketballonthecentrecourts.
Afarlesseventfulflightbackfrom Barcelona,thehighlightofwhichwas bumpingintoOlympicmedalwinning boxerAmirKhanonhiswayhomeafter hisholiday,sawussafelybackto Manchesterandhomeforafinalweekof theholidaysaheadofthereturntoschool.
Mythanksgoouttomycolleaguesfor theirfortitudeattheairportandefforts withtheboysduringtheweek,aswellas parentsfortheirinfinitepatiencewiththe startofthetrip.MostofallIwouldliketo thanktheboysfortheirsteadfast cheerinessandexemplaryconductthat reflectedsowellonthemandtheschool duringtheirtimeawayinSpain
MrPesterfield-Freeston
DUKEOFEDINBURGH
QEGSboysfromY10,11and12were delightedtoreturntoDalesbridge,inthe YorkshireDales,forDukeofEdinburgh expeditiontrainingduringtheEaster Holiday.Itwasgreattobebackinthe Dalesenjoyingthefreshair,amazing scenery,andreconnectingwiththe farms,campsitesandpeoplethatwork alongsideQEGStomaketheDukeof Edinburghexpeditionsanexcitingand valuableexperience
Havingpreviouslyformedteamsand plannedroutesduringafterschool sessionsonTuesdays,boysfurthered theirskillsunderthewatchfuleyesof theMountainLeaderinstructorsfrom AddVenture.AtBronzelevel,afullday wasspentontentpitching,stoveuse, rucksackpacking,firstaidand emergencyprocedures,beforeheading outonthepracticeexpedition.
AtSilverlevelboys,setoffwalkingon thefirstday!ArthurBroadbent,training forhisSilver,describeshisexperience:
"Itwasourseconddayoutonexpedition whenourgroup,freshandperfectly restedafterachillynightinthetents,set outwalkingtowardsIngleborough As weadjustedourbagsandcheckedthe map,the2ndtallestofthe3Peakssoon cameintoview.Althoughitsheightwas daunting,wehadchosentoattemptthe summitandtheroutehadbeen decidedupon.Carrying3daysof suppliesmeantthatthestrainsoon becameapparent,andasthewind,and soontheincline,pickedupweputour headsdownforwhatwouldbealong, hardbutultimatelyrewarding experience
Wewerepleasantlysurprisedtosee MrMcWilliam,MrLambertandMrs TaylornearthetopofIngleborough, bravingtheelementstoofferus encouragement.Togethertheview, lunchandtheforgivingdescenttoour nextcampsitegaveusplentyoftime toreflectonwhathadbeenatruly impressivejourney.
Nottomention,wehadpassedthe summitofIngleboroughaheadof schedule,andourearlyarrivaltothe campsiteallowedustobesetupand haveeatenbeforetherainlaterthat evening Despiteanothercoldnight campingaheadofus,wewereonly45hoursofwalkingawayfromhome andinhighspiritsafterthesuccessof thatday-andafterthat,withthe practiceexpeditioncompleted,we werelookingforwardtotherealthing."
Allboysinattendancesuccessfully completedtheirtrainingandlook forwardtoputtingtheirskillstothetest duringtheirassessmentexpedition.A hugethankyoutoNickLambert,Anne Taylor,MarkReedandWendyAffleck forgivingupholidaytimetoensure theexpeditionsransmoothly.
MrPMcWilliam-Savile
Thedayofallmyhopesandwondershad finallyarrived;Iwalkedovertotheyard whereIsawdozensofpeopleexcited aboutthetrip
Afterbeingledtoourcoachesandsitting down,Icouldfeelthethrillandjoyofthe journeyaheadofus.Halfwayintothe journey,Icouldseethebreath-taking viewofthejaggedmountainsandthe glorious,vastopenfields.Whenarriving attheYMCAnationalcentre,Iwasin shockathowexquisiteandmagnificent thebuildingandthesurroundingarea was.Afterexploringtheinsideofthe building,wewereassignedourfirst activitywhichwasanobstaclecourse (myfavourite).
Now,ifyouknowme,I’mscaredof heightsandthiswasn’tthebestsincethe majorityoftheobstaclecoursewasquite high.Thecourseconsistedofsome balancingchallenges,climbing challengesandchallengeswhich requiredteamwork Attheendofthe course,Iwasquitenervousforwhatthe nextactivitywouldbebutluckily,my nervousnessloweredwhenIrealisedthe nextactivitywouldberaftbuilding.After exploringthedepthsoftheriverand havinganenjoyableswimwithmy friends,thefirstdayoftheforever memorabletriphadended.
Afterwakingupfromasplendidsleep,I wenttothecafeteriawherethesmellof sausagesandhashbrownfilledupthe areawhichmademeimmediatelyfillup myplatewithoutadoubt.Withmy stomachfilledup,Iwenttomyinstructor tobetoldwewerecanoeingand kayakingfortheday
Hearingthisnews,Iimaginethefunand enjoymentthiswouldbeasitwasmyfirst timeexperiencingtheseactivities.Afterhours ofenjoyment,wehadcompletedoursecond dayatLakeside.
KnowingthatWednesdaywasthelastday,I swiftlyjumpedoutofbed,didmynormal morningroutineandwasreadyforthelast activity.IwasconfusedwhenIheardthatour lastactivitywasthekingswing.Irealisedwhat itmeantwhenwehadreachedthe destination.Itwasahuge,highswingwhere youwouldbeswungfromandtomakemy heartraceevenmore,itwasontopofalittle cliff.Whengoingtothetop,theviewwas beautiful.Afterexperiencingthisamazing moment,weweretoldthatourtimehereat Lakesidehadended
Iwillremembereverymomentofthis incredibletrip.
ZidanMirza
E G S O N T
FISHINGTRIP2022
Thankfully,afteratwoyearabsence duetocovid,theSummerFishingTrip wasabletoreturntoWestlake.
Afterfillingthevanwithtents,tackle andafullkitch-ensuite,wesetoffon ourjourneytoWales Whenwearrived, thefirsttaskwastoerectthetentsand setupthecampsiteinanorderly fashion.AfterasignaturePalindinner, theboystooktothelaketofish
Expectationswerehighgiventhe trainingwehadputinduringtheQED Anglingsessions.MrPalinhadsetthe standardwithaspecimencarparound the20lbsmark
However,theYear7QEDanglers showedthattheywerelearningquickly andiftheycontinuetoshowinterest nextyear,Iamconfidentwecanfinda placeonthe2023FishingTrip.
BacktotheFishingTrip2022
Plentyofsilverfishwerecaughtduringthat firstsessiononthemainlakebutthehigh hopesofrecordbreakingcarpwerenot fulfilledonthatfirstevening.
AfterourfirstnightintheWelshwilderness, weweregreetedbyaheartybreakfastfeast aswellasafeedingfrenzyfromthelocal buzzardsandredkites;thelocalfarmerhad justfinishedcuttingthehayinthenextfield -miceandvoleswereonthemenu
Anybodyinterestedingoingonthe2023 FishingTripshouldseeMrBenn.
MrDBenn-Cave
YEAR12BIOLOGYTRIP
AsIwritethis,theQEGSminibusiscrossingthe MenaibridgeinAnglesey,NorthWales,heading homefromthreedaysoffieldwork.Icansee themountainsofthemainlandononesidetheseaontheotherandit’sabeautifulplace tobe.
TheY12biologistsleftschoolonWednesday morningandcrossedthecountrytoreach Bangor Ontheway,wedetouredthrough5 milesoftoo-thinroadstostopforawalk throughthefoothillsofSnowdonia.TheBiology staffshowedofftheirknowledgeasevery5 minuteswe’dstopforaninvaluablelifelesson onthewildlifesurroundingus
Eventually,wereachedoursamplingsites wherewepitchedupourtapemeasures, whippedoutourquadrantsandgotto countingplants Ourfirstinvestigation comparedthenumberofplantsinareasof differentlevelsofgrazingbythelocalsheep. Wecollectedourdata,andgotbackonthe bus.
Aftermakingourwaytoouraccommodation, wequicklysetupshopandleftforawalk throughabeautifulwoodlandwherewewould samplethefollowingday.
Afteranight’srest,weleftearlyinthemorning forRhosneigertolookatanexampleof ecologicalsuccessionatthesanddunes.We carriedoutatransectandtooksoilsamplesas wemovedfurtherbackintothedunes,testing factorssuchasinfiltrationandwaterretention andobservingthechangeinspeciesdiversity.
Afteranhouroftrekkingthroughmarram grass,wehoppedintotheminibusagainfora quickdrivetoPorthTrecastell-CableBay Hereourtransectswererecordingspeciesof seaweedpresentaswemovedfurtherupthe shore,alongwithsomeofthemolluscsand crustaceans Wecomparedourresultstodata wecollectedfromamoreshelteredlocation allowingustomakeaconclusionontheeffect ofexposuretowaveaction.
Thiswasinpreparationforourfinal investigationonhowthesesameconditions affecttheshellthicknessofdogwhelks(a voraciousseashorepredator).
Returningtoschool,weallfeelwiser,wetter andabletoapplyforPhD’sinseaweedology
RobTingle-Bentley
FLAMBOROUGHGEOGRAPHYTRIP
TheYear12andYear10geographerswereveryluckytoexperiencegloriousweather ontheirfieldvisits.
TheYear12studentshadalovelydayoutatFlamboroughHead,Bridlingtonand Skipseastudyingcoastallandformsandprocessesandobservingtheeffectsof coastalerosionontheYorkshireHoldernessCoast,Europe’sfastesterodingcoastline
TheYear10geographershadtheperfectweatherforgettingtheirfeetwetand collectingdataonriverlandformsandprocessesintheheadwatersoftheRiver Derwent,Derbyshire.Ifonlywecouldguaranteesuchgreatweatheronallofourfield visits!
YEAR12LONDONDTTRIP
Itwasasplendiddayout Afterthetwo-and-a-half-hourtrainjourneydown,thefirst portofcallwastheNewDesignersexhibitionwith2,500hand-pickedgraduatedesign talentfromaroundtheUK.
Alongwith200flagshipuniversities.Theseprojectsincludedeverythingfromchairsto modelboats Welookedatthedesignsthatpeoplehadmade,takinginspirationto applyintoourownNEAprojects.Afterlookingaroundthedifferentprojects,wewalked throughIslingtontotheDesignMuseum.
ThisbuildinghadiconicdesignssuchastheJuicySalif,theiMacandpiecesofwork fromAlessi Wethentookthetube,afavouritemodeoftransportamongstus,to Portobelloroadwherewelookedatantiqueshopsandfoodfromdifferentcultures. Beingusedtonorthernprices,weweren’treadyfortheextortionatepricesoficecream inthecapital.
WereallyenjoyedthistriptomarktheendofourY12DesignTechnologyyear,andlook forwardtoincorporatingtheinspirationandadvicefromtheexhibitionandmuseum intoourownwork.
HARLOWCARRPHOTOGRAPHYVISIT
On28thJuneournextcohortofGCSEPhotographystudentsvisitedthemagnificentRHS HarlowCarrGardens,Harrogate,asameansofgettingtoknowtheDSLRcamerasthat weuseforthecourse
Thegardensarespectacularatanytimeoftheyear,butareparticularlybeautifulinthe summer.Studentsweretaskedwithapplyingcompositionaltechniquestotheir photography,inordertocreatebalancedandaestheticphotographsthatchallenged normalperspectivesofthenaturalworld.
Techniquesincludedusingunusualcameraangles,incorporatingleadinglines, consideringthecroppingorframingofanimageandapplyingthe‘ruleofthirds’.
Inthesecondhalfoftheday,studentsusedblackandwhitefilmcamerastocollect imagesofthelandscapethatwouldemphasisecontrastandtexture Wearelooking forwardtodevelopingthesephotographsinSeptember,usingtraditionaldarkroom photographytechniques.Anumberofourstudentshaverelativesorfamilyfriendswho usedtodeveloptheirownphotographsathome,inDIYdarkrooms.Thestudentsare fascinatedattheprospectoftryingthisoutforthemselves.Dowatchthisspace-wewill sharetheresults!
MrsMCaines-Freeston
ECONOMICSSIXTHFORMTRIP
InNovember,30Year13economicsstudentsvisitedtheEmmanuelCentreinLondonfor aninspirationaldayofeconomicstalksfeaturingindustryleaders,academicsandpublic servants.
TheprogrammeincludedakeysessiononUklivingstandardsandthelabourmarket fromLindseyJudge(ResearchDirectorattheResolutionFoundation)andakeynote speechfromAnnaBirdattheBehaviouralInsightsTeamtoexploreexamplesof behaviouraleconomicsinpracticeandhowbehaviouralsciencecangovernmentsand businesses.
StudentsalsoenjoyedatalkfromBobbySeagull-aformerinvestmentbankerand universityChallengesemi-finalistwhosharedhisexperiencesofthefinancialcrisisof 2008fromhisperspectivefromthetradingfloorofLehmanBrothers.
Overall,theprogrammewasanexcitingandinterestingdaythathasequippedstudents withsomemorereal-worldknowledgethattheycannowuseintheeconomics classroom
Mid-morningonTuesday,5thJuly, membersoftheWGSFBrassBandand StringQuartetdepartedforLeeds BradfordAirportonthefirstpost-Covid musictour.Despitesomegetting separatedfromluggageandbeing droppedoffatseveraldifferent locationsaroundtheairport,we eventuallyregroupedanddepartedfor Jersey.
Theflightwasshort,thelanding somewhatbumpy,butwedidarrive moreorlessontimeandwemadeour waytoChateauVermontonacouple ofsmallJerseybuses(thebuseshave tobesmallinordertonegotiatethe narrowroads).Bystudent accommodationstandards,ourrooms wereexcellentandweweregiven
accesstomostoftheJerseyAcademy ofMusicbuilding.Wehadaquick rehearsalandafterteamadeourway toalocalplayingfieldforagameof roundersandfootball.Itwasgreattobe abletojustchilloutandchatlateinto theevening.
WewererudelyawokenonWednesday morningbyearlymorningfanfare playedbyMrStig.Littledidweknow thatthiswastobecomearegular occurrencefortherestofthetrip!After aquickbreakfastwegotstuckintoa longrehearsal,gettingtheconcert piecesuptotherequiredstandardfor performance.WethentravelledtoSt. Brelade’sBayonthecoach.Our afternooninvolvedsittingonthebeach, playingcricketandswimminginthe clearJerseywaters.Wemadeourway backtoChateauforteaandhadan outdoorceilidhpractice!Therestofthe eveningwasreallyrelaxed.
OnThursday,wewereawokentothe soundsofanotherfanfare,thistime playedbyMrsBentham.Afterbreakfast wehadanotherrehearsalbefore departingforMontOrgueilCastle.The viewfromthetopofthecastlewas stunningandwecouldseewellintothe distancetowardsFrance(somephones wereregisteringwithFrenchnetworks!
2022
Afterlunchinthecastlewesetupourfirst concertinaverywindsweptpartofthecastle grounds.Thebandandstringquartet alternatedperformancesinfrontofasmall, butappreciativeaudience,includinganother visitingschool Itwashardworkplayinginthe brightsunshine,butthebandandquartet soundedgreat.Aftertheconcertwewalked downtoGoreyPierandhadrelaxationtime onthebeacheatingicecreamsandchips, courtesyofMrsBentham.
BackattheChateauwesampledsome Jerseyfoodandhadafirstattemptatareal ceilidh,ledbytheflamboyantMissBatra.
TheearlymorningfanfareonFridaywas providedbyMrLewis.Afterbreakfastwehad ourfinalrehearsal,followedbyavisittothe townofStHelierforsomesouvenirshopping.
WewalkedtotheHowardDavisBandstand, setup,rehearsedandatelunchbefore performingoursecondconcerttoanother selectaudience.rehearsedandatelunch beforeperformingoursecondconcertto anotherselectaudience Thebandstand wasshapedlikeacave,whichallowedfor greatacousticsandthesoundspread throughouttheparkwithease.Oursoloists Davey,James,EleanorandLeinaplayed withrealgusto!
Wechangedclothesandmadeourway towardsanotherbeach,thistimesettingup campon‘TheLido’.Everyonelatheredupin suncreamandjumpedin.Wethenwalked backtoHowardDavisParkformoreice creamandplayedcricket.Backatthe Chateau,afterourfinaleveningmealof pizzaandbrownies,wehadaverychaotic ceilidhandquiz,whilstMiaSedgwickand MrsBenthamenjoyedalatenighttriptoA &E!
OurSaturdayfanfarewasaninteresting experienceandplayedinthreedifferent keysallthesametime.Atriptothezoo roundedoffourtourbeforewedepartedfor theairport
Manythanksto:
Themusicstafffortakingus,Chateau Vermontforhostingus,andthePTAfor providingthefundstopur-chasetourTshirts.
MrCLewis-Freeston,CharlotteMcKinlay
E G S O N T
YEAR3INYORK
WearrivedatschoolonasunnyThursday morningwithoursuitcasereadyforour residentialtriptoYork.Wepackedour bagsontothecoachandheadedforthe cityofYork!
OurfirststopwastheYorkYouthHostel, wedroppedoffourluggageandhada workshoponVikingrunes.Wefoundout thatoneofthepuzzlesexplainedhowone manhadbeenaRuneMasterallhislife. Wehadsnacktimeinthesunshine,then wewalkedalongtherivertotheYorkBoat stop.Weboardedtheboatandateour packedlunchesonthetopdeck.The viewswereexceptional!
Thesunwasstillshiningwhenwegotoff theboatandweenjoyedanicecream, whilstwatchingtheduckswaddlearound.
NextwevisitedDig,wherewelearnttobe archaeologistsandusedatrowelto uncovercluesfromthepast.
Wealsohadabattletacticsworkshop. Wefoundoutabouttheimportanceof archersinVikingtimes.Alsoifawildboar waschargingatyou,youshoulduseyour speartodefendyourself!
Nextwewentonthecoachbacktothe YouthHostel,wherewehadourtea.Most ofushadbeefburger,chipsandwaffles, theytastedheavenly!
Afterteaweplayedgamesinthegarden andgotreadyforbed.
Thenextdaywegotupat7amand enjoyedadeliciouscookedbreakfast.
Weespeciallyenjoyedusingthe toastmachine!Afterbreakfastwe walkedtoYorkMinsterandenjoyed completingatreasurehunt.We sawsomeancientRomanpillarsin thecryptandsomebeautiful mosaics. Wesawastonemasonatwork outsidetheMinstertoo.Nextitwas lunchtime;thenwetravelledback intimeattheYorvikCentre.We sawhowtheVikingsbuilttheir homesandhowtheylived.We learntabouthowtheymadetheir coins!Howeveritwasquitesmelly ontheride!
OurlaststopwasbacktotheYouth Hosteltocollectoursuitcasesand thentravelbacktoschool!Wehad agreattimeonourfirstresidential trip!
ByClass3P
NATIONALFOREST-YEAR4
InSeptember,Year4visitedtheNationalForestfortheirteambuilding,residentialtrip. Theboysreallyenjoyedthemanydifferentactivitiesthattheytookpartin.Onthefirst daywewentforawalkinthelocalareaandfoundoutsomeamazingfactsaboutthe canal,landuseandtheMoiraFurnace.
IntheeveningtheboysenjoyedtheQEGSQuizandthetopqualityfoodattheYouth Hostel.ThenextdaywevisitedConkers,visitedthe4Dcinemaandtestedtheirmap readingskillswithsomeorienteeringaroundthesite.
Thiswasfollowedbythefamous‘Year4Catwalk’andDiscointheeveningwherethe boysstruttedtheirstuffintheirbestoutfits.ThelastdayofthetripwevisitedtheGreat CentralRailwaywherewehadarideonarealsteamtrainandfoundoutaboutthe historyoftherailway.Theboysreallyenjoyedthewholetrip,behavedimpeccablyand representedtheschoolfantastically.
E G S O N T O U R J U N I O R S E C T I O N J U N I O R S E C T I O N
HereisarecordofthepupilblogfromtheY5 2021,VisittoPlasyBrenin
Andwe’reoff….Thesunisshining,everyonewas ontimeandhadbroughttheirbeamingsmiles! Eventhesunisshining-fornow Weplanto stopattheservicesforatoiletstopanda snack.
Day2
TodayweareCanoeing,Boulderingand Weaselling.Theboysarehavingawonderful timeandrelishinginbeingabletogetwetand dirty,onpurpose!We'veworkedupagood appetite-we'redefinitelyreadyforahearty dinnernow.
Afteralovelydinner,theboysweretreatedto talesofadventureandexcitementfromthe guestspeaker,OllySanders,whoinspiredthe boyswithstoriesfromhistravelstoPatagonia, GreenlandandAlaska,evenincludingscaring offpolarbearsfromhiscampsite!
Day3
Goodmorning!Weareexpectingachangein theweathertoday.AsItypeitisratherwindy, butdryatthemoment Today'sactivities includeGorgewalkingandAbseiling.The instructorshavebeenkeepingaclosewatch ontheweather,soIsuspecttheitinerarymay betweakedalittleifnecessary.MrThompson leftusafterdinneryesterdaeveningandwillbe backinschooltoday MrTiffanyarrivedduring yesterdayeveningandisreadyforaction.
TEAMQEGS!
