BAROMETER THE
WETHERBY SENIOR SCHOOL WEEKLY FEBRUARY 19th 2018 | WEEK 7
A classically philosophical edition!
HEADMASTER’S NEWSLETTER NEXT WEEK’S DIARY IMPORTANT NOTICES SPORTS NEWS
FROM THE HEADMASTER
Dear Parents, The Classics and Philosophy departments share this issue. As a Classicist, I was often asked at GCSE or A Level option evenings, why pupils should take Latin or Classical Civilisation, where it would get them and what the benefit was. I always felt it strange that the fact that the pupils were challenged and stretched by it, and most importantly, enjoyed it, was not enough. No parents ever questioned the value of studying Shakespeare or listening to Mozart – there was no suggestion that Shakespearean English is ‘dead’ or a string quartet of Mozart is somehow lifeless – but Classics was a subject that needed to constantly look for ways to prove its relevance and benefits. Unsurprisingly, the benefits of both these subjects come both from the subject matter and the skills that grow from working with it. Both help to teach structured thinking, either by giving the opportunity to analyse the rhetoric of Cicero or by teaching you to construct
your ideas and opinions in discussion and debate. Both help you to develop the ability to step outside yourself, to see things from another point of view. Reading Classical literature is augmented by an appreciation of the culture, the history and the perspectives of the people who wrote it, looking at challenging philosophical questions is best done through cooperation with others; the ability to share and debate the relative strengths and weaknesses of an argument takes an appreciation and respect of the other’s point of view. Rigorous dissection of arguments or the structures of language help develop an attention to detail, a logical approach and the skills of analysis and critical thinking that are so important for higher level study and beyond. As you will see in these pages, the challenges of philosophical thought and the challenges of the Classical subjects are met with enthusiasm by the boys and taught creatively by the teachers leading them. The first week has been very busy indeed. Year 9 had a visit from Peter Hall to speak
to them about the need to avoid using illegal drugs and practical ways that can be done. The coming weeks also see visitors coming to the School to discuss Telemark with the historians as well as the fiction and non-fiction author Nick Cook coming to the School as part of the English Department’s work to support World Book Day; Michael Frayn, author of Spies one of the GCSE set books, will also be coming to speak to the boys later in the term. Auditions for the Lower School play, Lord of the Flies, also took place this week and rehearsals for the Senior Play Punch continue to go well; I hope you will be able to attend one of the performances at the end of term. Have a good weekend,
WEEKLY DIARY MONDAY
26.02.18
Artist in Residence Event 16:35-17:20 Games Years 7, 10 & 11 14:00-16:00 Damien Lewis talk to Year 9: ‘Heroes of Telemark’ a World War II story 15:30-16:30 Rehearsals begin this week for Lower School Play
TUESDAY
27.02.18
Games Year 8 & 9 14:00-16:00 Visit from children’s author Nick Cook
WEDNESDAY
8:35-11:50
28.02.18
Games Years 7, 10 & 11 14:00-16:00 Football U16 A vs Highgate (A) 14:30 Rugby U12 vs WCCS (H) 14:40
THURSDAY
01.03.18
FRIDAY
02.03.18
SATURDAY
03.03.18
SUNDAY
04.03.18
Games Year 8 & 9
HM Assembly at Hinde Street Methodist Church
15:00-15:30
IMPORTANT NOTICES
Auditions for the Lower School Play- well done to all of you that auditioned. The cast list will be displayed on the Drama noticeboard (near the courtyard) and rehearsals begin Wednesday 28th February. Please check the Drama noticeboard to see if your character will be needed this week! Rehearsals will be on every Wednesday and Friday. Not all actors will be required for every rehearsal.
MENU
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Soup: Tomato
Soup: Parsnip and Ginger
Main: Shepherd’s Pie
Main: Chicken Fajitas
Meat Free: Baked Potatoes served with: Baked Beans Grated Cheese Tuna Mayonnaise Sweetcorn
Meat Free: Vegetable and Cheese Quesadillas
To Go With: Steamed Mixed Vegetables Broccoli
Main: Haddock Fish Cakes Meat Free: Spinach and Feta Pie
Meat Free: Baked Gnocchi with Tomato and Mozzarella
To Go With: Steamed Rice, Jalapenos Salsa, Sour Cream, Guacamole Steamed Sweetcorn
To Go With: Steamed Green Beans Mashed potatoes Dessert: Apple Pie
To Go With: Oven Roasted Vegetables Sautéed Courgette Caramelised Carrots Dessert: Chocolate Fudge Brownies
Freshly Made Bread To Go With: Butter and Parsley Mashed Potatoes Pasta with pesto Garlic Mushrooms with Parsley Dessert: Sticky toffee pudding
Homemade Salads Vegetable Crudités With Hummus Sandwich & Wrap Selection Meat & Cheese Platters Fresh Fruit Yogurt Pots
EVERY DAY
FRIDAY
Meat Free: Ratatouille
Main: Beef and Winter Vegetable Stew
THURSDAY
Soup: Tomato
Main: Minute Steaks
Soup: Pumpkin
Dessert: Lemon Sponge Cake
Dessert: Carrot Cake with Cream
Soup: Vegetable and Barley
WEDNESDAY
PHILOSOPHY IN LESSONS: YEAR 7 So far this year, Year 7 have been exploring all sorts of issues to do with Personal Identity. They began by trying to think about what makes them who they are. Is it their physical self? Perhaps it is simply just DNA or maybe we have some soul type substance different from other physical things.