YEAR 5 YEAR 5
PLAS
BRENIN
Whatabusyday!Theboyshavehadafabulous dayand,itisfairtosay,theyarealltired TheyarewatchingtheDVD'ChickenRun'and havingsomewell-earnedpopcorn.Isuspect they'llallbegladtogotobedafterthat Wehaveaverybusymorningaheadofuswith theLowRopescourse,TeamBuildinggamesand ashorthikeontheagenda,allbeforewehave lunch,packupthecoachandsetoffbackto sunnyYorkshire.
Aninterestinganecdotefoundonthewallthis morning,showingsomeoftheremarkablehistory ofthecentre
Wehadagreatmorningoutandabout.Theboys watchedacoupleofDVDsonthecoachonour returnandwehadaquicktoiletstopbefore arrivingbackingoodtime;wemanagedtoavoid thehugetrafficqueuesthatwehadexpected.
I'msurealltheboyswilllookbackonthelastfew dayswithfondmemories.Theyhaveexperienced activitiesthattheywon'thavehadthe opportunitiestodobeforeinsuchasplendid environmentandwithsuchexperiencedand expertinstructors.
I'msuretheywillallbetired,butwithsmileson theirfaces Somehaveapproachedevery challengewithdeterminationandsomewitha littletrepidation,butwithoutexception,theboys havegivenoftheirvery,verybest
Welldoneboys-youhavedoneyourselves proud1
BUSHCRAFTCAMPER
E G S O N T O U
Duringthedaysleadinguptotheresidential,IwasveryexcitedIwouldlearnmany helpfulandfunsurvivalskills,andwashopingandexpectingagreateducationaltrip.
Aswegotontothebus,Irememberfeelingawaftofanticipationflyoverme,asIwas gettingreadyfortheamazingtripawaitingmeandmyfriends,just1houraway.After thebusjourneywefinallyarrivedattheCamp ThepeoplefromTheBushcraftCompany countedourheadsaswedroppedoffourbags.
Day1-TheHeadofthestaffhadabigbeardandHisnamewasDylan.Wedidanumber offbecauseitwouldtakeforevertolearnall65ofournames.Itwastocheckwewereall here.Iwasnumber9.Everytimeheshouted“Numberoff!”weallhadtoshoutoutour number.Hemadethiscrazybetthatifwediditinunder30seconds,he’lldrinkoutofhis shoe!Hedidn'tbuthedideatanettle Onthefirstday,weallhadtositonbenches aroundsomethingcalledtheyurt.Ayurtisacirculartentmadeoutoffeltorskinona collapsibleframework Wemadetraps,learnedhowtosharpenastickwithaknifeand manyotherthings.Weateabeefburgerforlunchandspaghettiandbolognesefor dinnerwhichwerebothdeliciousmeals.Intheend,wewenttobedatabout9:30pm, whichis1hourlaterthanmynormalbedtime
Day2-Whenwewokeupwehadabeautifulbreakfastincludingcereal,fruit,yoghurtand breadwithjamthatgaveusalloftheenergyneededfortherestoftheday. Approximately1hourlater,wesawtheteacherspanassasalmon,luckilyforsomeboys theygottoeattheeyes!Laterwemadebraceletsandstumpsfortrapmakingsothatwe couldtrickourteachers Thatnight,weweresingingsongslikepopedepopandthe bananasong.Wealsodid‘TribesGotTalent’wherewewerecameramenwithourtorches. OurtribeandtenthadcakebecauseitwasZac’sbirthday Welaterwenttosleep
Day3-Inthemorningwewentintoanopenareaandplayedcapturetheflag.Wethen heardacryforhelp,andracedtotheplacewherethenoisecamefrom MrRenshawand MrPearsonhad,quitefoolishly,crashedaplane.Itwasveryconvincing.Therewasloads of‘blood’andwedidoursurvivalskillsonthem,andMrPearsonwastickledbacktolife Mr Renshaw,ontheotherhand,wasabitmoreconvincing.Butintheendwesavedthem andnobodydied.Hooray!Thenwewentonashorttrailbacktocamp,atesmoresand didtaskslikeaxethrowingandarchery.Iwashavingthemostfunanditmadeita worthwhileexperience.Tosumitallup,itwasamemorabletriptomarktheendofour timeattheJRschoolandIenjoyeditthoroughly!
E G S O N T O U R J U N I O R S E C T I O N J U N I O R S E C T I O N
MIDLANDSCRICKET
TOUR
By MR M PEARSON
By MR M PEARSON
NottinghamandLecistershirewasthe destinationfortheU10crickettourwhich tookplaceinearlyJuly2022
Day1,involvedafixtureagainstTrent collegewheretheboyshadastrongstart totourand agreatoutcome.Wethen headedofftotheHiltonHotelin NottinghamCitycentrewhichis traditionallyourbase.Oureveningactivity wasatriptolaserquestwheretheboys hadaball,asyoucanimagine.
Summary,
Day2,theboyshadaproductivedayat Derbyshirecricketgroundandhadthe privilegeofbeingcoachedbythe professionalDerbyshireplayers.This includedsomefeildinggamesandindoor nets Wethenwentofftoalocalcricket clubwhereweplayedabigbashversionof thegamewithmixedteamsfromourU10 andu11Teams AneveningofCrazygolf turnedintoaveryintensecompetition whichIbelievewaswonbyMrPearson,just saying!
Thestandardofcricketoverthe3days wasexceptionalandthesportsmanshipon showwasequaltothestandard.Several membersofbothteamsareinvolvedinthe yorkshirecricketsystem Howeverevery memberoftheteamsdidthemselves proudanditwouldbeunfairtopickout individuals.
Day3,ourlastfixturetookustoRadcliffe colelegeinLeicestershirewhichisour oldestandfavouriteschooltovisit.Their hostingissecondtononeandthefixtureis alwaysagreatexampleofhowcricket shouldbeplayedwithinthespiritofthe game.
Iwouldliketothanktheparentsfortheir continuedsupportthroughoutthesesaon andabigthankyoutoMrCookfor runningaverywellorganisedtour.Finally ahugethankyoutotheboys,it'sbeena privilegeworkingwiththemandseeing theirgameawarenessandskillsgrow oversuchashorttime.
SOCIETIES&EVENTS
YEAR13LEAVERS
InthemiddleofMaytheYear13boysenjoyed arangeofactivitiestomarktheirfinaldaysin school.AfterreceivingtheirOldSavilianties fromthePresidentoftheOldBoys’association, theyenjoyeda‘leavers’breakfast’intheschool canteenandsignedeachothers’leaving cards.Thiswasfollowedbythenowtraditional leavers’dayfootballtournament,whichtook onadifferentfeel,asitwastransformedintoa Housecompetition TheYear13studentslined upintheirBentley,Savile,FreestonandCave colours-withtheobligatoryfancydress-to battleforwhatisundoubtedlythemosthighly prizedvictoryintheschoolcalendar.Aftera numberofclose-andattimesfeistyencounters,itwasBentleythattookthe honours,muchtothedelightofMiss Chatterton.Themorning’sactivitieswere followedbyaBBQ,afterwhichtheboysbegan theirofficialleaveofabsenceinanticipationof theALevelexams.Allinall,averyenjoyable fewdays;wewishtheboysalltheverybestfor thefuture.
Thisyear,ALevelresultsdayinAugusthadalittlemoresignificancethanusual-afterthe removalofsocialdistancingrestrictions,thestudentscouldenjoyamorenormal‘inperson’ celebration!Also,havingbeingdeniedtheopportunitytositGCSEexams,itwasthechance fortheboystodemonstratetheirprowessinwrittenexams-andtheydidn’tdisappoint!
Theaccompanyingphotosgiveasnapshotofthisyear’sachievements Tocoinaphrase, theboys‘didtheschoolproud’andthereweremanybeamingfaces(students,staffand parents)onwhatwasaverymemorableday.
MrRees
YMCALAKESIDECHALLENGE
AfteraCovidinducedhiatustheweekendof46thFebruarysawthereturnofYear9competing intheYMCA’sNationalLakesidechallenge competition.18boyscomprising3teams travelledtotheYMCALakesidecentreonthe shoresofWindermereforaweekendofteam challenges Theteamshadtocompletearange ofactivitiesforpoints,withthehighestscoring teamfromalltheschoolsinvolvedtakingthe win.TheweatherwassuitablyCumbrianand unfortunatelyallwaterbasedactivitieswere cancelledduetosafetyconcerns Despitethe rain,windandmud,theboysgotstuckinand showedahugeamountofspiritandcharacter.
WithtypicalgoodhumourtheQEGSteams gavetheirallinthechallengesandamassed somehealthyscores.Outofthe15teams present,QEGSteam“Lightsout”(ThomasRose, EuanHart,ChristopherBarnett,EdwardPratt, FabienSelka,OliverBostwick)came3rdwith veryfewpointssplittingthetop3 Most importantly,alltheboyshonedvaluableteam buildingskillswhichwillnodoubtstand themingoodsteadfortheirfuture endeavours Iwouldliketocongratulateall18 boyswhoparticipatedfortheirexcellent attitude,andwouldespeciallyliketothankMrs RamsdenandMrsTaylorforgivinguptheir weekendtomakethevisitpossible.
MrThomas
NIGERIANSCHOOLAPPEAL
InDecember2019,Year8students TimilehinandXavierinitiateda charityprojecttorenovateaschool inIkorodu,Lagos-stateinNigeria The ideafortheprojectstemmedfrom theboys’passiontohelpother childrenwhodonothavethesame opportunityasthem Havingseen picturesofalocalNigerianschoolin adeplorablestate,theydecidedto helpraisefundstorenovateit.
PartneringwithaLagosbasednot-for-profitorganisation,calledFoodClique,the boysinitiateda10kmcharitywinterwalkinJanuary2020with30childrenand adultsalsotakingpart.TheboysmadeseveralpresentationstolocalChurchesin Wakefield,NigeriancommunitymembersinLeeds,andlocalcouncillorsinLeedsto helpraiseawarenessofthechallengesinNigeriaandtoraisemorefunds.
AGoFundMecampaignwassetuptofacilitatethefundraisingandtheboys managedtoraiseawhoppingtotalof£5,612.
Thestudentsalsoplannedtoorganiseabakesaleandmovienighttoraisemore fundsinMarch2020,buttheprojectcametoastandstillduetotheCOVID pandemicandsubsequentlockdown.
Despitethissetback,therenovationofIpakodoGrammarschoolwasrecently completed,thankstotheboys’fundraisingefforts.
Theschoolnowaccommodatesover1000childrenacrossitsjunior,senior,and inclusivesections,withthelatterofferingspecialprovisionforspeechimpaired, blindanddeafchildren.
Theleadersoftheschool,localcommunityandthecharityareextremelygrateful toTimilehinandXavierfortheiraccomplishmentandrecentlyinvitedtheboysto virtuallyattendthecommissioningceremonyoftheIpakodoGrammarSchoolas guestsofhonour.
STANDWITHUKRAINE
AspartoftheY9YoungEnterprise(Tenner)challengeoneoftheteams,Ukreation (OscarSmith,ThomasRoseandNathanaelIllingworth)aredevotingtheireffortsto raisingfundsinsupportofthosefleeingtheongoingcrisisinUkraine. Theyhaveusedtheirstartuploantoproducearangeofblue&yellowribbons whichcanbewornonlapels
Basedontheinitialsuccessoftheireffortstheboyswanttoallowallmembersof theFoundationtoshowtheirsupportandaremakingthemavailableinallofthe schools
Theribbonswillbeavailablefromschoolofficesaswellasthepop-upBlue& YellowBakesalestallsthattheteamwillberunningaroundQEGSoverthenext3 weeks
YEAR10ENTERPRISE
Year10Enterpriseteamswowedthejudgesinpitchesthatcouldrivalthatofmanyseenon Dragons’Den!Theirstart-uploanswillsupporttheproductionoftheirchosenChristmas productstobesoldatthisyear’sChristmasConcerts-wecanlookforwardtoattractive handmadeChristmaswreathsandcandles,innovativewoodenChristmastrees,intricately designedcoasters,Christmasstationaryforstockingfillers,funandquirkysweetbaubles, delicioushigh-qualitybakedgoods,‘ontrend’bottlelightsandmanymore!Welldoneboys andgoodluckwithyourventure
GLOBALENTERPRISE
IncelebrationofGlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek2021boyswerechallengedtocompetein verticalhouseteamstoembracetheirinnovationandcreativityinanupcyclingchallenge ItwaswonderfultoseeboysfromYear7allthewaythroughtoYear13workingtogether andsupportingeachotherandtheirideaswerefantastic-wesawtwodifferentphone holders,Christmasdecorations,coastersandofcourseTheHexapot!
Thechallengeculminatedinanexcitingpresentationeventjudgedbyapanelwhose difficultjobitwastodecideonthevariousawards;productideaandexecution,branding, bestpromovideo,sustainability,pitchcontentandpitchdelivery
ThejudgeswerehighlyimpressedwithallteamsandourveryownMarketingexpertMr Williamswaswowedbythestandardoftheboys’presentations!Welldonetoalltheboys thatparticipated-QEGSisdefinitelyhometomanyofthenextgenerationofsuccessful entrepreneurs-andanextracongratulationstowinninghouseteamBentley-thoughit wasaclosesetofresultsoverall!
CHRISTMAS ENTERPRISE
AmassivecongratulationstoourbuddingYear10entrepreneurswhoproducedand marketedfantasticfestiveproductsfortheChristmasConcertsandraisedanimpressive £386forCapCareWakefield!Awardsincluded‘BestDragon’sdenpitch’,‘Bestin sustainability’.‘Bestsalestechnique’,‘Bestteamwork’andmanymore.TheBronzeand Silverwinnersfor‘Mostprofitmade’wentto‘MiracleintheSportsHall’and‘BottleLights’ withthenumberonespotgoingtoGoldwinners‘ChristmasTreets’withtheirhandmade woodenChristmastreesandcoasterbundles.Welldonetoallboysinvolved!
S O C I E T I E S A N D E V E N T
ThisHousecompetitionwithadifferencewasaimedattheverymanytalentedaspiring chefswehaveinschool.Theauditionroundinvolvedentrantscreatingdishesathome andthensubmittingphotographicevidenceoftheiradventurouscooks/bakes Aftermuch deliberationoverthenumberofentries,finalistswereselectedtorepresenttheirrespective HouseswitheachHousepreparingandpresentingathreecoursemenu.Finaldaywas brilliant,theaspiringchefswerefocusedontheirentriesandovercameafewinteresting momentswithaplomb.Thefinisheddisheswerejudgedbyaworthypanel;consistingofDr Brookes,MrsPalin,EdMarsh,GeorgeBoothandJamesAckroyd.Theyhadachallengeon theirhandsasalldishesweredeliciousandwellpresented
TheResults…
ThewinneroftheinauguralMasterChef CompetitionwasFreeston(bestoverall), comprisingSubhaanSarwar,PhilipBirdenandOrin Wood.BeststarterwenttoSavile(Lu-ayHassan), bestmaintoFreeston(PhilipBirden)andbest desserttoCave(ThomasGoodrum). Welldoneeveryone.
YEAR7250CHALLENGE
Afterhearingaboutthe250ChallengefortheRoyalNationalInstitutefortheBlind,I reallywantedtomakeadifferenceandraiselotsofmoneyforthecharity.Iworkedout thatit’s25kmfrommylocalrugbyclub(HuddersfieldRUFC)toQEGSandif10ofus walkedtheroute,that’s250kmintotal SowherewouldIfindanother9willing,fit, motivatedandslightlycrazyvolunteers theYear7rugbyteam-EdwardBeeley,Alex Taylor,JoshuaTimmons,TheoLewis,HugoColver,SamIlsley,OscarGiles,BenSmith, HarryTaylorandme!
Onthe26thFebruary,wesetoffat8amfromLockwoodPark.Westartedoffwith3adults walkingwithusbutbytheend,12parentsand5dogshadjoinedin!
Wehadplannedanumberofpitstopsalongtherouteanditwasgreattoseeour parentscheeringuson,beepingtheircarhornsandprovidingloadsofchocolateto keepourenergylevelsup.
ItwasalongtrekbutwefinallyreachedQEGSat2.40pm-wecompletedthewalkin6 hoursand40minutes Wewereallrelievedtocrossthefinishlineandtuckintobacon buttiesintheschoolplayground
Idon’tthinkwehadrealisedhowfaritwasbutitwasloadsoffundoingittogetherand intheendweraised£1500.00.Thankyoutoeveryonewhosupportedusanddonated.
WillPriest-Bentley
JUBILEECLEBRATIONS
TheJuniorSectionJubileepartywentvery wellandtherewaslotsofexcitementin theair.Somestalls,likethesplatthe captain,hadanendlessqueuewherelots ofboyswantedtodrenchus.Itwasan amazingdayandseeingalloftheir excitedfacesrunningtothestallsmade myday.
TheSeniorSectionwentjustaswell Itwas notquiteaswarmbutweallenjoyed persuadingMrPottagetobethevictimon the‘splatthecaptain’chair,itwas hilariousasoneoftheboysgothimslap bangintheface Oneoftheotherpopular oneswasthepenaltyshootout.Thatwas greatfunasIwasthegoalkeeper.They barelyscoredany,obviously!
SebPatel-Year7FreestonHouseCaptain
YEAR10ENTREPENEURS
AmassivecongratulationstoourbuddingYear10entrepreneurswhoproduced,marketed andsoldfabulousValentine’sthemedproductsduringourproductionofSisterAct Overthethreenightstheyraisedanincredible£787forUKcharityFareShare,whichexiststo tacklechildhungersupportedbyfootballerMarcusRashford.ThroughFareshare,forevery£1 donatedfourmealscanbeprovidedforchildrenandfamiliesinneeds,assuchtheboys effortsraisedenoughtoprovide3,148meals.
Boysdemonstrated,andwereawardedforavarietyofenterpriseandemployabilityskills suchasteamwork,personaldevelopmentandinitiative,aswellasbusinessskillssuchas innovation,merchandising,brandingandcustomerexperience.
TheBronzeandSilverwinnersfor‘Mostprofitmade’wentto‘thePopcornboys’and‘Brownies’ withthenumberonespotgoingtoGoldwinners‘TheChocolateBouquetCompany’.Well donetoallboysinvolved!
YEAR8ENTREPENEURS
Year8recentlytookpartinTheNationalCareersChallenge2022;theUK’slargestcareersand enterprisecompetitionforsecondaryschoolsaimedatbuildingskillssuchas communication,teamwork,problemsolving,creativity,adaptabilityandmotivation.The challenge,setinpartnershipwithThorpePark,wastodesignabrand-newridewithan immersivequeueexperience.Startingbycreatingadesignconceptandbackstoryfortheir ride,boysthenhadtoconsiderhowtheywouldbrandtheirnewrideandmarketittotheir chosentargetcustomer.Theywerethentaskedtodesigntheassociat-edmerchandiseto besoldintheThorpeParkgiftshop,beforecreatinganadvertandfinallypitchingtheirideas tothejudgingpanel Itwasahighlyenjoyabledaywhereboyswereencouragedoutoftheir comfortzonewithmanycommentingontheirself-confidencethattheyfelthadgrownover thecourseoftheday.
CHRISTMAS ENTERPRISE
Thejudgeswereimpressedbyallteamsandjudgingthepresentationswasatoughjob!We arepleasedtoannouncethatthetwoteamscrownedwinnerswere‘Darwin’sBookofTerror’ comprisedofHarryLangley,TeddyDawson,DylanStanley,JosephWatfordandNoahTordoff, and‘LostatSea’comprisedofAngeloMartins,JunaidAli-bret,DexterBevon,BenjaminSmith andHaroonChoudary Theteamsarenowbusypreparingtocompeteagainstotherteams fromacrosstheUKforthechancetobecrownedTheNationalCareersChallengechampions for2022attheprestigiouseventheldthisyear,atBirmingham’sInternationalConvention Centrewheretheteamswillhavetheopportunitytopresentagain,infrontofapanelof industryexperts.Welldoneboys,andgoodluck!
MrsCMackay-Bentley
S O C I E T
YOUNGHISTORIANOFTHEYEAR
DuringthesummerholidaysanumberofQEGSboysenteredtheHistorical Association’sYoungHistorianoftheYearcompetition-anationalessaycompetition thathastwocategories(KeyStage3andSenior)andinvolvesresearchingand writingabout20thcenturyhistory.Thisyear,therewererecordnumbersofentries includingentrantsfromCanadaandIndia,andyet,asaschool,wedidverywell
ChristopherBarnettandIlyasFormuli deserveaspecialmention,having writtenexcellentessaysthatjustmissed outonthetopprizes However,intheKey Stage3categorybothAyanSinhaand CharlieNewtonwereawarded“highly commended”certificatesfor outstandingwork,aswasChristopher PouliosintheSeniorcategory. Thesuccessdidnotstopthere.Inthe KeyStage3categoryJamesMadison actuallywonthecompetitionwithhis essayontheWorldWarTwoD-Day landingsandArthurBroadbentwenton towintheSeniorcategorywithhiswork ontheChindits’campaigninBurma.
Thisisthefirsttimeinthecompetition’s 26yearhistorythatthesameschoolhas swepttheboardandwonboth categoriesinthesameyear,atruly remarkableachievement.Toaddtothis, ArthurBroadbentwasalsoawardedthe GeneralMartinprize(namedaftertheDDayveteranandfounderoftheSpiritof NormandyTrust)forexemplarywork afterhisessaywaschosenbythe granddaughtersofMajorGeneralPeter Martin
MrArcher
ASPIRINGBEYONDQEGS
OneoftherecentdevelopmentsinHistoryhasbeenthedecisiontostartextra-curricular sessionsforthoseboysthinkingofpursuingthesubjectbeyondALevel;thesesessionsare called‘AspiringBeyondQEGS’ TheHistoryDepartmentatQEGShasalwaysbeenproudof itsrecordinsendingstudentstostudyHistoryrelatedcoursesatuniversity,howeverthis yearwehavethelargestnumberofstudentswantingtostudythesubjectatdegreelevel formanyyears.EvenI,amemberoftheDepartmentforover30years,cannotremember thelasttimesomanyhavechosentocontinuewiththesubject(eightstudentsintotal:Ed Marsh,GeorgeAmati,GuySalvini,DanClegg,HughLawrenson,HugoAlexander,Patrick HarwoodandJamesWillard).InordertofindoutmoreaboutwhatmotivatedtheseYear13 studentstocontinuewithHistory,Iaskedwhattheirmotivationswere:
1.WhatmadeyoudecidetocontinuewithaHistoryrelatedcourseatuniversity?
EdandJamesrepliedthathistoryhadalwaysbeentheirfavouritesubjectatQEGS,both werepassionateaboutthewayinwhichithashelpedshapetheirviewsofthemodern world Patrick,forthisreason,wantedtocombineitwithPoliticssoastogainamore contemporaryviewofworldevents.GeorgeandHughbothmentionedthattheskillsthey havedevelopedinstudyingthesubjectwillgivethemtheanalyticalabilitiesprizedby manyemployers.ForGuyandDanitwasthebreadthofdifferenttimeperiodsstudiedand theopportunitytoexplorenewtopics.
2.Whatareyourfuturecareeraspirations?
Edhopestousehiswrittenskillstopursueacareerinjournalism,Hughseeshimselfgoing intointernationaldiplomacywiththeUN,whereasbothPatrickandGuywanttopursueLaw atalaterdate Theothersarenotyetsurewhattheywanttodobutallcommentedthat doinganon-vocationaldegreelefttheiroptionsopen.
3 WhathasbeenthemostmemorablefeatureofstudyingHistoryatQEGS?
AnumberoftheboyshighlightedtheirenjoymentoftheYear11BattlefieldsTrip,butfor George,itwashisloveofstudyingmodernHistory,especiallytheThatcherYearsatALevel. ForGuy,itisthehelphehasbeengiveninclinicsbyallhisHistoryteachers.WhereasforEd, itistheinteractivenatureofstudyingHistoryatQEGS HealsorecalledspendingYear12 HistoryinanArtclassroom(duetoCovid)withamodelskeletonandthusbeingmadeto listentoMrBinney’sskeleton-themedjokesforawholeyearwasalsoahighlight(asense ofironyhere).
MayItakethisopportunitytothanktheladsforalltheircommitmenttothesubjectand wishthemwellintheirjourneythroughuniversityandbeyond!
MrBinney
S O C I E T I E S A N D E V E N T S G E O G R A P H Y G E O G R A P H Y
YEAR12ESSAYCOMPETITION
FollowingtheCOP26UnitedNations ClimateChangeConferenceheldin GlasgowinearlyNovember,the GeographyDepartmentinvitedtheYear 12ALevelgeographerstoenteranessay competition,withthetitlebeing‘‘Evaluate thepossibleimpactsofCOP26onpeople andtheenvironment’Allofthe26Year12 geographersenteredthecompetition andthestandardwasconsistentlyhigh, withstudentsresearchingthesubject thoroughlyandshowinghighlevelsof understandingaboutthechallengesthat climatechangeposegloballygoing forward.
Prizeswereawardedbothwithinthe3 setsandoverallacrosstheyeargroup.
InY12Bthewinnerswere:1.Connor Singleton;2.MaxLudewig;3.William Thomas.
InY12Cthewinnerswere:1.Daniel McCourt;2.CharlieOtter;3.Jack Harwood.
InY12DThewinnerswere:1.RonnieParker; 2.LukeBailey;3.AustenCopley. Theoverallwinnerswere: 1.ConnorSingleton
2 DanielMcCourt
3 MaxLudewig
Connorwasrewardedwitha£10Amazon voucherandalloftheotherprizewinners receivedafreepaninifromJanini’sinthe 6thFormCentre.Housepointswerealso awardedandBentleyHousewas awarded20pointsoverall,Cavereceived 9points,Saville5pointsandFreestonwas awarded3points.
Asmentionedearliertheoverallstandard oftheessayswasveryhighbutthe winningessayfromConnorcameouton topbecauseitwasaparticularlywell written,mature,perceptiveandinsightful essayonwhatwasaverycomplex subject.Congratulations,Connor, hopefullythiswillstandyouingoodstead foryourfutureuniversitystudies.
DrRhodes
LOWERSCHOOLGEOGRAPHY
AspartoftheacademictransitionbetweenKS3andGCSEGeography,Year9pupilsworked onadecision-makingexerciseaboutthetropicalislandofMontserrat,intheCaribbean WiththeislandstillhavinganactivevolcanoandtherestrictionsontravelduetoCOVID-19, itwasdeemedalittletoomuchfortheriskassessmentandperhapsalittletooexpensive forarealfieldtrip
So,fornow,theGeographyDepartmentcandreamofafieldtriptherebutitwillhaveto remainonhold!Thankfully,viathewonderofchromebooks,theboyswereabletotakea virtualfieldtriptotheislandandworkedingroupstoworkoutdecidehowtheywould manageareal,live,explodingvolcano,rightthereintheirclassroom(thismayormaynot haveinvolvedateacher’sChromebookinthecornerratherthanarealhelicoptercircling ChancesPeakvolcanoonMontserrat!).
Withgeologists,helicopterpilotsanddisasterplannersatthehelmtheboysverymuch enjoyedtheirinteractivelessonandtheelementofcompetitionastowhocouldmakethe besthazardzoningmapsandmakethebestdecisionsonhowtokeepthepeopleof Montserratsafe Interestingly,theoptiontoletthelavahitthelocalschoolandnot evacuatetheteachersprovedsurprisinglypopular!
Thiswasfollowedinclass(andathome)withwrittendecisionmakingandbudgeting tasks Boyshadtoworkouthowtheywouldprioritise£84mworthofaidfromtheUKto rebuildtheinfrastructureandeconomyoftheislandandjustifytheirchoicesinawritten reporttotheisland’sgovernor,hisexcellencyMrJones.Unfortunately,therebuildingofthe governor’smansiondidnotproveapopularchoiceamongsttheboys!Corruptand dubious‘governors’aside,thiswasanexcellentwayfortheboystopractisetheirhigher levelthinkingandwritingskills.GreatpracticenotonlyforGCSE,butalsoA-Level Geography
MrJones
S O C I E T I
ADAMCUNISVISIT
InJuly,theEnglishDepartmentwasdelightedtowelcomebackOldSavilianAdam Cunis,nowanaccomplishedactorwiththeGlobeTheatreinLondon Hespentthe morningwithaYear12LiteraturegroupandtheafternoonwithYear7,inboth instancesbringinghistremendousdramaticexpertise(andexperience)toilluminate challengingtextsbyOscarWildeandShakespeare.Itwasawonderfulexperienceto seehim(literally)‘walkingthrough’Wilde’sAnIdealHusbandwithYear12:exploringit verymuchasanactor,andnotasacriticoracademic‘expert’.Thismadethetext freshanddynamicfortheA-LevelstudentsandIwasverymuchstruckbyhisrefusal everto‘speakdown’toapupil(or,forthatmatter,ateacher) Hisinterestinothers’ viewpoints,difficultiesandobservationsisalwaysgenuine,neverfeigned.Hehasthat rareabilitytogivehistotalattentiontowhoeverisspeaking,whichcanbetruly transformative.
ThiswasalsomuchinevidencewiththeYear7 workshop,inwhichIsawagroupofKS3pupils delightinginthephysicalandverbalcomedyof Shakespeare’s‘AMidsummerNight’sDream’: Adamwasabletodrawouteventhemost reticentofpupils,fullyinvolvingthem,helping themactuallyexperienceShakespeare,rather thanjust‘study’him.Heshowedthemawriter whomighthavesomethingrealtosaytothemin anever-changingworldofiphonesand proliferatingsocialmedia.
Formypart,IfoundithumblingtoreflectthatI hadtaughtAdamTheatreStudiesA-Levelway backin2006,buthereIwas,learningsomuchin turnfromhimandverymuchmyselfbeing taught.So,allinall,afantasticday.Thankyou, Adam!
POETRYPROMENADE
TheEnglishDepartmentwasdelightedtoreturntoan‘actual’PoetryPromenade thisyear,afterayearofvirtualevents.Wehadwonderfulweatherandenjoyedan eveningoforiginalpoetryfromstudentsinKS3andKS5onthethemeof ‘Connections’.TheeveningincludedadiverserangeofpublishedpoetryfromThe CanterburyTales(initsoriginalMiddleEnglish)tomodernperformancepoetryby AnuBalofin.
Asever,weweresopleasedtowelcomeMrDeanwhoentertainedusmusicallywith hisselectionofwaltzesfromaroundtheUK Heevenendedtheeveningwithoneof hisowncompositionsinhonourofMrsDean.MrsEggleston’stough‘Connections’ quizhadeveryoneexercisingtheirbraincellsandafabulouseveningwashadby all OurcongratulationstoalloftheperformersandthankstotheParents’ Associationforservingrefreshments.
TheBarnOwl’sEye -SamWilliams7FES
Awatchfuleyelurkingfromitsperch,knowingallfromsoundandsearch. Ittakesoffinaswiftswoop, Flyinglowtotheground Itseesitspreyandopenswide Untilt’wastoolatetorealise Therodentsnappedup,unpreparedtod ItwascaughtbytheBarnOwl’sEye
Itallgoeswithoutsay,thisbeingoftan,cream Findsitspreywithtotalease Andnabsthemwithitsbronzedbeak Itswings,curvedforeaseofflight Arepowerful,andcontainitsmight. Theytakeoff,leavingalllandbehind Asitiswatched,bytheBarnOwl’sEye
Ascreechcalls,frommidsummer’sair,theduskstayingorangeandfair. Thelowflyingmissile Raisesintoatree Blackgemspopout Frominsideitsbeak Anest.Itbuilds Fromtheremainsofthose Dispatched,bytheBarnOwl’sEye.
ENGLISHSHOWSTOPPEREVENT
IntheweekbeforeEaster,KeyStage3Englishstudentstraditionallygiveapresentationonthe readingtheyhaveenjoyedintheSpringTerm.Year7studentsinparticularshowedwonderful enthusiasmandingenuitywithbookthemedbannersanddramaticreadingsofpassages fromtheirfavouritebooks.Theonethat‘tookthecake’thistime,though,wasundoubtedly AidanClarkeof7DJP’s‘MortalEngines’themedcakewhichgavehisclassnotonlyfoodfor thoughtintermsofEasterreading,butalsoadeliciousMondaymorningtreat!Forourfirst independentEnglishstudywewereaskedtomakeapresentationbasedonabookwehad readduringyear7 MychoiceofbooktoreviewwasMortalEnginebyPhilipReeve MrsAffleck saidthatourpresentationshouldbeoriginal,“ashowstopper”.Ifsomeonesaysshowstopper thenthefirstthingthatcomestomindformeisCAKE!Ichosetomakeascenefromthebook wherethetractioncityofLondonhadfinallyfoundasmallercitytodevour.Thecakeitselftook meaweektodesign,bakeanddecoratereadyforthepresentationtotheclass The presentationitselfwasnervewracking,standinginfrontoftheclass,wonderingiftheywould likemyidea,andwhetherMrsAffleckwouldacceptabakingprojectinEnglish.Asitturnedout everyonelovedthecakeandmyreviewgota‘distinction’soIthinkIgotawaywithit.Ihave reallyenjoyedEnglishatQEGS,wehavestudiedmanydifferenttopicsfromBeowolfto Macbeth.TheyearhasbeenenjoyablesofarandIhopeitstaysthatwayinyearstocome.
AidanClarke-Freeston
S O C I E T I E S A N D E V E
ERIQREADINGANDPOETRYPODIUM
WorldBookDay2022intheLearning HubatQEGSisalwaysavibrantand busyday!TheHubprovidedWorldBook DayvoucherstoallofKS3tohelpthem celebratetheday,andexchangeitfor oneofthree£1books,published especiallyforthisevent.Twoonline quizzesofferedopportunitiesforthe boystoguesswhichmemberofstaff washidingbehindtheirbooks,aswell asencouragingtheboystochoosetheir favouritetitlesinthefirsteverQEGS BattleoftheBooks!
TheHubalsohostedacharitybook raffletoraisemoneyforBookTrustand BookAidInternational-withonlythree daysofsales,weraisedjustover£40to splitbetweenthesebookcharitiesand helpgetbookstoyoungpeopleacross theUKandaroundtheworld
Tocelebrateourcollectiveenjoymentof reading,thewholeschoolparticipated in2periodsofERIQ(EveryoneReading InQEGS);infact,we’veenjoyedthatso muchthatitisgoingtobecomea regularfeatureinourformperiods Therewerealsocompetitions, assemblies,aReadingCafeandaPopUpPoetryPodium!Aparticularlybig thankyoutotheEnglishDepartmentfor theirefforts.Therewasarealbuzzon theEnglishcorridoratlunchtimewitha truemixtureofboystakingtothe podiumandhavingapopatpoetryfabuloustosee. LookoutforbiggerandbetterWBD eventsintheLearningHubandEnglish Departmentin2023!
MsBauman-Milner
THELEARNINGHUB
Thisyearwas,asalways,abusyoneforthe QEGSlibrary,TheLearningHub.Aftertwo yearsofCOVID-19restrictions,whereonlya limitednumberofboyscouldusethespace atbreaksandlunchtimes,wehavefinally beenabletofullyopenbackupfor browsing,reading,andcompletinglast minutehomeworkdueintheafternoon… Encouragingtheyoungerboystogetinto readingisalwaysakeyfocusand,tothat end,thisyearwejoinedthe‘BookBuzz’ programmerunbyBookTrust.Thisinvolved everyboyinYears6throughto8receivinga bookbyanauthorsuchasTomPalmeror AleshaDixonthroughthelibraryforfreein anefforttoencouragetheboystostart readingand,givenhowmanyofthemkept returningtotakebooksoutthroughoutthe year,wethinkitwasquiteasuccessful initiative.
InMarch,aspartoftheirEnglishlessons,theYear7senjoyedavideocallwithTaran Matharu,authorofthepopularSummonerseries Heta;lkedwithgreatinterestand passion abouthisexperienceswithcreativewriting.Theboysnotedhisadviceandusedit tocreatetheirownstoriesduringlessontime,someofwhichyoucannowseeputupin displaysalongtheEnglishcorridor.Theladswereveryinterestedinhearingwhathehad tosayandafewofthemevencommentedthattheexperiencehadinspiredthemto becomewritersthemselves.TheYear7shavealsoenjoyedsomedigitalskillslessonsfrom ourlibrarian,MsBauman-Milner,whohasbeenteachingthemaboutresearchingand criticalthinking.Inanagewheretechnologyismakingdisinformationincreasingly common,theboys’abilitytoworkoutwhatisusefultotheminanacademicsettingis hugelyimportantand,totheircredit,theyhaveengagedsuperbly.
TheHub’s‘MinionsScheme’hasalsoreturnedafter2yearsout,provingtobeaspopular asitwasbeforethepandemic Thisinvolvedagroupofabout25studentshelpingoutin TheHubatlunchtimes,doingthingslikecheckingoutandreturningbooks,reshelving booksthathadbeenbroughtbackandansweringquestionsfromthemanybudding readersusingthespace-assistingMsBauman-MilnerinhervarieddutiesasourLearning HubManager.ThisyearwealsointroducedprovisionsforboysinYears10andaboveto usetheirtimeasaminionforthevolunteeringsectionoftheirDukeofEdinburghAward, learningvariousmanagementandlibraryscienceskillsinthespace.
Overall,ithasbeenaveryproductiveyearfortheHubandwehopetocontinuethisfrom September!
OurYear12and13studentsrecentlytook partintheBritishBiologyOlympiadwhich included2onlinepapersassessingtheir knowledgeofAlevelBiology These challengesaredesignedtoengageand stretchstudentsofallabilitiesbyoffering themarangeofproblemstosolve Thekey aimisthatstudentsenjoytakingpartand areencouragedtodomoreBiology!
Results:
BiologyChallenge-41000studentsfrom 550schoolsworldwidetookpartinthis year’scompetition.InQEGSwehad20boystakepartandoutofthose15gaineda certificate.MassivecongratulationstoHaiderAliwhogotSilverwhichputstheminthe top15%ofentrants!Theotherboyswhocertificatedare: Bronze(top30%):EuanHart,ChesterLomasandWilliamCox HighlyCommended(top45%):GuyBailey,YuHe,BillyChild,OscarSmith,DanielRobinson, OliverHobbsandBenedictTetteh
Commended(top60%):ThomasRose,DanielBjelk,ChristopherBarnettandAryanPatel. BritishBiologyOlympiad-Over10000studentsfrommorethan700schoolsworldwide tookpartinthisyear’scompetition.MassivecongratulationstoBenRosewhogotgold whichputshiminthe5%ofallentrants!Theotherboyswhocertificatedare: Silver(top15%):TimothyRhodesandRobertTingle Bronze(top30%):AkshayanSundaramandSaifullahKhalid HighlyCommended(top45%):MaximilianStirc,AlexanderBostwick,LukeDuckerand BrianAmunugama
Commended(top60%):BalramBhardwaj,TheoMarsdenandJackHarwood Wehopethatthesuccessoftheseboysencouragesthemtoexplorebiologyfurther,and inspiresotherstotakepartinfuturechallenges.Lookoutforfutureinformationonthe variouschallengeswehopetorunnextyear.
CAMBRIDGECHEMISTRYRACE
AnearlystartwasneededtotraveldowntoCambridgeuniversityfortheCambridgeChemistry Race.
OurAlchemiststeamofTimRhodes,RobertTingle,SaifullahKhalid,RohanMathewandLukeDucker wereallreadyto‘pittheirwits’against60teamsfromallaroundthecountry.Wearrivedingood timefortheopeningceremonyandafterthewelcomefromtheuniversity,theracebegan.Forover twohourswetackledamyriadofchallengingchemistryproblemsrangingfromsimpleorganic structurestocomplexmathematicalmodels.Aftercompeting,theteamhadacelebratorymeal andstrollthroughthebeautifulcityofCambridgeincludingabrieftourofEmmanuelcollegefrom ourspecialguestguideMrTingle Attheendofthedaywereturnedfortheclosingceremony The standardbeingextremelyhighwewerehappytoachieveascoreplacingusinthetop50%of competitors,evenagainstuppersixthformteams
Overall,thedaywashighlyenjoyableandthoughtprovoking,allowingustodelveintointeresting fieldsofchemis-tryoutsidetheAlevelspecification.
TimRhodes(Cave)-CaptainoftheChemistryRaceTeam
MAYBALL
OUTDOORLEARNING
Itwasanotherexcitingyearforoutdoor learningwiththeForestSchooland OutdoorAdventurousActivities programmes.NotonlydoesthisOutdoor Learningprogrammelooktodevelop skillsandunderstandinginspecific activities,italsolookstodevelop personalskillssuchasindependence, resilience,teamwork,responsibilityand communication,allofwhichare incrediblyimportantintheworldofwork. Ifrecentlockdownrestrictionshave taughtusanythingthenitisthe importanceofourhealthandwell-being ofbeingoutdoors Thesesessionsare alwaysverywellenjoyedbyallthepupils whotakepartinthem
ForestschoollessonscontinuedforY3 andY4boysintheJuniorSchool.They covermanyareasofthecurriculumin thesesessionsinapracticalandcreative manner.Theyengagedinactivitiessuch asshelterbuilding,firelighting,building ropeladders, teamchallenges, identificationtrails,scavengerhuntsand thesafeuseofhandtools,suchasthe bowsaw,billhook,loppersandsheath knife.Sessionsarealwaysfinishedwitha hotchocolateasarewardfortheirhard work.
TheOutdoorAdventurousActivities Programmehascontinuedtobean excitingpartofyears5and6.Aspartof theschoolPhysicalEducation Curriculum,OutdoorEducationhelpsto increasethediversityoftheactivities delivered,engagingawiderangeof boys.Thesenewexperienceshelpto
developpersonalskillssuchas cooperation,leadership,confidence, determinationandperseverance. Throughouttheyear,boyshavetaken partinavarietyofdifferentactivities includingorienteeringatHawPark Wood,mountainbiking,climbing/ boulderingat‘TheBigDepot;and canoeingatLeedsSailingandActivity Centre
TheY5andY6residentialsupported boththeForestSchoolandOutdoor AdventurousActivitiesProgrammes. InY5,theboysvisitedTheNational MountainCentreatPlasyBrenin, CapelCurig,Conwy Duringthetrip theboysgottotryawiderangeof activitiesincludinglowropes, abseiling,weaselling,orienteering, abseiling,canoeingandclimbing,all inthebeautifulSnowdoniaNational Park.TheboysinY6wereabletoput someoftheiroutdoorskillstogood useduringtheBushcraftResidential thattookplaceinNorthYorkshire. Campingoutundercanvasandalso intheirown,handmadebivouacs provedagreathitandtheboyscame backcompletelyfilthybutenthusing abouttheirexperiences(seedetailed recountslaterinTheOwl)
MrThompson/MrTiffany
FORESTSCHOOLPOETRY
As the birds were tweeting in the sky, the falling leaves were saying goodbye.