We felt like we had everything all figured out and then we began thinking about what the world might be like if machines could trick us into thinking that they too were human (thanks Alan Turing!). And so began an exploration of all things AI culminating in a series of excellent sci-fi
inspired stories at the end of last term.
Clippy by Thomas S
the file back up again. And it moved all my files! Brilliant. That is going to take forever to fix, but it doesn’t matter as I can’t get up. Maybe I can used an open file select as a ladder! Shame that it will realise and stop me, unless I open a file so it is distracted. Okay, I’m on the ladder, up to the top! Okay I pressed the file, then jumped, now he is closing it while I am above the file.
friends will know it’s not me! Hopefully Clippy won’t pass the Turing test, a test to see how ‘real’ an AI can be! Hello, where are you Ben? Will you help me I am stuck in the computer!? NO! Ben it is me, honest! Come here! Come and help Ben! I am stuck in the computer! Just get the USB and… Soon I will be out… I should say…
Hello? Oh, there’s the keyboard. The computer gave me an error again. I hate blue screens!!! How many times have I written this? 15 times? No!!! I switch places with my annoying weak AI every time I write this story! Not again! Great! My computer is attacking me for calling Clippy (the AI) stupid the first time this happened! I need to reach the ‘escape file’. Jump, jump, jump, jump!!! Great, he has moved it down again, but I was on it. Oh, he has realised and moved
Yessssss! I tapped the file and now I am inside it! Oh, ‘escape’ application is not working. Maybe the control AI application will work. I will need to see if my
Top credit goes to ‘Alpha’ by Dan Ricotta and a rather interesting take on what life is like for the Microsoft paper clip by Thomas Staff, I think we might have found a new Ray Bradbury.
Hello? Oh, there’s the keyboard. The computer gave me an error again. I hate blue screens!!! How many times have I written this? 16 times…
IDENTITY AND SCIENCE FICTION ALPHA by Dan R Crash! Went the glass as the man fell down into the hard stone street. His eyes, even when he could only just see in front of him, witnessed what happened clearly. He was lying on the floor. Barely breathing, his vison clouded over. The last thing he saw was the eyes. The bright red, evil eyes as they threw Jenna, the love of his life, into the lake. Then, a tall, strong, metal arm picked him up and threw him into the inky depths. That was just the beginning. After the invention of robotic augmentations in 20XX, two major groups of rebels appeared, trying to overthrow the government. One, who call themselves The Purist, are a group of violent peasants protesting against the use of such robotic augmentations implanted in people’s bodies. The second are called the mechanicals, a mysterious group that use augmentations to turn themselves into super humans. Just 10 to 20 of them can wipe out an entire city. Both are crazy. Both will do anything to win. This is their story. The sun shined harshly on Alpha’s face. “Rise and shine, slowpoke. You have a big day ahead of you” said his partner, X456C. Alpha is a general in the army of cyborgs. His massive metal arms and legs allow him to leap 40 feet high, climb buildings in seconds and cause mass destruction. X456C is the same, except not
quite a general yet. “What’s the list?” asked Alpha, Rubbing is groggy eyes. “Oh, well, there are a few Purist settlements to take out, a couple of towns to destroy, the usual.” “Well, it’s as good as a time as any to start.” Said Alpha, rising from the lazily assembled hay bed he had made in the abandoned farm they found. “Let’s go.” Alpha and X (X456C’s nickname) ran off across the desert, hitting speeds of 120 miles per hour. Ten minutes later, the duo were busy mowing down a small hideout of Purist. Using their arms, they were ripping through cars, punching down buildings, and generally causing mass destruction. They had backed a frightened rebel into a corner, steadily advancing toward him. Alpha grabbed him by the collar, lifting him up high into the air. “Where is your leader!” shouted Alpha furiously, trying to intimidate him. “I don’t know man, I don’t know!” Said the man, desperately swinging his fist at Alpha’s robotic arm, trying to make him let go. “We don’t have time for this.” Said X. “They are sending in reinforcements. Artillery.” Alpha quickly looked behind him. X was right. A slow procession of governmentowned tanks were moving in, most likely on patrol. They had not noticed them yet. “You are right.” Looking back at the man, Alpha picked him up, and threw him so hard against the building that his body smashed through the thick layer of concrete.