As the beautiful flowers danced on the floor, the disappearing sun was no more.
As the big ancient oak tree waned in the wind, the beautiful butterflies started to sing.
As the bees started to fly, the dying flowers started to cry. Saleh Forest school is fun. Forest School includes everyone. Forest school has lots of bugs and lots of slimy slugs. Jaxson
S O C I E T I E S A N D E V E N T S J U N I O R J U N I O R
Aftertwoyearsofcancellingevents duetoCOVIDwearenowbackon trackwithourwidevarietyoffundraisingactivities.Ourteamof volunteershavebeensupporting theschoolthroughouttheyearwith eventsfromCharityDaystotaking inclothesforourBags2school collections Wehavejumpedinto actiontosupporteventslikethe Twickenhamrugbytripwhenwe soldtheOddballsHatssoour supporterswouldhaveaseaof blackandgold-thisraised£560 forthePTAfund.
Weholdstallsthroughouttheyear atschoolwithNearlyNewUniform salesandtheobviousteaand coffeeatmanyevents Wehave steppedoutofthedarkagesand nowhaveourveryowncontactless paymentsystemfordebitcards thathasprovedagreathelpat mosteventsbygivingparentsthe optiontopaybycashorcard The PTAarealwaysonhandtoserve drinksandsnacksateventsfrom rugbyfixturestoscienceevenings andalltheschoolplays.Wealso providedrinksandsnacksforthe boysattheschoolplaysand nativities.
TheaimofthePTAistoraisefunds sothatwecanprovidetheboys with facilities/experiences/equipmentto supporttheschool.Thisyearwith yourhelpweprovidedboard gamesforindoorplaytimesand christmasbooksforallpupils.
Wealsopayforthemuch-lovedDr PritchardScienceMagicShowand weprovidedtheT-shirtsforthe SpringConcert Inadditiontothis, weagainprovidedtheeverpopular namedQEGSTowelsalongwiththe Year6Hoodies.
Wecarefullyreviewthestockitems andtrytointroducethose additionalitemsofmerchandise thattheboyswilluse.Thisyearwe haveintroducedourveryown rangeofQEGSstationaryitems, theseareavailabletobuyatour CharityDaysandofcoursethe ChristmasFayre.Wehavekeptthe themeofsupportinglocalcrafts andbusinessbyextendingour ChristmasFayreonlinewhilstwe wereunabletomixduetoCovid restrictions.
Wehaveonceagainsupportedthe MacmillanCoffeeMorningandhad afantasticyear-thankeveryone forthecakesyoubake/fakeand donatebutmostofallforyour supportandattendanceatthis event.
Wearealwaysonthelookoutfor newmembers-weworkhardat theevents,butwealsohavea greattime.Wehaveallmadegreat friendshipsthroughthePTAandour continuedsuccessreliesuponthe continuedsupportofyouall Thank youtoeveryonewhohasbeen generouswiththeirtimeand donationsoverthepastyear-we lookforwardtoseeingyouagainat aneventsoon!
GRANDPARENTSAFTERNOON
OnabreezydayinMay,theever-popularGrandparents’Afternoonwentaheadwith theusualexcitementfrombothboysandgrandparents.Theafternoonbeganwitha wonderfulperformancebytheJuniorSchoolChoironthelawnwhichwasverywell receivedbythegrandparents.Boysthenfoundtheirgrandparentsandledthemona touroftheschool,showingofftheirclassroomsandotherfavouriteplaces.
TheY6boyshadaphotographtakenwiththeirgrandparentsasalastingmementoof thedayandtheirtimeatJuniorSchool-thisprovedverypopularandshowedwhata photogenicbunchofboysandgrandparentswehaveattheschool!
TheafternoonwasroundedoffwithateaintheQEHall Anexcellentspreadofcakes, biscuitsandhotdrinkswereonceagainservedbyourfantastickitchenstaffandwere well-deservedrefreshmentafterbeingdraggedaroundtheschoolsitebyeager grandsons!TheOrchestragaveadelightfulperformanceandreceivedahugeovation fromassembledgrandparents.
Anotherlovelyafternoonandwearegratefulforthemanykindcommentswe receivedduringtheafternoon.
CHARITYDAYS
CharityisahugepartoflifeatQEGSandwemadesurethatourCharityDayswentahead withasmuchexcitementandeccentricityasusual.
ChessChallenge2022
OnSaturday12March,around70playerstookpartinthefirst‘in-person’chess challengefortwoyears.Itwaswonderfultobringtogetherboysandgirlsforthis dayofchessandthecompetitionwasplayedinanexcellentspirit
ThiswasthefirsttasteofcompetitivechessformanyoftheplayersandIhopeit hassparkedaninterestthatwilldevelopfromhereon.
Theboys’competitionwassplitintotwosectionsandplayedover7rounds.Well donetoEisaMohmedfortriumphingintheU9competitionandalsotoOliverRose whowasthewinneroftheU11competition.Therewerea numberofexcellent performancesthroughoutthedayandIhopeitwasanenjoyableexperienceforall.
Itwaswonderfultowelcome playersfromschools throughoutthenorthof EnglandtotakepartinourHMC ChesseventafteraCOVIDenforcedhiatusandan postponementfromautumn term.
112playerstookpart,organised intoU9andU11sections,and therewassomesuperbchess ondisplay QEGSentered2xU9 teamsand4xU11teamsand gaveaverygoodshowing Worthyofparticularnotewere PranavNairandDannyLewho bothwonall6oftheirmatches, achievinga100%record.
TheU9AandBteamsfinished 5thand7th,respectivelywith theU11Ateamnarrowlymissing outonbeingcrowned championsbyjusthalfapoint -averyimpressiveeffort HMCChess
CLASSICS
Thisyearhasbeeninlotsofwaysaseriesof stepsbacktowards“normality”forour department,andindeedthewholeschool. Wehavehad“proper”lessonswithold favouritessuchasStandupSitdown vocabularytests/games,presentationof GradedTestcertificates,andfacetoface argumentsanddebatesinclass.Year12 ClassicalCivilisationstudentshaverecently beenreadinganddiscussingSophocles’play Antigone,wherethekeyideaisifandwhenit isrighttodisobeythelawofthestate.Itis hardtoseehowmorecontemporarythat couldbe!
JasmineButler,whowasinthejointClassics classacoupleofyearsago,isdirectingan adaptationofEuripides’Bacchaeat NottinghamUniversity.Exploringissuesof
sexualityandgenderidentityastheplaydoes,itisanothercontemporaryand“edgy”useof theClassicalWorld.
InthelowerschooltherehasbeenmuchinterestintheClassicsVideoClubonTuesday dinnertimes.ThePercyJacksonfilmshavefeatured,andwehavenowmovedontothe slightlymoregrislyEaglefilm,basedonRosemarySutcliff’snovelEagleoftheNinthwhich somemayremember Historicalfictionalsofeaturesintheclassroom,withoneclass readingSimonScarrow’sexcellentnovelGladiatorandothersabouttostartonCaroline Lawrence’sRomanMysteriesseries
Anothersmallsignof“normality”hasbeennewpupilworkdisplayedontheClassics classroomdisplayboards.Thesesmallstepsforwardgiveusallcauseforoptimism. AnothersignoffaithinthefutureofClassicsatQEGSandelsewhere,isthecontinuing interestinMr.Dean’sYoutubechannel.Lastweektickedover30,000viewsandyouareall encouragedtodipintoitandfindatopicofinteresttoyou.Leadingthewayinhitshasbeen RomanEagles,butRomanExecutions,andthethirdcenturyemperorPhiliptheArabalso havetheirdevotees!
InMarch,theYear10ClassicalCivilisationclasssetoffonthefirstpost-pandemictrip fromtheClassicsDepartment.ItwasonlyasfarasWakefieldCathedralbutitwasan importantandsymbolicmomentinmanyways.OurthemewasMemorialsand Monuments,aswehavebeenstudyingGreekandRomanexamplesofthisaspartofthe GCSEcourse.IntheCathedralthereareallsortsofmemorials,mostlyinhonourofthe greatandthegood,andwelookedathowthesecomparedwithClassicalpredecessors, notingartisticstyle,whatwechoosetocommemorateandwhatvaluesweholddear.It wasinterestingtonotehowthePilkingtonfamily,erstwhileownersofthenowdemolished ChevetHall,chosetouseLatinonagrandiosemonumentandhowJanetMaude,beloved wifeandmotheroffive,hasanimageprettysimilartooneintheClassicscoursebookon hermemorial.
ThiscontinuityfromtheClassicalWorldhasalsobeenfoundbackintheclassroom,with muchworkdoneonbuildingEnglishvocabularyfromitsLatinrootsacrosstheagerange ofclasses.ThishasbeenenhancedwithinputfromourtraineeClassicsteacher,Ms. WIlliams,formerlyalawyer,whohasbroughtherexperiencewithlegaltermstolessons, explainingideassuchas“posthoc,propterhoc”and“mensrea”,aswellaswhatexactlya “vexatiouslitigant”is!WearegratefulforwhatshehasbroughttotheDepartmentover thelastterm,andwishherwellasshemovesontoherfinalplacement.
Thiswillbemylastcontributiontothe magazineasHeadofClassics,asI movetopart-timeworkingnextyear. Ithankmycolleaguesfortheir supportandtheirpatienceoverthe years!
IhaveservedasateacheratQEGS forsixteenyears,asaparentfor seven,andsevenyearsasapupil.I wishmysuccessorasmuch happinessasIhaveenjoyedhere, andlookforwardtoreadinghis Savilianarticlesinduecourse.I startedthisreportwithreferenceto monumentsandmemorials,andI hopethattheClassicsDepartment whichInowbequeathtoMr Ellardwill be,asHoracesaid,a“monumentum aereperennius”
MrDean
CREATIVE
U N I O R J U N I O R
- POETRY
JUNIOR - POETRY JUNIOR
THREETREES
Atreewassittinginaforest,anditsaidto thetreenexttoit“I’m greenesttreeinthewholeforest!”
“Youareindeedafinetree,”saidthe second,
“Butyouarenotnearlyasgreenand shadedasIam.Andinmyopinionit'sthe shadethatcounts,andIamthereforethe besttreeinthewholeforest”
Thefirsttreereplied“Letussettlethis matteronceandforall,”
Sotheyaskedathirdtreetodecide betweenthem.Butthethirdtreesaid“What nonsenseyou’rebothtalking!Youmaybea greentreeandyouarecertainlywell shaded,but,aseverybodyknows,it'sleaves thatreallycount,andIamleafierthan eitherofyou.Iamthereforethebesttreein thewholeforest!”
Well,beforeeitherofthetreescouldreply, allthreegotchoppeddownbyawood cutter!
AFOOTBALL
Thekindmanwasstartledtohearthebird say,‘Youweresokindtomeandyou expectednothinginreturn Ishallcomeback witharewardforyou.’
Sayingthis,thebirdflewacrossthericefields. Thebirdflewtofarlands,itwasheadingfor Egyptbutthenitpassedagroupofbird huntersandcouldhavediedifitdidn’tflyas fastasitcould.ItfinallyreachedEgypt.
Thenitwentintoadark,gloomycaveand pickedupasmanypreciousdiamonds, emeraldsandcrystalsasitcouldforthe generousfarmer.Whenitcouldgetnomore, itwentbacktowherethefarmerlivedand sawthefarmerworkingonthefieldthenit saidtohim,‘Takethesegemsandbuyanice house’Thefarmersaid‘I’llbetherichest personintheworldthankyou.HowcanI repayyou?’‘Noneedto,’saidthebirdand thenflewswiftlyaway
Thefarmertoldhisgreedyneighbourabout hisgemandthegreedyneighbourasked, ‘CanIhavesome?’Bythenthefarmerhad enoughandreplied,‘Youonlycareabout yourself!’
Hewalkedawayandneversawthe neighbouragain.
Onecupofink, Asprinkleofcrushedupanimalpills, Awholebottleofvinegar, Asplashofshimmeringshampoo, Threeenormousclumpsofmud, Twospoonfulsofsaltfromthesea!
THEFISHANDTHESHARK
Onedaythesunwasshiningontheocean, itwaslunchtime,butunderneaththevery deep,darkwatertherewasasharkfeeling hungry Sohewenthuntingallofasudden hesawatiny,silverfishinfrontofhim.The fishsaid“Hahayoucan’tcatchme!”But thesharkwassohungry,thathechased thetinyfishandcaughthimbetweenhis teeth Thefishsquealed,“Letmeout!”You neverknow,onedayImightbeableto helpyou.Thesharklaughed,“Youareso smallyouwon’tfillmeupanyway!” Twodayslater,thereweresomeshark huntersoutatsea.Thesharkgotspeared andinjuredbythehunters.“OWWW” screamedtheshark Suddenlyanetwas flungoverhim,butthelittlefishanda groupofhisfriendschewedandnibbledon thenetandmanagedtofreetheshark. Theyalllivedhappilyeverafter!
MORAL:Onegoodturndeservesanother
DearEarth,
Thereisaproblem,ourplanetisproducing toomuchCo2causingglobalwarmingto continue.Ithinkweshouldstopusingour carssomuchandwalkforshortjourneysor evengetanelectriccar.Wecouldalsoeat lessmeatandstopcuttingdowntrees We needthetreesforalllivingthings.Instead ofthrowingthingsaway,trytoreusethem. Weshouldbuylessstuffandmendthingsif theyarebroken. Thesearemypledgestotheplanet
Youcanspinapencil, Youcanwritewithapencil
Youcanbalanceapencilonyournose, Youcansharpenapencil.
Youcanburnapencilinafire, Youcanuseitlikechopsticks!
Youcanuseittostiryourcupoftea, Youcanstabasquashysweet.
Youmakeasharppoint, Ohno,Isnappedmypencil!
Inthecold,wildoceantherelivedawhale. Onenightthewhalewassleepingwhenhe feltatinglingsensation.“WHATAREYOU DOINGteenycrab?”
“Sorry,sosorrysirIdidn’tmeantodisturb yourslumber,IpromiseIwillrepayyou,”said thecrab
“Fine,butIdon’tknowhowyouwill?”saidthe whale.
Twodayslater,thewhalewaspeacefully swimmingwhenhegotcaughtinanet The crabwasswimmingnearbyandcametohis rescue.
Theteenycrabpinchedholesinthehunter’s net,withhissharpclaws Soontheholewas bigenoughandthewhalewasfree!
Moral:Don’tjudgesomeonebytheirsize TOBYRIGBY3P
THREETREES
THESEA THEENCHANTEDFOREST
Theseasparkleslikediamonds,thewhite crestedwavesareseenasthehappypeople shoutandplayinthewater.Wavessplashon therocks,it’sagleamingandgloriousview!
Sealssitontheglisteningrocksasdolphins leapoutofthesaltysea.Asthesunsetsthe tidecomesincoveringthesandybeach.You canheartheseagullssquawkinthedistance.
Finallythemoonrises,theseaisasstillasa statue Thebeachisdesertedandquiet The sandiswetandsquelchyandthemoonis hanginginthenightsky.
GUARDINGTHESUNNYFOREST
Thebusheswouldwaveinthenicegentle breeze.
Thestickswoulddigharshlyintotheground
Thebirdswouldtalktoeachotherinthelovely nest.
Thefrowningoaktreegroanedasthewindhitit.
Thefungusbitesanyplantthathesees
TheRiverrunsdowntheforestquickly Thelogsguardeverythingintheforest. Theseedswhitheralongthegreenground.
Theplantswouldwelcomeanyonewhocomes aroundthesunnyarea
Themudwouldslither darklyaroundasthewindwascomingpullingit away.
Therockswouldhideunderthe groundwaitingforsomethingtopullitbackup Theleaveswouldhustleonthetreesbecauseof thewind.
Thewaterfallglistenedwhilesayinghiand wavingtothecalmgentleforesttheforest wavedbackit'sbeautifulsmoothleavespast theforesttotryandgettothewaterfall. Themushroomswhisperedtheirgloomy, unvilievabledarksecretstooneanotherwhile thepinksparklyfairieswerelisteningtothe mushroomssecrets.
Therockscriedastheywerebeingthrown overtheroughcoughingforbiddenriverand thewaterwaslaughingitsheartoutwhile watchingtherockscrypastitThetrees loomedoverthedarkmurkinesshidden shadowswhilethetreestrytolookaway.
Thehairyrappedvinesslippedaggresvily tryingtograbtighttotheweaksecchitreesas thehardrockypathssnoredloudlylikea furioushideousbeastunderneaththevines livingthereforeverstill.
Themulticolouredflowerswelcomedthe powerfulelderguardianstotheirforestasthe mythicalcreaturesoftheforestandtheplants boweddowntotheleadersofthebeautiful calmdelightedforest
Insidethetent,therewereafewfloatingstars. Therewerearoundnineortenotherpeople scatteredaround.Justthen,everythingwent dark.Awkwardly,somebodysaid,“Idon’tbelieve inmagic”Aroundthetent,therewasthe occasionalgreen,purplelampgivingeveryone anice,warmwelcomeandmakingmeglow. Unfortunately,nobodywasveryhappyor botheredaboutmagic.Eventually,afterwhat seemedlikefiveminutes,therewasaloudgust ofwindandthered,velvetcurtainsopenedto revealahollowstage.Suddenly,thelights turnedoff.AllIcouldhearwastherustlingofthe windinthetrees…
THEWILD
Whiletheboyandthemolewalked,thegold sunbeamedbrightlyonthedamp,stickyfloor wherehugepuddleslay.Allaround,the strange,minuteinsectsscuttledsilentlyonthe soggy,wetfloor Theriverflowedgentlyasthe tropicalfishswamelegantlypastadull,hard rock.Totherightoftheboy,therewasa beehive.Thefabulousbeesbuzzedlikean aeroplaneinmid-flight.Intheblinkofaneye, ahugeyelloweaglesweptacrosstheblue, clearsky
“Thisislikeaperformance!”saidtheboy “Yes,”saidthestunnedmolewhowasstill tryingtotakeitallin.
Theywanderedintothelooming,wildforest whichwascoveredbythemossy,green leavesoftheoaktreeswhichweresohighup theyneededtosquinttoseethem.Thefluffy, cumuluscloudslookedlikewhitesheep.They werelost,buttheydidn’tcare.
KASPERBEVAN4D
THEWINTERKING
Thetimid,selfish,evilkingstrolleddownthe frozenriver.Eventhoughitwassummerand day,itwaslikewinterandnight.Therewere powerfulpolarbears,playfulpenguinsand wildwolves Ontheothersideoftheriver,a minuteshacklayuponthefrozenfloor,which hadoncebeencrectrete.Thebackyard(now anicyfield)wasfullofredrobinsandwhite owls Freezingsnowflakeslandedontheking’s cane Therewasababyturtlestuckandcrying foritsmum.Icicleshungfromtheleafless trees.Theonlyvisiblelightwasfroma flickeringgaslamppost.Thisplacewasas coldasafridgefreezer Wouldtheplacebeas happyasitwasbefore?
THEGREEDY MAN
AsIstoodinthemiddleofthescorchedfield, loudthumpingpopmusicechoedinmyears, drowningoutthesoftgigglesofthecarnival. Suddenly,theclatteringwheelsjoinedthe orchestraofsoundsastherollercoasterslowly crawledupthesteed,metaltrackslikeahuge caterpillar.Icouldtastesaltyhotdogsfromthe nearbyhotdogstallasthearomatingledmy nostrils.Fluffy,pinkcloudsdriftedbyfromthe candyflossstall.Tremblingchildrenwhizzed downthehelter-skelterlikeacorkscrew What anamazingplacethefairgroundis!
Mysteriously,inthecornerofthefield,there wasagoldententshininginthedistancelikea starglowinginthepitchblacknight AsI approachedit,dancingstreamersblewinthe cool,crispwind.Thetentwaspitchedinthe overgrownpartofthefield.Therewasasign saying‘MagicShowTonight’.Curiously,I steppedintotheunknowndarkness
OLIVERLEE4D
THREETREES
ASTRANGEWEEK
OnSundayat1230intheafternoon
Iwenttothepark
WhichwasupontheMoon
OnMondaymorning
Iwasmourning
Formybookswhichwerecookinggreeneggs
OnTuesdaybreakfasttime
Mybig,bluefishbeatanegg
Whichwaswearinganorangenecklace
OnWednesdayevening
AshwatchedWhilePikachuwasweaving
OnThursdayafternoon
Happinessdancehappily
Inthesunny,beautifulday.
OnFridayduringlunch
QueenVictoriawentout
AndplayedforManchesterCity
OnSaturdaynight
Acool,chillcat
Slashedataslugthenslowlysluggedsadly away
SAMUELCHINEME
AtSundaydawn,twenty-fourhoursremain Ifeelthepainoftheweekarising
Andthefunoftheweekendfadingaway Irantomymother’shousefloatingonthe water
Iamanonlychildbutshewaswithher daughter!
OnMondaylunchtime,twelvehoursremain Ifeelanacheinsideme
Likeachoppy,chubbylakebesideme!
OnTuesdayafternoon,whenfireisthetime
Ifeeltheredfaceofanger Andthebluearmsofweakness
OnWednesdayatmidday,twelvehours remainWhilePeterRabbitkeepsmesane.
OnThursdayevening,sixhoursremainIfeel myweaknessunfoldingAndmyflesh shrivellinginsideme
OnFridayatmidnight–twelvehoursremain OneoftheCeltsbustsoutthecricketbatshe madeinBCyearsAndwoneveryleague.
OnSaturdayat3pmAbig,beautiful,bulging BelgianbatFlewsilentlythroughtheair
WILLANDERTON
OnSundayatthreeo’clockChurchcalledme inVoicedbythesoundofsinginghawks OnMondaynight,Isawthejaw-droppingsight ofthemonsterwecall‘thesleepstopper’ comingthrough
OnTuesdayafternoon,IsawtheredHellfires andknewthattheendwassoon SoIgrabbedthebrownacidcontainerand speduptheprocess
OnWednesdayevening,JamesBondpeeked throughmywindow
Buthemusthavebeenafakesincehewasn’t verywellhidden.
OnThursdayatmidnight,Horrorcreptaround thedark,ominouslamps
Possessingwhoeverwasbraveorfoolish enoughtolurkamongtheshadows.
OnFridaydawn,GeorgeWashingtonreturned totheWhiteHousetodeliverjusticeandrights toAmerica.
OnSaturdayduringthenightAfear-inducing pterodactyltwistedtastytribesterrifyingly.
JOSHUABADRI
THERIVER
Theriveroftranquillity,treks intoapoppyfieldofhush likeagentlegiant
Theriverofrage,rushes intoapoppyfieldofpain likeabulletescapingitsgunprison
Riverofmindfulness,meanders intoapoppyfieldofred likealostholidaymaker
Theriverofexperience,entrenches besideapoppyfieldofpresent likeanervoussoldier
Theriverofprevious,stands nexttoapoppyfieldofbefore likeacourageoussapper
Theriveroffuture,moveson fromapoppyfieldofpast likeapatientwithamnesia
Theriveroftranquillity,treks intoapoppyfieldofhush likeagentlegiant
2021/22 SPORT
Asweallknowandareprobablytiredof hearingaboutisthefactit’sbeenacoupleof weirdyearsforsport.Longforgottenarethe dayswhererugbyballsandpadswerebeing scrubbeddownaftereveryuse NonethelessI wantedtohighlightallthegreat achievementstherugbyclubhasgottenthis season.
Startingwiththeyoungestlads,theu12’shave hadareallystrongyearwithnolossesbeating somenotoriouslyrenownedrugbyschoolslike DestoneandBarnardCastlewheretheycame awaywitha50-15win.TheBteamalso comingawaywithnolossesandhugescore marginshowsthatthereissomepromising potentialcomingupthroughtheranks
Goingthroughtheu13’sresultsshowstome thatIdon’treallyneedtosaymuchotherthan welldone.Theseyoungladshavewon8outof 10oftheirgameswiththeothertwobeing drawn.AlongwiththeBteamtheyhaveput outhugescoresallthewayupinthe50’sand havecomeawaywithstrongperformances
inthe7’stournamentsfurthershowing thepotentialQEGShaveinafewyearsto come.
Ayearthathasgotsomebigbootstofill aretheu14’s.However,fromtheirresultsI canseetheywon’thavemuchproblem doingsowithwinning8outof11games and5ofthemhavingscoredinthe50’s.I alsounderstandthatthey’vehadsome strong7’sresultslikecoming3rdinthe woodhousetournamentsoIwishyou ladsallthebestforyourattemptatthe cupnextseason.
Weallknowhowwelltheu15’shavedone andyoushouldbeincrediblyproudof howfaryougot.Irememberplayingin ourquarterfinalsandjustmissingoutby adrawsoplayingatTwickenhamisa onceinalifetimeopportunityandyou’ll rememberitforever I’msureMrHeadwill begivinganamazingspeechaboutyour accomplishmentssoI’llleaveittohim.
knowhowalotoftheu16’swillbefeelingright now,knowingthattheyarefreethissummer althoughsomeoftheadvancedinformationhas beenabitdodgy Howevertherugbyhashad somegreathighlightslikethe49-0winagainst Denstonwhichpreviouslymentionedareareally strongrugbyschool.They’vealsohadastrong 7’sseasonlikewinningthePocklington tournamentandmakingtheirwaytothefinal dayofRosslynParkwhichmeanttheywere amongstthetop24teamsoutof169where schoolsfromaroundtheglobecouldenterso welldoneinthefrontandgoodluckwithallyour results.I’llbejustasnervousasallofyou.
Finally,ontoourseason.We’vehadmomentsof highsandlowsliketheunfortunatedefeatto Woodhouseinthenationalcupandcoming closetolastattheStJoseph’sfestivaltonofault ofmyownmissingapenaltyshootoutwithno kickingpracticeinfrontofabout1000peopleon alivestreamandacouplemorethousand watchingontheday.Apartfromthat embarrassingmomentwehadsomegreatfun thisseason.IwouldsaythattheSedberghSuper 10swasthehighlightoftheseasonwherethe bestschoolsinthecountryareinvitedto.We managedtomakeittothefinal8,beatingtea likeHamptonandDulwichwhoarebigsouthe schools TowherewefaceIpswich,Barnard CastleandKirkhamwhoactuallygottothefin oftheNationalSchoolsCup.Igottoplaysome thebestrugbyofmylifewithsomelifelong friendsandmadememoriesI’llneverforget.T theyoungerladsallIsayismakethemostof schoolrugbyasit’sthebestexperienceIever hadandIwishIcoulddoitallagain
TobyCalvert 1stXVCaptain
Thisseasonhashaditsgoodandbadtimes forourU16s Onemajorplusishowwehave neverstruggledforateamasthisseasonwe havehadroughly25playersinoursquad. Havingtodependlessonguidancefromour coaches,wehavealsohadtheopportunityto developamoreindependentsquadwithalot ofleadershippotential Thisseasonwehad7 games,winning3ofthem.Wehaveseen somegreatteamandindividual performancesthisseason,includinga49-0 winagainstDenstoneCollege.Ibelievethat whenwedidworkasateam,wecouldreally playtoourbest;thiswasshownagainst Denstone.
Thencamethe7sseason Inourbuildupto RosslyParkwehadacoupleofwarm-up tournamentsatDurham,WoodhouseGrove andPocklington AtPocklington,theteamput ongreatperformancesforallthegamesand endedupwinningthetournament.
Finally,itwasRosslyn7s.Thewholeteam playedamazingonthefirstdayincludingtwo Year10s,JackBaileyandWillEvans,whowe havetothankforplayingupayearandfitting insowell.
Ourgreatperformancesallowedusto gothroughtothenextdaywhichwasa hugeachievementasthismeantour teamwasinthetop24outofthe169 schoolstherefromallovertheworld On thesecondday,wehadthetoughgroup ofRugbySchoolandSedbergh. Unfortunately,wenarrowlylosttoboth teamswhichmeantwewenthome. PersonallyIthinkthatourmainfocus throughoutthistournamentwastouse widthandtherewindtechniquesthat enabledustoburstthroughthegaps thatopenedinthecentre.Ibelievethat everyonecansaythatwedidveryvery wellinthetournamentanditwasa greatwaytoendourseasonandour lasttimeplayingasonesquaduntilnext seasonwhenwejointheyearabove Finally,wewouldliketothankallofour coachesMrPearson,MrCookandMr Grahamforhelpingusimprove massivelythisseason.
WillHeath
U15RUGBY
Yes,wegotthere,asyouallknow,butwhata journey.Luckilyformeandtheboys,wehadthe luxuryofplayinginthegamesandhaddestiny inourhands,butitmusthavebeenathrillerfor ourcoachesandparents.Thiswasthemain event.Andweweregoingtoshoweveryonewe coulddoitandgiveourparentssomethingto cheerabout
Predictablyenough,inthefirstroundoftheCup, theBritishweatherliveduptoitsreputation.We hadeverything:rain,wind,galesandsleetand atoughopposition(theRodillions)tocombat I wouldsaythatthegrit,determinationand sheertoughnessweshowcasedinthisgame wasthecatalystforourcuprunandprovedto everyonethatwewereaforcetobereckoned with Upnext,wehadHymers,followedbythe 'BigBoys'-Sedbergh.Thiswastoughopposition butagoodindicationofthedifficultieswe'd facethroughoutthetournament.Andwhata gameitturnedouttobe.Wehadlotsof chancesbutcouldonlyholdoutforanailbitingwin22-21.
Now,whowasitnext?Yes,youguessedit,St Peter's,ournemesis.However,weknewthis encounterwasimminent Apre-season drawagainstthemprovidedaninsightinto theirplayersandtactics.Andthisturnedout tobemuch-neededas,playingonenemy territory,wemanageda10-10draw.This musthavebeenexcitingforourloyal supporters;wecouldsmellTwickenham beckoningus.Sooncamethequarterfinals,wherewe'dhavetofaceWarwick. Afterarudeawakeninginafriendlymatch againstDenstoneCollegejustbefore, dispellinganysenseofcomplacencywithin theteam,wewerebackinfocusandraring togo.So,justwhenthingsseemedtobe goingagainstus,wesummonedthe tenacitytoturnthingsaroundandcome awaywitha10-5victory.
Withonlythesemi-finalagainstIpswich standingbetweenusandthelong-held dreamofplayingatrugby'sHolyGrail,we
weredeterminednottobedeniedthisclose tothefinishline Thegamewasanother nerve-janglerandtheywereaverywelldrilledandorganisedteamwithafantastic flyhalfwhoseemedtobeeverywhere.We foughtaverygoodfirsthalfandtookawelldeserved15-5leadathalftime However, Ipswichhitstraightbackwith2converted triesandnowwewerelosing19-15withthe clocktickingdown.Itwastimeforustoshow ourteamspiritandself-belief.Gameon.We hitthemhardandpressedforeverything leadingtoagreattrywhich,withthe conversion,meantthatthegamewasours. Twickenham,herewecome!
Ourteamthisyearhaddeterminationin spades.Theextremeworkethicand refusaltogiveupmadeourjourneyto TwickenhamallthemorespecialandIfeel honouredtohavehadtheopportunityto captainthisteam.Thiswillcertainlybean experiencethatwewillallrememberfor therestofourdaysatQEGSandbeyond
ThefinalsawuspitchedagainstWellington, averywell-organisedteamwhowouldbe verytoughopponents Notonlydidthey haveexcellenttechnicalabilitybuta physicalstaturetomatch
Itwasneckandneckuptothe40-minute mark,butthentheyslowlyincreasedtheir leadandendedupworthywinnerswitha finalscorelineof31-8
Yet,despitedefeatonthepitch,itwasa completelydifferentstoryinthestands, whereourspectatorsout-sungand outnumberedeveryotherschool
Thegreatsupportwehadhighlightedthe bestthingaboutQEGS:weareonebig family.
Finally,Iwouldliketopersonallythankthe coaches,whoworkedvigorouslywithusto achieveourgoals,aswellasourloyaland splendidparentswhoaresecondtonone whenitcomestotheirsupport.Nextyear wehavetheRosslynSevenstolook forwardto,wherewewillhopefullybring backsomemoresilverware.
LanceBarker
U14RUGBY
Well,whataseasonofrugbyit'sbeen!ButbeforeI talkabouttheentertainingeventsthathappened thisyear,I’dliketosayafewthank-yous Firstly, thankyoutoalltheparentswhogavetheirtimeto travelaroundthecountrytowatchusplay.Your supporthasbeenfantastic!Secondly,tothe coaches:MrMastersonandMrGraham Without yourexpertise,theteamwouldn’thaveprogressed asmuchaswedid.Andfinally,thesquad.Atthe endoftheday,itallcamedowntousonthatpitch Thankyouforworkingsohardandmakingthis seasonasuccessfulone!
Letmetakeyoubacktothe18thofSeptember: QEGSvsKingsMacclesfield.Thiswasourfirst matchsince2019.Inourpreviousmeeting,we sufferedanirritating10-15defeat Wetravelled therewithourspiritshighandreadytoplaya physical,hard-foughtgame.50minuteslaterwe hadwon42-0withDanielAkintoluscoringa fantastichat-trick.Thiswasalsohisfirstgame backafterleavingin2018.
Nextup,StPeter’s Weknewthatthiswasgoingto beatoughgame.It'sPeter’s,italwaysis.
Butnothingchangedjustbecauseitwasa bigmatch.QEGShadablisteringstartaswe finishedthefirsthalf20-0up Yes,thiswasa goodstartbutwecouldn’tgetcomplacent. Unfortunately,StPeter’scamebackwithan immenseresponsetoput5triespastus. Headsdroppedbutweallstillhadthatspark anddesiretocomeback.Phaseafterphase weedgedourwayupthefielduntilfinally,in thelastsecond,wesealedthetrythatwould drawthematch.Anepiccomebackifyouask me.
WinsagainstRodillianinthecup,Barnard Castle,HillHouseagaininthecupand BradfordGrammarallfollowed.Cancellations againstWoodhouseGrove,RGSNewcastle andKing’sPontefractatacriticalpartofthe seasonwhich,combinedwiththehalf-term, meantwewentintotherematchat Macclesfieldinthecupwithoutplayinga gameinoveramonth.
King’sMacc-wholookedliketheyhadaged 10yearssincewelastplayed-weredefinitely
thebestteamontheday.Acombinationof toomanypenaltiesandnotenough possessionmeantthatwewereconstantlyon thebackfoot.Weputeveryounceofenergy wehadleftintothatgamebutitwasalltono avail Finalscore:King’s30-QEGS0 Ourcup runhadcometoanunfortunateend.A59-0 winagainstLancasterfollowedbeforea disheartening27-33losstoPrinceHenry’s Grammar.Thatgameshouldhavebeenawin forusbutsomesillypenaltiescostus.But that'showthesportgoes.Youwinsome,you losesome Youhavetomoveforwardasa teamandontothenextgame.
ThefinalgameoftheU15’sseasonwas againstRodillian.Asstartsgo,itcouldn’thave goneanybetter!5triesinthefirst15minutes ofthehalf!And,eventhoughthewindwas fightingagainstus,wemanagedtokick4out ofthe5conversions.4triesapieceforOliver WhyteandJamesGibsonsealedthedealfor Rodillianastheyhadnowayofcomingback It’sfairtosaywecomfortablywonthatgame! Finalscore:80-0.Whatawaytofinishthe season!
Ourattentionwasnowontherugbysevens season EventhoughourfirsttournamentatSt Peter’swascancelledduetothefloodingthat washappeninginYork,westillhadthe Durham7stournamenttopreparefor.We wereinagroupwithYarm,BarnardCastle, BirkdaleandSedbergh.Werecordedwins againstBarnardandBirkdalebutsuffered lossesagainstSedberghandYarm
Finishingsecondinourgroup,wewouldface AshvilleCollegeinthequarter-finals Westill managedtoplaysomegoodrugbyto progressforward.StPeter’swereournext opponent.Bothteamswantedtogetthiswin tosettlethedrawthatwasplayedearlierin theseason.Bothteamsfoughtincrediblyhard andstayedinituntilthelastminutewhen Peter’sscoredalast-minutewinningtryto knockusout.Althoughweweredisappointed, itwasanincrediblygoodeffortandonethat weknowwecouldbuildupon
Andsurelyenough,weplaced3rdinthenext tournamentatWoodhouseGrove.
Oneweeklater,itwastimeforthebigone:The HSBCNational7sTournamentatRosslynPark. OurfirstgroupmatchwasagainstGordon's School.Aquickstartprovedpivotalifyouwere goingtosucceedinthistournamentandthat isexactlywhatwedid Byhalftime,wewerein fullcontrolandwon24-7.Waterwasourbest friendthatdaywhenthetemperature reachedashighas28°C.Itwassoontimefor oursecondgroupgameagainstStAnslem’s College.WithHarrisonPowell’sspecialgrubber kickstartingthegameoff,weretainedtheball immediatelyandscoredrightaway Aftera secondtry,ouroppositionhadnoreplyand webulliedourwaytoa40-7win.
Afterlookingathowwefaredinourgroup's table,wefoundthatourlastgamewasa must-winifweweregoingtoprogress throughtothesecondday HamptonSchool wereouropponents.Itwaslikeagameofping pongtostartthegameoff.Hamptonscored thenwereplied Hamptonscoredandwe replied.Itwaslikethisallthewaytillhalftime. Withtheheatandalltherunning,therewas nodoubtthatsomepeoplewouldhavebeen feelingtheeffectsof7srugbybythispoint.
Inthesecondhalf,theyjustgotthebetterof uswiththeirquickladscoringacoupletoseal thegameforHampton.Yes,wewere disappointedbutwecouldn’thavebeen prouderofthewayweplayedandmost importantly,weplayedwithasmileonour faces!Plusitwastwowholedaysoffschool (Butwedidn’tenjoythatpart Honest!)
Ishouldalsomentionthatafewofourplayers wereselectedforYorkshire.Theseincluded: JamesGibson,SamWood,EwanWalshand JaydenKalambay.Congratulationstothese ladsonabrilliantachievement! Allinall,Icansaythatthisseasonwasa successfulone.Nowwegetreadytocarryon inthecurrentYr10’slegacyandhavea successfulcuprunnextyear
U13'A'RUGBY
I’dliketostartoffbythankingMrEverett,Mr Graham,MrBarker,MrFitzsimonsandallthe othercoachesfororganisingthefixturesand trainingsessionsbutalsoforgivingtheirtimeto workwithusthroughouttheseason.Ithasmade agreatimpactontheteam’ssuccessthisyear. OurU13Ateamhasthrivedthisyearwithno lossesandmanytriesscoredineachmatch In everymatch,wehaveimprovedanddeveloped asrugbyplayers.Wehadasquadof22players andmixedthemtosuittheopposition.We played4tournaments,1competitionand10 matches,with8friendlymatcheswonand2 drawn.
Ourteamstrengthsarethatwearealarge, powerfulsideandcanbulldozethrough defensivelineswithSamDobson,WilfDilley, ReubenTetteh,OliverHooper,MilesEnglishand BeauMattison-Smith.Wearealsovery structuredandgoodtacticallywithourbacks, especiallyvice-captain,JosephHayes. Momentsthatstoodoutformeandtheteam werewhenweplayedStPeter’s.Wewerelosing
20-30justbeforefulltime,butasasquad, webuckleddownandseizedthewin/draw. Also,anothermomentthatstoodoutwas whenplayingLancasterinthesnowbutthe weatherdidn’tholdusbackwhenSam Dobsonmadesomefanatichitswhich raisedmoraleandmadeusplaybetter. Anotherhighlightiswhenweplayed DenstoneCollegeandbeatthem55-10. WeplayedverywellagainstRodillian Academyasitwasourlastmatchasa13a-sideteam.Rodilianhavebeaten everyonethey’veplayedbutassoonas theycametoQEGStheywerewellbeaten, cementingourpositionasthebestschool inWakefield.
Asateam,wehadgoodperformances againstStPeter’s,BarnardCastleand LancasterRGS.Ipersonallythinkweplayed ourbestattheNational10sCaldicott TournamentasweplayedWarwick, Bedford,Moulsford,Pinewood,RGSHigh Wycombeandinthe5-6thplayoffs,
Taunton.BeforethematchagainstWarwick wegothammered0-30byPinewoodwhich puteveryone'sheadsdownbutassoonas wegotbackonthepitchwegaveitourall andeventuallybeatWarwick10-5,this matchshowedtrueheart.Wehaveachieved alotthisyear,likewinningordrawingallour 13-a-sidematches,andgettingintothefinal insomeofour7stournamentslikeStPeter’s andWoodhouseGrove7s.Itwasaproud momenttobeaskedtogotoCaldicottand representtheNorthernSide.
U13'B'RUGBY
Thefirstgameoftheseasontookplaceaway atKing’sMacclesfield.Itwasaverytough gamebutwepulledthrough,winning45-40, thankstoalast-minute,match-winningtry. Despitebeingunderthepumpstraightaway, weallstucktogetherandpulledthroughand itpaidoffgettingtheseasonunderwaywith awin.
Oursecondgameoftheseasonwasagainst theformidableStPeter’sandweknewitwas goingtobeanalmostinsurmountabletask totryandgetthewin Intheend,wejustfell shortandwerenarrowlydefeatedeven though,overall,wewerethebetterteam.
Nextcameanotherawaygameonacold miserablemorningatBarnardCastle. However,thebitterweatherdidn’taffectus aswepoweredthroughandsecureda convincingwin.And,toputthecherryontop, itwasourfirstgame completedwithoutconcedingatry.Everyone putinamassiveeffortinthisgametoensure wewonthistime.Ourfourthgameawayat Bradfordfollowedasimilarstoryandthe momentumcontinuedtobuild untilwe facedLancasterRoyal.Afterthreecancelled gamesinarowhaltingourexcellentrunof form,wewerenotuptoscratchaswefaced Lancaster.Asaresult,wepickeduponeof ouronlylossesoftheseasonbutweknewwe wouldendtheseasononahigh.
Alessonthatwehavealllearnedasa squadisthatweneedtobeinthegame fromtheverybeginning;slowstartsto tournamentshave costusseverely. Finally,wearelookingforwardtoplayingin theNationalCupnextyear,whichIam certainwewillenjoy.Wealsohavethe RosslynPark7s,whichwillbeagood opportunitytoshowourrangeofrugby skills.
Thelastgamewasanawaygameat PrinceHenry’sanditwasabig improvementfromthelastgame We scoredalotoftriesbutmostimportantly didn’tconcedeanyeither This wasaperfectwaytoendtheseason. Nextseasonwelooktoimproveonour75% winrateandpushtogetoveran85%win rate.
Thetwoextraplayerswe’dgetontheteam nextyearwillalsobenefitusaswecan utilisethingswecouldn’tthisseason.We wouldallsaytheseasonwasvery successfulandwe’dlooktohavethesame togethernessandfightnextseasonaswell.
RonnieCressey
U12RUGBY
Thisyearwetrulyunderstoodtheconceptof havinganemesis.We,unfortunately,metthem inthefinalsofbothTheTait10’sand WoodhouseGrove7sandwereunabletobring homethetrophyonbothoccasions.However,I nowunderstandthetrueimportanceof understandingmathematics.Althoughwedrew withtheminthegroupstages,oursuperiortry tallysentusthroughtothefinalanddelivered somesilverwaretoourseason.
Withinthetwelve-a-sideformat,however,we deliveredanunbeatenrun.Ourfixturewith Rodillionwasperhapsourbiggesttestofthe yearwithawinbutthescorewas6-5withus scoringinthelastminuteofthegame.Wewere losingathalftimebecausewehadaslowstart tothegame.Thisunbeatenrunshouldperhaps beseeninthecontextofnothavingafixture againstourkeenrivalsfromHull.Withaviewto thefuturewenowknowhowhighthebarisset andlookforwardtoournextmeetingwithsuch anaccomplishedfoe. Wecouldn'thavehadthesuccesswithoutour
greatcoachMrBarker.Hehashelpedus throughtheseasonandallofitsupsand downs Hehastaughtusnottoputour headsdownstraightawayandkeep fightingtothelastplay.
AshtonMurray
U11RUGBY
U10RUGBY
WhatafantasticseasontheU10Rugby squadhasenjoyedthisyear.Allboys workedincrediblyhard,weregreatfun andhadalotoflearningmomentswith theseasonthatsawthemgrowasplayers andasateam
Suchstrengthindepthandsuchawide pooloftalentmeantthatthe‘Rugby Squad’groupwereforcedtoconstantly strivetoimprovetoretaintheirplacesin thesquad.Thisproducedsomefearsome contestsintrainingsessionsandtheboys certainlyrosetotheoccasioneachand everytime.Infact,someofthebest matchestheyplayedweretheYellowsv Blacksintrainingsessions.
TheA&Bteamsenjoyedalotofsuccess inmatchesthisyearandIhopethey continuetodosoastheymovethrough theschool.Theabilitytocontroltheir aggressionandchannelitintorugbywas thebiggestlearningcurvefortheboys andsomethingthatwillstandthemin goodsteadforthefuture Iftheycan controlthisandaddittotheirphysical andtechnicalabilitytheywillhaveavery successfulrugbysquadthroughoutthe years.
TheHarrisonCupwaspresentedtotheschool bytheparentsofoldboyMikeHarrisonwho captainedEnglandatthefirstRugbyWorld CupinNewZealand Thisyearwasthe31st runningoftheHarrisonCup,andprovedtobe assuccessfulasalways Fourteenteams competedonthedayinafestivalformat. WarwickwereawardedtheHarrisonCupfor theirpositiveplaythroughouttheday.Thanks mustgotothelargenumberofpeople involvedinmakingthedayafantastic success.
However,farmoreimportantlyIhopethey continuetoworkhard,retaintheirstrongsense ofteamshipandcontinuetoenjoytheirrugby, whatevertheresults.
Variousboysdidafantasticjobcaptainingthe squadthroughouttheseasonshowing relentlesscompetitivespiritandleadingby examplethroughout.Mythanksgotothese boysandtheefforttheyshowedinleadingthis team.
Welldoneboys,Ilookforwardtoseeinghow youcontinuetoprogressthroughschoolandI wishyoualltheverybestwithyourrugbyinthe future.Iwouldalsoliketotakethisopportunity tothankMrThompson,myfellowsportsstaff andtheparentsfortheirsupportthroughout theseason;itwasgreatlyappreciatedbythe boysandmyself.
ItwasatoughseasonfortheU9’sthisyearbecauseoftheRFUprotocolsregardingthereturn torugbyafterCOVID.ThesechangesmeantthattheboyshadonetermofTagandthena termoftackleinthespring ThiswasabigtransitionfortheboystohavetomakeandIam veryproudoftheireffortsthroughouttheseason.
InbothTagandTacklerugby,theboysshowedthattheycouldscoresomegreattries.They usedgreatfootworktobeatthedefendersandtheyattackedspacewell.Itwasgreattosee themplayingwithbigsmilesontheirfaces.
Whenwetransitionedtotackleitwasabitofachallengetostartwithandthe‘MrTickle’ approachtodefencemadeanappearanceafewtimes!However,astheygrewinconfidence itwasveryclearthattheywerebecomingmoreandmorecomfortablewiththisaspectofthe gameanditwasgreattoseetheboysgivingittheirallagainstsomebigstrongopposition Boys,asincerewelldonefrommeandabigthankyouforyoureffortsthroughouttheyear. MrLewis
U8RUGBY
AlloftheYear3boyswhorepresented theschoolattagrugbylastyear shouldbeincrediblyproudofthe progressthattheymadeoverthe courseoftheseason.
Theyworkedincrediblyhard,listened carefullytotheadvicethattheywere givenandwereanabsolutepleasure toteach.Alloftheboysdeveloped theirevasion,handlinganddecision makingskillsandalwayssupported andencouragedeachotherduring trainingsessions.
Iwishtheboysallthebestfornext season MrDarnton
1STXIHOCKEY
TheFirstXIHockeyteamenjoyedaseason ofprogressionandimprovementthisyear reachingthelast16oftheBoys’SchoolsU18 Tier2Championship Ourseasonstarted withaclosegameagainstHallCross AcademywiththeDoncastersiderunning out3-2winners.
Wehadtowaitamonthandahalfforthe nextfixturebutthisgavetheteamtimeto workonourgameduringtraining.Wetook theopportunityagainstEgglescliffeSchool, comingoutas4-1victors,thankstotwo goalsfromConnorSingleton,withGeorge BoothandRobertTinglegrabbingoneeach Afortnightlater,ScarboroughCollege travelledtoWakefieldandQEGSwere victoriousbytwogoalstoone-withTom Coulthardgettinghimselfabrace.Anindoor tournamentfollowedthedayafter,agreat dayofhockeywithQEGSplayingsome flowingstuffbutitwasn’tquiteenoughto makeittotheNationalround.
Ourfirstawaydayoftheseasoncameafter theChristmasholidayandsawustravel southtoSheffieldtofaceBirkdaleSchool whowereagood,butyouthfulopponent
QEGStookanearlyleadthroughConnor Singleton,followedbytwoquickgoalsfrom CharlieFisherandLouisBrierley Thehome sideclawedbacktwogoalsbeforehalf timemakingit3-2.Afterthebreak,QEGS scoredagoalthankstoTomLoveand JamesMcKinley-Smith,aYear11onhisfirst teamdebut,scoredabrace Birkdaleput onemoreawaybeforethefinalwhistlebut itwasn'tenoughforthemaswedecisively won6-3.
Aweeklater,webattledagainstYarm School,averywell-organisedandfitside Thishelpedthemputeightpastusbutnot withoutreplyasCharlieFishermanagedto gethimselfagoalamidYarm’sattacks. TheYarmfixturemarkedtheendofour friendliesandthestartofthecompetitive, cupfixtures.
WeenteredtheBoys’SchoolsU18Tier2 Championshipand,fortunately,hadabye inthefirstround.Ahomefixtureagainst AmpleforthCollegesignalledthestartof ourcupcampaign.Itwasaverytight gameandwewentintothebreak0-0 A goalafterhalftimeforthevisitors,
however,spurredusontoscoretwo,firstfrom ConnorSingletonandthenCharlieFisher,this season’stopgoalscorer,finishedthejoband wewereabletomanagethegameforthelast 10minutestoprogressintothenextround In thethirdround,weweredrawnagainst BradfordGrammarSchoolathome,again A teamverysimilartoourswholikedtoplayon thecounterandhadastrongdefensiveshape. Goingintothebreakat1-1wefeltthegamewas theretobewonbuttwoquickgoalsfollowing thehalfbyBradfordputourplansonhold The leadersoftheteamstooduptothechallenge andwepulleditbackto3-2headingintothe final5minutes.AgoodrunbyConnor Singleton,fromjustoverthehalfwayline,ended withtheballinthebottomcornerofBradford’s goaltotiethegame.PenaltyFlickswere neededtodecidewhowouldadvanceintothe last16ofthecup.PatrickHarwoodsavedthe firstBradfordflickinsuperbfashion.Thankfully, CharlieFisher(alreadythescoreroftwogoals inregulartime)andLouisBrierleyslottedtheir flicksawaysmartly.Thiswasenough,along withanothersavefromPatrick,toseeQEGS advanceintothelast16!
Followingamonth'sbreakfromfixturesdueto halftermandYear13mocks,theteamtravelled acrossthePenninestoAltrinchamGrammar Schoolfortheboystofaceawell-drilledside whohadafewveryskilledplayerswhowere justtoostrongforusonthedayandranout70victors Asthismarkedtheendofourcuprun, wewishedAltrinchamwellforthenextrounds astheyweredeservingwinners. Theseasonhadsomegreatperformancesand acrosstheboard,thewholeteamcanbevery pleasedwiththeseasonandcanalsobe especiallyproudoftheimprovementshown. We'dalsoliketothankMrLeask,MrBerryandMr Jonesfortheirfantasticcoachingandgood umpiringthisseason.Toreachthelast16ofa NationalCupisagreatachievementandwe, thecaptaincygroup,areveryproudofthe team.Welldoneeveryone!
U16HOCKEY
ThisyearfortheU16hockeyteamhasbeen moredifficultthaninsomepastseasons.We cameintotheyearafteronlyplayinggames intraining,tonowplayingmatchesagainst otherschoolsforthefirsttimesince2020 whenourseasonwascutshort
Wecameintothisnewseasonwithagood squadof16playerswhichprovideduswith goodsquaddepthallyear.Andtheaddition ofFaarisKhan,DanielMarshall,Ben BlanchardandSebCarterfromtheU15’s providedsomegreattalenttotheteam We startedtheseasonagainstYarm Thelast timeweplayedthemitendedina4-3win sowewentintothegamewitha complacentattitude.Apoorlyorganised defenceandlackofconcentrationfromthe startofthegameledtoa5-1loss.Andto makethingsworse,BenBlanchardsuffered aterriblekneeinjury,meaninghewasoutfor therestoftheseason.
Amonthlaterthoughwegottoprove ourselvesaswenextcameupagainst EgglescliffeSchool.Amoreseriousand focusedattitudeledtoa2-1winwithgoals fromArthurBroadbentandJamesMckinlaySmithandteammoralehadsomewhat recovered.
Ournextgameafortnightlaterwasup againstHallCrossAcademy.Weonce againstartedthegamewellwithanearly goalfromRomanTempest,butHallCross scored3goalsinveryquicksuccession beforehalftimetomakeita3-1lead, leavingustoobigamountaintoclimb.
However,thehighlightoftheseasonwas ourfirst-roundcupgameagainstStPeter’s, whereweknewwewouldbeplaying againstanaggressive(andsometimes physical)attack Butwehandledit brilliantly,withArthurBroadbentsolidifying themidfield,despiteitbeinghisfirsttimein theposition.AblysupportedbyNaraynNair, someinsightfulpassingandquickthinking fromtheduoledtosomegreatgoalsfrom SebCarterandTimPerrotasweachieveda 7-1win.CreditmustalsogotoTobyHobbs, inonlyhisthirdgameasagoalkeeperfor school,forhiscomposureand managementofthedefence. Atough7gamescomprisedtheseason But therewasplentytolearnfromplaying againstotherschoolsoncemore.
Theteam’sworkrateimprovedthroughout theseason,leadingtoamorecompetitive attitudeonthepitch However,nextseason, perhapswiththehelpoftheyearabove,we canworkonourcomposureand confidencebothdefensivelyand offensively Nevertheless,itwasgreattobe apartofthisteam;Ithinkthecamaraderie wehavebuiltovertheseasonwillputusin verygoodsteadfornextyear.
CiaranReeves
U15HOCKEY
Thisseason,theYear10hockeyteamhas developedwithsomegreatcontributionsfrom eachandeverymember Wehaveallloved playingandrepresentingtheQEGShockey team,especiallyafterthelongbreakfrom competitivematches
Westartedourseasonoffwithamatchagainst Yarmschool.Itwasagoodgameagainsttough competition However,itwasveryearlyinthe yearandwecameawaywithalosstoagood team.Thismatchwasfollowedbyagame againstKettlethorpe,wherewecameawayas thewinningteam Unfortunately,wewere unabletokeepthemomentumgoing;thenext gameresultedinalosstoBirkdaleSchool. FurthermatchesfollowedagainstBradford Grammar(2-0win)andTheManchester GrammarSchoolwhereasolitarygoalcostus thegame
FinallycametheYorkshireCupwhereweplayed 4teamsinourgroupatAdelHockeyClub.
Asateam,weplayedsomereallygoodhockey onwhatwasanextremelyhotYorkshireday, managingtoremainunbeaten!Wesuccessfully qualifiedfromaverydifficultgroupwitha5-0 victoryoverScarboroughCollegeanddraws againstBirkdale,HallCrossandAshvilleCollege.
Thequarter-finalsawushavingtoplayAshville Collegeagainwhichwentdowntopenaltyflicks. Fortunately,thesewentinourfavourandwewent ontodefeatSilcoates1-0inthesemi-final.Hill Housewasourfinaloppositionandthisprovedto beanextremelytightgame,resultinginpenalty flicksagain!Yetwekeptourcoolandmanagedto comeoutvictorious–YorkshireChampions.
Wecouldn’thaveaskedforabetterfinishtoour U15hockeyseason.Welldonetothewholeteam.I wouldliketothankeachmemberoftheteamand MrBinneyandMrBerryfororganisingmatches againstotherschoolsandencouragingusatall times.Wearelookingforwardtobuildingonthe strengthsoftheteamandgoingforwardtonext season.
U14HOCKEY
The2021/22seasonwasabigsuccess;from experiencedplayerstothosenewtothe game,weallcametogetherovertheseason toformaformidableteam.Everyoneputin theirbestefforttoproducethebestresults fortheteam
Theseason'sfirstgamewasagainstawellorganisedHallCrossAcademy.Wewere lookingforwardtoplayingourfirstgameof theseason Despitescoringagoal,Hall Crosswereontopandbyfarthebetterside soendedupwinning2-1.Knowingthatwe werecapableofplayingsignificantlybetter thanthis,weweredeterminedtoproveour worth.Andwewouldhaveourrevenge againstHallCrosslaterintheseason,aswe wresteda1-0win,albeitwithgreatdifficulty. Thesecondgameoftheseasonwasagainst Birkdale Afternotgettingthestarttothe seasonwewanted,theteamwasdesperate togetawinandthat'sexactlywhatwedid. Duetolovelybuild-upplayandgoalsfrom WilliamBinks(2),BillyChild,ThomasHulme, NayalHussainandIbraheemKhajwal(2),we wereabletoachieveacomfortable7-0 victory
Followingthiswastheindoorhockey tournamentandifwewantedtogettothe final,wehadtobeatHallCrossAcademy Afterahard-foughtfirsthalf,withcontrolof thematchvacillatingbetweenbothteams, thescorewas2-1toQEGS,thankstoAlex KilnerandBillyChild.And,despiteafew scareslateinthegame,wemanagedto clingonfora4-3victory
TheYorkshireCupcamenextand,soon enough,wefoundourselvesintheknockout stagesandthenthesemi-final…Wewentinto thesemi-finalsexpectingatoughgameanda toughgameiswhatwegot.Bradford GrammarSchool’smidfieldwasunrivalled, evenincludinganEnglandplayer,butwe didn’tgetdisheartened.Afteragoodstartto thematch,wepasseditaroundtheirpress andpickedupthefirstgoal,butitwas answeredshortlyafterbyanamazingshot, followedbyatap-infromtheotherteamto equalise.Afterhalf-time,bothteamsputin extraeffort,asweknewitwouldbetheclosest gameofthetournament.Endingthehalfwith nomoregoalsscored,itwasdowntopenalty flicks Unfortunately,theotherteam’stakers andgoaliewereexceptional,andafterthefirst setofflicks,itwas1-0tothem.Onceagain, theirtakerdidaverygoodshot,bringingitto 2-0.Wehadtoscoretostayin,however,the opposinggoaliemadeastunningsave, winningthemthegame.
Lookingbackoverthe21/22season,wewere floodedwithchallengesthatweovercameas ateam Withsomespecialperformancesfrom certainplayersandsomesolidperformances asaunit,weplayedtotheverybestofour abilities Togooutofthecupinthatmanner andstillwinthegamesafterprovedthe fortitudeofourteam.Wegainedanenormous amountofexperienceaswebondedbothon andoffthepitch Iwouldliketothankallofthe playersforshowingthehighestamountof sportsmanship,integrityandrespect,notonly towardseachotherbuttheoppositiontoo I can’twaittoplayhockeynextyeartogetheras ateamandimprovesothatwewillbounce backstronger Also,Iwouldliketothankthe parentswhogaveuptheirvaluabletimeto supportandwatchusplay.Finally,Iwouldlike tothankthestaff:MrBerry,MrListerandMr Leaskwhoallmadeitpossibleforustoplaya goodstandardofhockey.
U13HOCKEY
TheBteam,unfortunately,dueto cancellations,onlymanagedtoplaytwo fixturesthisseason.Onebeingagreat8-0win andaclosely-fought3-1losstofinishthe seasonwitha50percentrecord.TheAteam startedtheseasonwith3wins,7-0,4-2and 6-0itlookedlikeitwasgoingtobeagreat seasonwithsomegreatteamgoalsand passingplay.Despiteplayingwellandlooking likeastrongteamweweredefeatedinthe firstroundofthecupbyYarm5-2aftersome amazingstrikesbytheirforwards.A disappointing3-0lossagainstStPeter’s, becauseofalotofwastedchances,seemed toruinourrunofform
InourfirsttournamentatManchester GrammarSchool,wemanagedtoreachthe semi-finalsafterdefeatingthehostsina heatedgame,withagreatteamgoalfinished offbyTomGains However,inthesemi-final, despiteourbesteffortswewerebeaten1-0 againsttherunofplay.TheninLeeds,we competedintheYorkshireMinistournament, biddingtoreachtheNationals.A3-0winin thefirstgame,followedbya2-1winagainst
StPeter’s,withmorewell-workedteamgoals finishedoffbyDanFisayo,automaticallysent usthroughtothesemi-finalround.We wantedtotopthegroupthoughsowefought longandhardagainsttournamentrunnersupHymerstoreceivea1-1drawandfinish1st inourgroup.Inthesemi-final,wefaced BradfordGrammarwhichprovedafrustrating game;althoughwemanagedtoapplyalotof pressurewithgoodbuild-upplayfromAlfie Maddy,westruggledtocapitalisewhenit counted.Intheend,welost2-1aftera spectaculardribbleandgoalbytheBradford midfielder.
Themainachievementforourteamthisyear hasbeencomingtogetherasasquadother thanindividualswithlimitedplayingtime New playerssuchasAyaanAhmed,DanFisayo, JosephWatford,TimiKayodeandTomGains werecrucialtothesuccessoftheteam There wassomegreatplayfromSamStory,Alfie Maddy,FelixBowlesandaspecialmention mustgotoourgoalkeeperNoahTordoff.
SamuelAllott
Itwasasomewhattruncatedseasonforthe U12sthisyear,withonly3gamesplayedin total.Thefirstgameoftheseasonwasa toughoneagainstKettlethorpeHighSchool Becauseofourlackofexperienceplaying togetherasateam,thefinalresultwasa00draw Bothteamshadchances,but couldn’tputthemaway Thesecondgameoftheseasonwasbyfar thebest,againstHallCrossAcademy The resultintheendwas7-1.Ithinkthiswasan amazingresulttosayitwasoursecond gameasateam.Communication,vision andgreatgameawarenesshelpedour playersgettotherightpositionsattheright timesandallowedustobecreativewithour plays.Itwaspleasingtoseeuscapitalising onthemanychancesweendedup creating.Yettherewasstillroomfor improvementandskillstorefinemoving forward.
inally,weplayedStPeter’sSchooltoend theseason.Despitethefinalresultbeinga 1-1draw,Istillthinkweplayedvery effectivelyasateam Therewassome greatmovementandcohesionfromour teamtosetupourgoal,butwewere unabletopreventthemfromscoring, therebysquanderingourlead Overthecourseoftheseason,Ithinkwe playedverywell Eventhoughwedidn’twin allofthem,theperformanceofthewhole teamsetaverysolidplatformforfuture seasons.WhatIamlookingforwardtonext seasonisourteambeingmoreusedto playingtogetherandplayingmorehockey!
EdwardHulme
1STXICRICKET
Theseasonbeganwithatoughopeningfixture againstHuddersfieldNewCollegeathome. Battingfirst,thevisitorsposted126-3. Unfortunately,againstastrongbowlingoutfit, wefeeljustshort,posting124-6,losingby2runs. Thiswasanencouragingopeninggame,just failingtogetoverthelineinthelastover, showingencouragingsignsfortherestofthe season.
ThenextmatchwasMountStMary’s.I’dliketo thanktoMrWolfendenfororganisingagame thedayafterMayBallwhichhadaslight influenceonthereducedavailabilityespeciallytheYear13’s.Neverthelesswelostthe tossandhadtobatfirstintoughconditions: reaching86-6after20overs.Mountkockedit offwithrelativeease,resultingina7wicketloss. Again,itwasacompetitivefixturewithsome encouragingperformancesbutwewerejust unabletotakefulladvantageofadifficult battingpitchwhenwewerebowling.
LocalrivalsBradfordawaywasthenext challenge.Havinglostthetoss,webattedfirst onaverysoftgreendeck.Weknewconditions wouldnotfavourbatting,finishingon89-8.After averygoodbowlingstart,wewerewellinthe gamebutafterafewdroppedcatchesandvery debatableumpiring,thegamefellawayfromus withBGSchasingit5downwithafewoversto spare WoodhouseGrovewasabrilliantperformance Bowlingfirst,wehadthemskittledfor79 We chasedthis1down,withastandoutinnings fromJoshRidingwith50 Thiswasanexcellent performanceallroundespeciallyconsidering thelowavailability
AgainstGSAL,wehadapoorstartbut recoveredto90allout.Webowled incrediblywelltoforcethematchtogoto thelastballbutstillfellshort.
TheMCCisalwaysagreatmatchtobea partof.Weknewitwouldbeatoughgame especiallyintheheat.Thiswasadifferent formatforus,withitbeingatimedgame ratherthanovers.Webowledthemoutfor 163in3hourswhichwasaverygoodeffort fromallthebowlers,especiallyCharlie Dissanayakawith4-38andJoshridings336.
Goinginwiththebatweknewwewerein withachanceofwinningsosetoutto chasethistargetintheremaining2anda halfhours.However,afteratoughstartwith someexcellentMCCbowlingwesaw ourselves16-4inthefirsthalfhour.The focusturnedtodrawingthegameby battingoutthefinal2hours.Thisledto someratherdefensivecricketbutwewere abletodosofinishingthedayon113for7. ExcellentbattingfromJoshHen-Boisonwith 56.
Itwasgoodtofinishtheseasonwitha strongcompetitivegameagainstthebest sidewefaceeachyear Theoverallteam performanceswereoftenbetterthanthe resultsmightsuggest
Finallythankstoallplayersinvolvedthis seasonandathankyoutoallcoaches especiallyMrWoodandMrDaviesfortheir effortsthroughouttheseason
U15CRICKET
TheU15’sstartedtheseasonoffwitha comfortablewinawayatMountStMary's College Whilewewerestillbuildingour foundationsasateamitwasagoodteam tobeatearlyintheseason AfewIndividual performancesbothwiththebatandball sawusfinishthegameearlybowlingthem alloutforunder100runs. Next,wefacedaverytoughBradford GrammarSchoolwhochosetobatfirst. Withtheabsenceofafewkeyplayers,we werenotastightwiththebowlingaswe wouldhavelikedleadingtoBradford putting150+runsontheboard.However, theboysknewthatwewerestillableto chasedownthisscore.Despitetopclass performancesfromouttoporder,their bowlingattackstayedstrongthroughout andtheyheldontothewinby42runs
Followingthisloss,weworkedhardinmidweektrainingtoputonatopclass performanceagainstanextremelygood WoodhouseGroveside Thisgamebrought goodbattingperformancesthroughoutand consistentlygoodbowlingspellsfromboth FreddieDaviesandJoeSwap.Wewereable tocomeawaywithawinby4runs.Thiswas amassiveachievementfortheboysasboth schoolshavesucharivalry.
Forthefinalperformanceoftheseason,we travelledtoLeedsGrammarSchoolfora6’s tournamentwheretopschoolsfromaround yorkshirecompetedforthecup.With multiplewinsagainstStPeters,GSAL& HymersCollegewefinishedtheseason strongwithanoverall2ndplace
OllieMountain
U14CRICKET
Goingintothisyearwastoughasmostofus hadnotexperiencedSeniorSchoolcricket before,butIgenuinelybelievethatwehave foundthesquadthatshowsthemostability withinYear9atQEGS!
I’llstartrightbackatthestartofthisveryshort season Game1 MountStMary’s Wewere goingintothisgameblindwithnoideahow ournewlyformedteamwouldfareagainstour Sheffieldopposition Withthetosswon,QEGS wouldbowlfirst.WithearlywicketsfromOliver Whyte,HarryGillispieandUsmanShabbir,they foundthemselvesinastickysituation Inthe end,wedismissedthemfor37within9overs. Andafteraquick7.3overs,wehadknockedoff Mount’stotalwithease. Withabitofconfidenceandawinunderour belt,wemovedontoourfirstgameofthe CountyCup.Ouropponentsthistime:Shelley College Afterwinningthetoss,IstuckShelleyin tobat.Withfullconfidenceinmybowling attack,wewentouttoputonourbest performance After20overs,theyhadscored 120-7.However,ahintofcomplacencyonour partledtoaslightbattingcollapse.Weended withascoreof104-7after20overs,withAustin Armitagetop-scoringwith46runs
OurnextgamewasagainstWoodhouseGrove. Iprobablyshouldmentionherethatourcoach isanOldGrovian,sothiswasamust-win matchforhim.Welostthetoss,and WoodhouseGroveelectedtobowlfirst Our openers-AustinArmitageandCharlieNewton -putonadecentpartnershipbeforewelost thefirstwicket.Unfortunately,afterafewquick wickets,wecouldonlymuster108runsafter30 overs.Wenowhadtobowlourbest.Aftera good12-overopeningspellfromOliverand Austin,theywere12-3 Therestwasleftto UsmanShabbir,SidVineeth,CharlieNewton andHarryGillespie.Wemanagedtodismiss themfor58towinthe
game!Itwasnowtimeforawell-deservedhalftermbreak!
Itwasnowtimeforachange.Cricketbut different:6-a-side,30balls.Weheadedoffto thePocklington6stournament Playing5 gamesacrosstheday,wewon4andlostone, meaninwetooka2ndplacefinsihoverall.The daywasagreatexperienceforthewholesquad and,despiteouronlydefeatcomingagainst GSAL,weknewthatwewouldgetanothercrack attheminournextSaturdayfixture.
Ourfinalopponentoftheseasonwouldbea teamwehadlosttoearlierintheweek:GSAL. WantingrevengeforTuesday,wetravelledwith ourheadsscrewedontowin.Onceagain,after electingtobatfirst,ouropeningbatters(Aarush PilaiandCharlieNewton)putonagood openingstand Amuch-needed60-run partnershipbetweenAarush(45)andAustin Armitage,whoendedwith42notout,meant thatQEGSfinishedon134after20overs Inthe secondhalfofthematch,ourbowlingattack wasonfire.OliverWhytegottheiropening batsmanoutinthefirstover Bowlingwas conciseandfieldingwassharp.Everyonewas playingtheirhardestandputtingin110%effort. Asaresult,ourfinalmatchendedinaQEGSwin withGSALendingupon117-7 Overall,thiswasagreatseasonforQEGSU14 cricketandonethateveryplayershouldbe proudtohavebeenapartof
Theyear8cricketseasonwaseagerly awaitedduetonomatcheslastyear becauseofcovid.Pre-seasonnetsshowed lotsofpromise.Itwasclearthatwewerea groupoftalentedcricketersandtogether withanexcellentteamspirit,thislaiddown thefoundationforasuccessfulseason.
MountStMary’s43allout.QEGS44/1
Thepre-seasontrainingseemtopayoffas wehitthegroundrunning Astrongbowling performanceprovedtoomuchforthe oppositionwhoweredismissedforalow score.Thewicketswereshared,with Thwaites,Eldridge,Hooper,Hayesand Wightmantakingawicketeach,thestandout bowlerbeingAyantaking3wicketsfor3runs asMountStMarysweredismissedforjust43
QEGS139/3.Bradford69allout16.2overs
Goingintothesecondgamewithhigh expectations,wewonthetossandbatted first.OnceagainJoeHayesleadfromthe frontscoring30retirednotout.Eldridgeand Watfordkeptthemomentumgoingthrough themiddle overswithEldridgescoring25andWatford scoring10 Thentowardstheendofthe innings,Greenycameinwith7overstogo andsmasheditaround,getting23notoutto finishofftheinnings Ourbowling,onceagain provedtoostrong,restrcitingthemto69.
QEGS108/930overs.WoodhouseGrove 105/8
Everyplayergoingintothisknewthatitwould bethetoughestgameoftheseason.And whatagameitwas,goingdowntothefinal over.Losingthetosswewereinvitedtobat firstonagreenandverydampwicket.Joe Hayes(16),Eldridge(16)andMaddy(19)all gotstartsaswesteadilybuiltatotalto defend.OnceagainGreenycameintoplaya fabulousinningsof32,hitting2sixesand3 fours Wefinishedourinningson108and whilstalittleshortofwhatwewanted,we knewthatifwebowledandfieldedwell,we wereinwithachance
WestartedwellasEldridgebowled3overfor 3runsandMaddy3overs,taking1wicketfor6 runs.Howeverseveraldroppedcatches meantthegameremainedinthebalance andwenttothefinalover,with7runs required Underimmensepressure,Maddy bowledbrilliantlyconcedingjustthreeruns andtakingthewicketoftheirmainbatsman. Maddyfinishedwithfiguresof5overs,3 wicketsfor11runsaswewonby3runs.
Birkdale123/920overs.QEGS125/817.4overs Ourfinalgameshowedanotherverystrong bowlingperformance.Thiswasthenfollowed upbyaverystrongbattingperformance,with Hayes(23)andEldridge(23)puttingon47for thefirstwicket.Greeny(23)andAyan(29) continuedthemomentumputtingon49for thefourthwicket Weknockedthescoreoff withtwowicketsremaining.
Ithasbeenanabsolutehonourtocaptainthe year8cricketsquadbecausetherehasbeen greatteamspiritatallofthegames.Firstof allIwouldliketothankthecoachesfor helpingustotrainhardandpreparewellfor everygame.SecondlyIwouldliketothankthe parentsforcomingtosupporttheteamno matterhowcoldorwindyitwas
U12CRICKET
ThisseasontheU12cricketteamhasn’thadthe bestoftimes.However,therehasbeena noticeableimprovementfromthestartofthe season Thesquadwasverylargeandlotsof peoplegotthechancetorepresenttheschool. Westartedoffthecricketyearwithalossina cupgameagainstHillHouseso,unfortunately, wegotknockedoutofthecup HillHousewere anexceptionallygoodteambutwedidwellfor ourfirstgame.Thesecondgamewentreally wellwithretirementsfrommanyplayers.We endedupwinninganditwasverypleasingfor onlyoursecondgame But,afterthispoint,there wasn’tmuchsuccesstolookforwardto Weonly managedtowin1outof5gamesplayedthis season.ThethirdgamewasagainstBradford Grammar.Webattedreallywell.Weposted136 ontheboard Apartfromthisgoodbatting performance,itwasaveryeasywickettobaton. Intheendweletthemgetawayfromusand theyendedupwinningby10wickets.Thisgame wasoneofthebestwiththebatbutwecouldn’t deliverwiththeball
AgainstWoodhouseGrovewedidn'tgetmany runssoweendeduplosing.WithBirkdale,we bowledandfieldedreallywell
Werestrictedthemto108butwehadamajor battingcollapse,losing3wicketsforjust1run atonepoint.Intheend,however,weonlyfell shortby33runsduetoanamazinglastwicket partnership
IntheHymers6’stournamentwedidreally wellwinningallthegamesinthegroupstage. Wewoninthequarter-finalsbutnarrowly missedoutinthesemi-finals.Itwasavery goodHymersAteamthatbeatus.Inthe St.Peter's8-a-sidetournamentwefinished tied3rdagain.Wewonallofourgroupstage gamesbutlosttoaverygoodsideinthe semi-final.
Althoughourbattinghasfailedusalot,Oscar Childshasstoodoutandscoredlotsofruns, carryingourbattinginnings Thismeantwe gottosomewhatdecenttotals.Ourbatting reallyneedstoimprovefornextseasonbutit hasgotsomuchbettersincethestartofthe season Ourfieldinghasgenuinelybeengood andbowlingisdefinitelyourstrength Iamreallylookingforwardtonextseason.We stillhavealongwaytogobutwehaveshown wecanbeareallygoodteam.
SamIlsley
U11CRICKET
TheCricketseasonbeganwithmuch excitementandanticipationasquiteafew boyswerealreadytakingpartinwinternets withinandoutsideofschool Thecricketseen overthematchesplayedhasbeenofahigh standardandwasnotedbyvariousopposing teachers.InallmyyearsatQEGSthiswas probablyoneofthemosttalentedyear groupsacrosstheboard LedbyAuravVinter andPranavNair,theboysstartedtheseason slowly.
ThefirstgameagainstGSALsawtheteam losebyjustonerun.Aslowbatting performancegavetheoppositionalowtotal tochaseandachancetowinthegame A strongbowlingperformancebyThomas WoodheldGSALforthefirsttwoovers howeverthelowtotalwasjusttoohardfor theboystodefend Theweekleadingupto thenextgamesawareinvigoratedsquad, focusingonmatchplayandusingtheir talentstothebestoftheirabilities.They identifiedtheneedtorunharder,hittheball withpurposeandstarttoworkhardinthe field.Thisturnedouttobetheperfectweekto setuptherestoftheseason.
StOlavesturnedouttobeatoughtestforthe U11s.Withanoverlappinggrudgecoming fromtherugbyseason,theboyswereeager tostartthematchandchosetobatfirst.With asolidopeningpartnershipofAuravand Pranavtheteamwentinfullofconfidence, howevertheearlywicketofAuravputthe boysontheback
foot EthanLangstaff,ThomasWood,andSeb
Sprengerallbattledhardagainstaverygood StOlave’sbowlingattackandmanagedto setanexcellenttarget,withthebighitting Sprengerscoringboundariesforfun Coming outtobowltheboysspokeaboutthework fromthelastmatchandincreasedthe energyinthefield.Someexcellentstopsfrom ZanderIrvineandOliverRose,alongwith reallygoodlineandlengthbowlingfrom Ritun,NathesthandKevinsawtheteamhome toaconvincingwin.
ThefollowinggamesagainstBirkdaleand Bradfordsawsomeexcellentcricketwith manycommentsforoppositionmembersof staffandparentssayinghowgoodtheteam were.Theboyswonafter5oversagainst BradfordandsetahugetotalagainstBirkdale thatisrarelyseeninschoolboyT20cricket ThiswasagreatwaytogointotheHMC Crickettournament.
TheboysperformedreallywellatHMC makingthefinaloftheplatenarrowlymissing outduetowicketslostinthegroup(another lessoninprotectingyourwickets).Duringthe knockoutstagestheboysbreezedpastother oppositionandtooktheplate,whichwas probablyafittingendtotheirseason.
Overtheyear,theboysshowedhugestrides inmatchplayandapplyingtheirtalentsfor thebetterofthesquadandlearnthowtowin matches,learningabouttheharshnessof ‘whenyou’reout,you’reout’cricketand defendingtheirwickets.
Iwouldliketothankalltheboysfortheireffort thisyearandwishthemgoodluckinthe SeniorSchool.Thereareplentyoftalented cricketersinthesquadwhocanproduce outstandingperformances Andtothe parents,thankyouforsupportingus throughouttheseason,wereallyappreciate thesupportandeffortyoumake,bothhome andaway
ATHLETICS
ThispastyearIwasveryproudtorepresentthe schoolatthetriplejumpand100msprintracein variousdifferenteventscompetingagainst differentschoolsthroughoutWestYorkshire.A lotofthefixturestookplaceatThornesAthletics Stadiumandwereusedastrialsinwhich athletescouldqualifyfortheWestYorkshire AthleticsChampionship.Afterthreedifferent trialsIwasselectedtorepresentWakefield schoolsinthe100mraceinthecompetition Afterneverrepresentingschoolatanyformof athlticscompetetion,itwasasteeplearning curveforme.DuringthetrialprocessIlearnta lotaboutthetechniquesprofessionalrunners usetorunfasteraswellasotherthingsthat helpedmeinathleticsandinothersportin general.OntopofthisIenjoyedcompeting againstfriendsfromotherschoolsnearby.
Thesquadonawholewasverysuccessful. Severalathleteswereselectedtorepresent WakefieldSchoolsaswell,inavarietyof differentevents.Throughoutthetrialsitwas easytonoticesomeofourstandoutathletes MylesLyster,AlexanderShepardandJosh Akintolu,tolistafew,allexcelledattheshotput, javelinandhighjumprespectivelyandtherest ofour
athleteswereverycompetitiveintheirown eventsanditwascleartoseethehighstandard ofperformancethatweprovided.Alotofour athletesfromYear7uptoYear10werepicked torepresentWakefieldSchoolsintheWest YorkshireAthleticsChampionshipswhichshows ourqualityasawholesquad.
OnthewholeIwouldsaythattheathletics seasonlastsummerwasverysuccessful Thisis mainlyduetothefactthatalotofQEGSboys werechosentorepresentWakefieldschoolsin theWestYorkshireAthleticsChampionships, despitealotofusnothavingmuchexperience incompetitiveathletics Thisexperienceshould standusingoodsteadgoingforward.
SamMackenzie
CROSS-COUNTRY
Itwasasuccessfulseasonforus,filledwith hardworkanddetermination.Theteam andIfacedmanychallenges,throughthe freezingtemperatures,slippypathsand rainyrunsbutweperseveredandachieved ourgoals Thehighlightoftheseasonwas havingthewholeteamtogetherforthe annualQEGScrosscountry-wherewe invitednewmemberstotheteamand broughtbackourregularmembersforthe startoftheseason.Weallworkedhard throughthesummerbreaktomaintainthe highstandardsthatwelefton,inour previousseason,andthehardwork definitelypaidoffwithmanytopfinishers. Thiswasamajoraccomplishmentforallof usandagreatwaytostarttheseason The teamalsosawindividualsuccesses,with severalofussettingpersonalrecordsand arrivingatnewdestinationsonour individualrunningjourneys.Itwas rewardingtoseemyhardworkand improvementthroughouttheyear.
Throughouttheseason,welearnedthe importanceofconsistenttrainingand propernutrition Wealsolearnedthevalue ofteamworkandsupportingour teammates,aswellasthepowerofmental toughnessandtheabilitytopushthrough challenges(suchasthe‘normal’crosscountryweather).
Overall,itwasagreatseasonforthecrosscountryteam.Theseasonwasagreatlearning experienceandatestamenttoourdedication andcommitment.Theteamfacedmany challenges,whichallowedustoreachoutofour comfortzonesresultinginevenhigher standardsthanbefore Wecanbeproudofour accomplishmentsandwelookforwardto
FOOTBALL-U11HMC
Acombinedteamof15boysfromYear5and Year6setofftoHymersinHulltocompeteinthe HMCFootballcompetitionthatisheldannually. AsreigningBowlchampions,expectationswere highandtheboyswereinbuoyantmoodfrom thestart.Uponarrival,theboysdemonstrated theirorganisationskills,theirmannersandtheir independence.
Thefootballsoonstartedandbothteams playedsomegreatfootball.Asthegameswere tenminuteslong,theydecidedtodeploythe tacticofgettingtheballforwardasquicklyas possible!RouteOne!Thisworkedwellandthe chancescamethickandfast.Thegoalswere freeflowingandtheteamworkwasapparent fromthestart After5gameseach,thetable determinedthattheQEGSAandQEGSBhad reachedtheknockoutstagesoftheBowl competition
Intotheknockoutstages!OurYorkshiregritand determinationshonethroughintrueQEGSstyle Weweredeterminedtoplayfootballinthe opponent’shalf,defendingadmirablyand playinglongballsintothechannelsforour lightningquickwingers.Theyregularlydelivered crossesforourattackerswhodulyslottedthe ballintothebackofthenet. Weoftenfindthatourfitnessisoneofour
strongestattributeswhenwecompeteagainst otherschoolsandthelatterstagesofthe competitionprovideduswithaplatformto demonstratethis.TheQEGSAteamandthe QEGSBteambothreachedafinal.Althoughthe dayendedwithtwodisappointingloseson penaltiesintheirrespectivefinals,theboyscan beincrediblyproudofwhattheyachieved.They showedfantasticteamwork,whichwas highlightedwithsomespectaculargoalsscored. AspecialthankyoutoMr&MrsEastwoodHickson,MrsHelmandMrNanthakumarfor travellingacrosstoHulltosupporttheboys throughouttheday.
MrDrury
TENNIS
TENNIS-U11HMC
SebSprenger,AurvaVinta,MathewChenand PranavNairtravelledtoDameAllan’sto competeintheHMCNEDoublesTennis Competition.Withaverystrongfield,theboys performedwellandfinished4thand8th overall Thiswastheboys’firstopportunityto representtheschoolintennis.Withfurther opportunitiesintheSeniorSectiontoplay competitivetennis,I’msuretheseboysand manyotherswillenjoythissportinthe comingyears.Welldone.
MrTiffany
SPORTSAWARDS21/22-RUGBY
1stXVSquad21-22
M.Adams,M.Brown,O.Brown,T.Calvert(C), A Dyer, D Fleming,W Gatus,C Harman, J.Holdsworth,F.Lambert,S.North, T.Nyatsanza,C.Otter,H.Ramsden,J.Riding, B.Rose,M.Shelton,J.Sowerby,A.Stancliffe, M. Walsh
Awards
MostImprovedPlayer-CameronHarman TeamPlayer-JamieHoldsworth PlayerOfTheSeason-TobyCalvert
2ndXVSquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-DavidMpofu TeamPlayer-DominicWhittaker PlayerOfTheSeason-EddieLeonard
U15CupSquad21-22
L.Barker(C),J.Bailey(V/C),A.Deacon, W Evans,S Haywood,R Helm,W Hunter, F.Kelly,X.Khan,X.Leighton,C.Lomas, M.Lyster,S.Mackenzie,P.Maher,H.Ng, J.Ounsley,CRust,W,Ryan,J.Story
U15A/BAwards
A
MostImprovedPlayer-MylesLyster TeamPlayer-SamMackenzie PlayerOfTheSeason-JackBailey
B
MostImprovedPlayer-JacobWright TeamPlayer-OscarSmith PlayerOfTheSeason-OllieMountain
U16SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-WilliamHeath TeamPlayer-OliverGibson PlayerOfTheSeason-EdwardHunter
U14Awards
A
MostImprovedPlayer-HenryMillican TeamPlayer-WillHunter PlayerOfTheSeason-JamesGibson
B
MostImprovedPlayer-DylanHayer TeamPlayer-AngusShelton PlayerOfTheSeason-JoshuaEgan
U13Awards
A
MostImprovedPlayer-OliverHooper TeamPlayer-ReubenTetteh PlayerOfTheSeason-JosephHayes
B
MostImprovedPlayer-BubaSanyang TeamPlayer-DylanStanley PlayerOfTheSeason-RonnieCressey
U12Awards
A
MostImprovedPlayer-HugoColver TeamPlayer-HarryTaylor PlayerOfTheSeason-DexterCooper
B
MostImprovedPlayer-WilliamSmart TeamPlayer-OscarLambert PlayerOfTheSeason-ZaneBrisby
HOCKEY
1stXISquad21-22
G.Booth,C.Bowles,L.Brierley,T.Coulthard, L Ducker,T Firth,C Fisher,P Harwood,T Love, W.Parker,A.Roe,C.Singleton,R.Tingle, J.Willard Awards
MostImprovedPlayer-TomCoulthard TeamPlayer-JamesWillard PlayerOfTheSeason-TobyHobbs
U16SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-TobyHobbs TeamPlayer-JamesMckinlay-Smith PlayerOfTheSeason-ArthurBroadbent
U15SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-DanShuter TeamPlayer-FaarisKhan PlayerOfTheSeason-DanMarshall
U14SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-OliverBriggs TeamPlayer-MatthewHen-Boisen PlayerOfTheSeason-AarushPillai
U13SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-DanielFisayo TeamPlayer-SamStory PlayerOfTheSeason-SamAllott
U12SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-AlfieChunnoo TeamPlayer-IsaacLotia PlayerOfTheSeason-EdwardHulme
CRICKET
1stXISquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-CahrlieDissanayaka TeamPlayer-JoshRiding PlayerOfTheSeason-AaronDyer
U15SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-JoeSwap TeamPlayer-BenHutton PlayerOfTheSeason-OllieMountain
U14SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-CharlieNewton TeamPlayer-OliverWhyte PlayerOfTheSeason-AustinArmitage
U13SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-DanielGreen TeamPlayer-OliverEldridge PlayerOfTheSeason-JosephHayes
U12SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-MayonJayawickrama TeamPlayer-SamIlsley PlayerOfTheSeason-OscarChilds
CROSS-COUNTRY
InterSquad
MostImproved-JamesTeufa-Awounang TopPerformer-WilliamHunter
JuniorSquad
MostImproved-AyanSinha TopPerformer-JosephWatford
ATHLETICS
InterSquadAwards
MostImprovedTrack-WilliamHunter MostImprovedField-MylesLyster TopTrackAthlete-SamMackenzie TopFieldAthlete-DanielAkintolu
TENNIS
U15SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-JamesGreen PlayerOfTheSeason-BenHutton
U13SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-NoahTordoff PlayerOfTheSeason-DanMcKinney
JuniorSquadAwards
MostImprovedTrack-WilliamSmart MostImprovedField-JoshuaAkintolu TopTrackAthlete-RonnieCressey TopFieldAthlete-ReubenTetteh
U14SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-JackGilliard PlayerOfTheSeason-BillyChild
U12SquadAwards
MostImprovedPlayer-EdwardBinney PlayerOfTheSeason-HugoColver
HOUSEMATTERS
So,afterafullYearofthroughSchoolactivity, coupledwithahugelearningcurveofallthings HouseyintheSeniorSection,wehavemoved somewaytocreatingourownversionof HogwartsinWakefield.
BoyshavebeenproudlywearingtheirnewHouse coloursontheirPEkitsandcaptains,theirties andstaffhavebeenstronglybiassedtoanything sportingtheirownhousecolours.We’vehosted over100separatecompetitionsandeventsthis year,someofwhichhaveallowedwhole Foundationparticipationacrossbothboys’and girls’schools.
PriortoXmaswehadStaffchallenges(Savile), CrossCountry(Savile),HeadsorTails(Cave), PubQuiz(Cave),ProudtoBE(Cave),English Poetry(3waytie-Cave,Freeston,Savile),Xmas Cards(Freeston),GlobalEntrepreneurshipWeek (Bentley),#onethingless(BentleyinSenior Section,BentleyinJuniorsectionandFreeston inthePrePrepSection),SeniorMathsChallenge (Cave),Bowling(Savile),Masterchef(Freeston), Badminton(Savile),Geography(Bentley)and variousquizzesattheendofterminadditionto theJuniorSectioneventsthathavealways traditionallybeenheld
Thenthemomentumreallybegantobuildasthe warmerweatherstartedtoappearandthe biggersportingactivitiesthateveryonewas clamouringforbegan Crosscountry(Cave), Hockey(Savile)andfootballfilledthecalendar formanyweeks-withBentleywinningoverall acrossthedozensofmatchesplayedtaking individualtitlesinY13and8,SaviletakingY7,11 and12,CaveY10andFreestonY9-soatleasta littlebitforeveryonetocheeraboutthere
MrLewisandhisteamheldasuperbmusic
competitionthatbroughtparentsintothefray tooandgameslessonsbegantotakethe housesonboardintheirendofterm programmes.
TheHousequizzeshavebeenareallygood additiontoSchoollifeandhavebeenheld acrossarangeofsubjectsfromMFL(Freeston), toClassicalCivilisation(Cave),from Mathematics(Bentley)togeneraltrivia(Cave)plustheobligatorysportone(Savile-yetagain provingthatanythingtodowithsportistheir thing!)ThequizzesbroughtboysfromtheJunior sectionallthewayuptoYear13togetherina way,alongsidestaffalsothatwehaven’treally seenbeforeandforme,thishasbeenthe significantsuccessoftheHousesthisyear-the variousJubileeeventsandtherecentsports dayhighlightedthisreallywellandhasbeena fittingendtoalotofworkbytheHouseLeaders andHouseCaptainsaswellasallstaffandboys throughout.
So,totheeagerlyawaitedresultsandthepoints -itisworthmentioningthatacrossthewhole Boys’Sectiontherehavebeenover100,000 Housepointsandmeritsawardedthisyearand theoverallwinnerwascrownedbyadifference ofonly272points-individualwinnershave beenFreestonfortheJuniorSection,Bentleyfor theSeniorSectionandSavileforthespecific events,includingSportsDay-however,through consistencyandasolidapproachacrossthe wholeofSchoollife-plusmanagingtoholdoff alatesurgebySavilewhentheweather warmedup-MrAffleckandhisteamare proudlyawardedasthefirstthroughSchool winnersandcanproudlyboasttobethefirst everwinnersoftheCalvertCup CongratulationsandIawaitfornextyear’s biggerandbetterHogwarts!
SPORTSDAY'22
Thedaywasset,theweatherwaskindandwewere allpreparedforthefirstseniorsectionSportsDayas aHouseevent.
Inthemorningwestartedwiththefieldevents–JoshuaAkintolubreakingtheY7HighJumprecord, withaheightof1m49cm,beatingSachinGogna’s recordof1m48cmsetin2011.Throughoutthe morningevents,wewitnessedsomegutsy1500m runnersworkinghardtoplaceintheirhighest position,allinthehopeofmorepointsfortheir housetosetupanailbitinggrandstandfinishinthe afternoon
Nootherrecordswerebrokenontheday,possibly duetothewindyconditions,althoughDaniel AkintoluwasclosetobeatingtheY9LongJump recordof5m46cmsetbyRichardShawcrossin 1997.HeisdeterminedtotryandbreaktheLong JumprecordasaY10nextyear.
itwasexcellenttoseethehousessupportingtheir fellowmembers,Mr.Barkerwasdishingoutloadsof medalsandallofyoucontributedtoafun atmospheresupportingyourhousemembersin betweenthetrackevents.
TheStaffsuccessfullymanagedtomaintaintheir unbeatenlegacybeatingY10BentleySquadinTugof-Warcompetition,retainingtheTrevorBarker Trophy!TheY12andStaffGuestrelayteams providedstiffcompetitionfortheY10runnersandit wasaveryfittingfinaletoasuperbdayofathletics
Ahugecongratulationstothewinninghouseand thankyoutoeveryonefromstafftopupilsfor makingthedaysoenjoyable
1stplaceSaville4176points
2ndplaceCave3492points
3rdplaceBentley3267points
4thplaceFreeston3094points
MrTiffany H O U S E M A T T E R S
JUNIORSPORTSDAY
Underblueskies,allJSboystookpartinSports DayonWednesday22ndJune.Itwasa fantasticdayofathleticswhereboys competedinaSprintRace,200m,Distance Race,LongJump,CricketBallthrowand Relays.Alltheboysshowedacompetitive desiretorepresenttheirHousewithprideand passion.However,thiswasbalancedwitha supportiveatmospherewhereeveryone cheered,encouragedandclappedevery competitorthroughout
Results
Freeston-SportsDayWinners
Y3VictorLudorumWinner-CharlieWorth
Y4VictorLudorumWinner-NathanBand
Y5VictorLudorumWinner-HenryRoberts
Y6VictorLudorumWinner-EliasLocking VictorludorumisLatinfor"thewinnerofthe games "
Thankyoutoallparentswhoattendedand helpedmakethisafantasticdayfortheboys. Photosfromthedaywillbesharedinthenear future.
CRICKET
AfterastopstartseasonfortheU11and10’sitwaslovelytoseetheboyscomeoutandplay competitivecricketagainsteachother AsalwaystheHousematchesarefiercelycontested andalwayscloseaffairswithveryfewrunsbetweeneachgame Thestandardofcricketon showwasoutstandingandthefewyear5’sineachteamreallysteppeduptocompliment thealreadytalentedyear6’s
Inthesemifinalone,itsawBentleyvsCave.Someoutstandingperformancesinthefield sawCavecomeoutvictoriouswithveryfewextrasbeinggivenaway.InsemifinaltwoSavile cameoutontopagainstaverycompetitiveFreestonside.BeingledbythetwoCaptains, AuravandPranavsupportedbyThomasWood,Savilewerehotfavouritestowinthewhole thingbutwerepushedallthewaybyadeterminedFreeston
Thefinaldidn’tletusdown,withtheresultcomingdowntotheveryfinalball,Savileneeding 1runtowinandJacobEdgeandAlisterHelminbat.Withteammatesshoutingandno attempttohittheballJacobandAlisterattemptedtorunasingletowinthegame.Excellent keepingbySebSprengercaughttheballandrushedtohitthestumpsandtakethegame intoa‘SUperOver’.Unfortunately,withthetightestofmargins,thebatsmanmanagedtoget downasupermandiveintohiscrease.Acontentiousdecisiontobemadebutitwasjudged tobenotoutandaSavilewin
WelldonetoallboysthatplayedapartintheCricket,itwasanexcellenttournamentand thestandardofCricketwasextremelyhigh.
MrSCook-Savile
CROSS-COUNTRY
InthefirsteventofitskindintheFoundation bothjuniorsectionsHousesjoinedtogetherto competeinthisyear'sinterhousecross countryevent TheHouseinbothschools havedifferentnames,buttheyarejoinedby colourswhichwereusedtolinktheboysand girls
Conditionswereveryfavourablefora Februarywithbright,warmdaysandwith absenceofrecentrain,itwasfirmunderfoot. Itwouldbeagooddayforthespectatorsand therewerealargenumberofparentspresent toviewtheraces.
TheYear3boysandgirlswereupfirst.Charlie Worthracedextremelywellandheldonfora well-deservedwin,hewasfollowedbyToby RigbyinsecondplaceandArthurRamsden Clarkinthebronzemedalposition.
Year4boyswereupnext.TeddyBenthamran stronglyandfinishedfirst,winningthegold medal.KasperBevanwassecond,winning thesilvermedal,withRahminGhouribeing awardedthebronzemedalforfinishingthird IntheYear5race,HenryRobertswonthegold medal.PrestonGoodiarranwellfinishing secondandRehmatGhourifinishedstrongly inthird.
FinallywecametotheYear6boys.Itwasthe sametwoboyswhocompetedfor1stand2nd place,butitwasareversaloftheY5results WillTayloroutsprintedEliasLockinginthelast 200mtotakethevictory.Eliasranverywell finishinginsecond Thepodiumwasrounded offwithOliverRose,takinghomeabronze. InterHouseCrossCountryisateamevent withbothboysandgirlsfinishingposition contributingtotheirHousefinishingposition.
Thefinalstandingswereasfollows: 4thplace,Blue-FreestonandLee 3rdplace,Red-SavileandMackie 2ndplace,Yellow-Bentleyand Heywood
Andthe2021championswereGreenCaveandClayton
Congratulationstoalltheparticipants whotookpart–eachofthemimproved hisfitness,demonstratedresilience and,hopefully,hadalittlefunonthe way.
Seeyounextseason!
FOOTBALL
TobringsportintheJuniorSectiontoa close,theInterHouseFootballcompetition tookplace Allboysparticipatedand representedtheirHousewithpride A changeinformatmeantthatallboysinY3Y6tookpartintheeventintheirgames lessons,withtheY6Ateamwinnersbeing presentedwiththetraditionalInterHouse Trophyandanewcompetitionwhereall resultswouldcontributetoanoverallHouse FootballWinner.Housecaptainsweregiven theresponsibilitiestoselecttheirteams aftertrainingsessionsinlessons. Asalwaysthematcheswerehotly contendedwithallboysshowinggreat prideandpassiontorepresenttheirHouse WithFreestongoingintothecompetitionas hotfavouritesitisgoingtobeinterestingif theycouldliveuptopretournamenthype Withonly10minutesgamesinthe semifinalsallmatcheswerecloseaffairs. CavebeatSavile1-0inthefirstsemifinal. ThenBenltleyplayedFresstonintheother semifinal.Freestonwerethedominantside, butabraveBentlydefensiveeffortkeptout theFreestonboys,andatfulltimethe matchwas0-0 Suddendeathpenalties weregoingtobethedecidingfactor.Inthe cruelnatureofpenilites,Bentlycameout victorious,settingupaBentleyvCavefinal. Againthefinalwasanothertensematch, withendtoendactionsandbothteams hadtheopportunitytowinthematch.With ascorelineof0-0atfulltimethematch wenttopenaltiesagain Missesandscored penaltiesweretradedbybothteams,until BentlyfinallycrackedandCaveytookthe victory.NathanLeadbeater(CaveHouse FootballCaptain)waspresentedbyMr ThompsontheHouseFootballTrophyin frontofthewholeschool.
OverallStanding
CongratulationtoCaveforwinningthe Y5/Y6InterHouseFootballCompetition CongratulationstoCaveforwinningthe overallInterHouseFootballCompetition, consistentresultsacrossalltheyear groupswasthedecidingfactorinthe victory.
O U S E M
HOCKEY
Savilewerethehotfavouritesgoingintothe competition,butasthiswasthefirsthockey fixtureoftheyearitwasgoingtobe interestingiftheycouldliveuptothe favouriteslabel.Inthesemifinals,Freeston scoredalategoaltotakethemthroughto thefinalwitha2-1winoverBentley Inthe othersemifinalSavilewasdominantagainst abraveCavesidewhonevergavein.Savile wonthegame3-0,withAuravVintaand PranavNair,leadingtheway.
Thefinalwasatensematch,withFreeston soakinguppressurefromtheSavileboys, butthenbreakingquicklytosetuptherown chances.Savilecouldn'tunlocktheFreeston defenceandatfulltimethematchwas0-0 Suddendeathpenaltiesflicksweregoingto beusedtodecidetheoutcome Inthecruel natureofthisformat,Fresstonmissedand Savilescoredinthefirstroundofflicks, leadingtoaSavilevictory.
PranavNair,theSavileHockeyHouse captainwasawardedtheKhanCupfor winningthisyear'scompetition.Well donetoallboyswhotookpart,forsome itwastheirfirstgameofhockeyever.I knowwewillbeseeingmoreofsomeof theseboysonthehockeypitchinthe yearstocome
Results: SemiFinals
Freeston2-1Bentley Cave0-3Savile
3rd/4thFinal Bentley0-3Cave
Final Savile0-0Fresston0 (Savilewinnersonpenalties)
RUGBY
FreestonwereawardedtheQueen'sCup thisyearforwinningtheY6InterHouse RugbyCompetition.DrBrookspresentedthe trophytoAyoFasae,theFreestonRugby Captain.
IntheoverallcompetitionBentleyliftedthe InterHouseCup.EthanLangstaffasHouse Captainwaspresentedwiththetrophyby DrBrooks.
Itwasafantasticafternoonofrugbyin whichallboysintheJSparticipated
Thankyoutoallplayers,parentsandstaff formakingthissuchasuccess.
SWIMMING
Thiseventtookplaceintheschoolpoolwhichmeantthatalargenumberofpupilscould takepart.
Therewerefantasticperformancesall-roundwithCavecomingoutontop
Welldonetoallwhotookpartandwelookforwardtoafullprogrammeofswimmingevents andfixturesnextyear.ItwasalsofantastictoseesomeoftheY2boysperformingsowellfor theirHouses.I’msuretheywillstandoutperformersforyearstocome.
AGIFTTHATMAKESADIFFERENCE
QueenElizabethGrammarSchoolwasfoundedover425yearsago.Throughoutthattimegiftsleft inwillshavehelpedshapeourschool.Manyhaveenabledthecompletionofsmallyetimportant projects;othershaveinspiredlargerbuildings.Mostimportantlyfall,somehavegiventhegiftofa QEGSeducation.
LeavingyourschoolagiftinyourwillisagreatwaytoensuregenerationswillfollowyouatQEGS. Byhelpingusprovideoutstandingteachersandtopclassfacilities,youwillenableustoinspire evenmoreyoungpeopletotacklesomeoftheworld'sbigproblems.
Whetherthroughscience, music,industry,sportorthearts,QEGShasalonghistoryofmotivating youngmentomakeadifference,someasworldleaders,othersservingtheircommunitiesAQEGS educationwillinspirethemenoftomorrow,buttodosoweneedyourhelp.
REMEMBERINGFAMILYANDFRIENDS
Whateveryouwantagiftinyourwilltoachieve,itwillmakearealdifferencetothosewhofollow youatQueenElizabethGrammarSchool Familyandfriendsshouldalwayscomefirstbut,byalsoremeberingtheGrammarSchoolinyour will,youcangivethegiftofaQEGSeducationtofuturegenerations.
TAXIMPLICATIONS
QEGSispartoftheWakefieldGrammarSchoolFoundation,aRegisteredCharityNO:1088415.This meansthattheremaybepositiveimplicationstoleavingagifttoQEGSinyourwill
1591SOCIETY
In1563alocalmercer,FrancisGaunt,leftinstructionsinhiswillthatahouseand10shillingayear foreverbegranted"totheuseofthefreeschoolifanysuchfortunebewithinthetownof Wakefield".ThiswasthefirstofmanygiftswhichenabledthefoundersofQEGStoapproachthe monarchtogranttheschoolacharter.
Suchapetitionwasgrantedon19November1591attherequestofleadingcitizensinWakefield, andsoQEGSWakefieldwasborn Thosewhofollowinthistradition,byleavingagiftintheirwillto supporttheSchool,areinvitedtojointhe1591society.IfyouhavealreadymadeprovisionforQEGS inyourwill,pleasedoletusknow.Thiswillallowustothankyouforyourgenerosityinyourlifetime.
HOWTOMAKEAGIFTINYOURWILL
IfyouwouldliketomakeagifttoQEGSinyourwillwesuggestthatyoucontactyoursolicitor,bank orotherwill-writingservice.Thereisarangeofinformationavailableonourwebsite,includinga guidetoupdatingormakingyourwill.Simplysearch"QEGSWakefield,AGiftinyourW
IfyouwouldliketodiscussyourgifttoQEGSinconfidence,pleasecontactcathWorsley, DevelopmentDirector,viaemailat:cworsley@wgsfnetor01924231642