Even though cyborgs where incredibly powerful, a big enough quantity of explosives would eventually take them down. “Let’s go. Now.” But, as Alpha turned around, he saw another governmentcontrolled thing. A cyborg of their own. He was named Beta. Specifically designed to take down rebels, Beta was the ultimate weapon. “Beta.” Alpha said smoothly. “Long time no see.” Beta paused his advance for a second, seemingly thinking of what to say. “I wish I could stay and talk, but I have to go” he said. “Goodbye.” And then he pointed a robotic hand at Alpha, and Alpha felt an incredible pain in his robotic eyes. “Augh!” Screamed Alpha in pain. “What….Are… You...Doing…To…ME!” “You belong to us now.” And with that, Beta ran off. “ERROR” Said Alpha’s inner programs. “UNAUTHORIZED USER DETECTED. SHUTTING DOWN.” That was the last thing Alpha heard before blacking out. Minutes later, X found Alpha’s body slumped on the ground. “Alpha?” X said, slowly advancing towards him. “Are you okay?” Alpha slowly raised his head and looked at X. “ENEMY DETECTED” He said in a robotic voice. “ELIMINATING SEQUENCE INITIATING” Alpha slowly stood up. “Alpha? What are you doing? Wait. No! Please no! Stop now! Stop! NOO! NOOOOOO!” Those were X’s last words. Alpha was never seen again.
PHILOSOPHY IN LESSONS: YEAR 8 - PLATO’S CAVE Year 8 have been looking at some mind-bending Philosophy this year. If we are not discussing God’s existence then we seem to be trying to prove that the very world around us exists. As Plato and Aristotle as our guides we have explored the very nature
of reality. Now, some people might think that all we do is read hefty books and have long debates… Not the Wetherby Year 8’s, they have been getting their hands messy and making videos inspired by Plato, Play Doh and stop motion films.
Here is a summary of Plato Allegory of the Cave: In case you aren’t aware of the original story. Plato asked his students to imagine a cave with prisoners chained to a wall. They cannot see anything other than the shadows formed on a wall in front of them. One day, one of the prisoners is released from their chains and begins travelling out of the cave. At first he is delirious due to the brighter lights but he slowly becomes accustomed to the outside world. He begins to see things more clearly than he saw before and longs to journey back to his fellow prisoners and tell them all about it. However, when he returns to the cave, the other prisoners reject his message. I will leave you to decide what you think the message is all about!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEWYKY9RDTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VprBsuwuxDw&feature=youtu.be
YEAR 9 QUIZZES: PHILOSOPHER, POP STAR, PUPIL?
‘God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs.’
2
‘Don’t you ever let a soul in the world tell you that you can’t be exactly who you are.’
1 4 6
‘Find out what your gift is and nurture it.’
WHO SAID IT?
‘A football match is 90 mins, but there is no countdown on life.’
‘Forget injuries, never forget kindness.’
‘Britain is my playground, Earth is my race-track.’
7
‘You can’t move mountains by whispering at them.’
‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’
3 5 8
by Tommaso S and Sam T
Answers: 1. Socrates 4. Katy Perry 6. Confucious
2. Niccolo Macchiavelli 7. Tommaso S
3. Lady Gaga 5. Sam T 8. P!NK
1 4 7
2 5 8
3 6 9
‘You have enemies, good, that means you stood up for something.’
‘Sometimes it’s the journey that tells you about your destination.’
‘God is dead.’
‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get.’
’When life gives you lemons, make lemon tea.’
‘People work just hard enough to not get fired and paid just enough not to quit.’
‘The ones who think they are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who actually do it.’
‘The only source of knowledge is experience.’
‘Two things are infinite. The universe and human stupidity…I’m not sure about the universe.’
10 11 12
‘If we deserve to live on earth then we deserve to die on it.’
‘No comment is a comment.’
Answers: 1. Winston Churchill 4. Sally Field 7. Steve Jobs 10. Jacques O
‘When what you hear and what you see don’t match… trust your eyes.’
Answers: 2. Drake 5. Aryav L 8. Albert Einstein 11. Aryav L
3. Friedrich Nietzsche 6. Aryav L 9. Albert Einstein 12. Dale Renton
YEAR 10 APHORISMS Year 10 came up with their own Aphorisms this week. An Aphorism is a pithy observation which attempts to pass on some general truth. Ignacio G won the prize but see if you agree?
I only look back to see how far I have come. - Leo K
A bee only stings if you give it a reason. - Michael T If you don’t feed the flower when it is small it won’t give you any seeds. - Savva I
Happiness defies gravity – the more you lose the more you sink. - Max K Time will not solve your repercussions, rather your actions will. - Luca B Why moan and whine when you could use that time to make a difference. - Faisal
Only cry over the ones who would cry back. - Ali R If you don’t feed the fish the piranha will come back to bite you. - Teagan W-M
First we make our habits and then our habits make us. - Ignacio G
Don’t write something with a permanent marker if you think you may need to rub it out. - AJ S
Everyone writes their own stories, don’t let anyone rub them out. - Rocco C
Think about the consequences not the effect. - Leo L
Don’t be just another berry on the bush - Logan S-B
THE WEIRD WORLD OF PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY Thursday 1st February @ 16:30 Years 10 and 11 Common Room An AGORA talk by Mr Hartley
AGORA PRESENTS: THE WEIRD WORLD OF PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY
On the 1st February, Agora met for the third time to hear Mr Hartley talk about ‘The Weird World of Psychogeography’. Mr Hartley started off with a challenge – Based only on the poster that had been around school, could we we work out what ‘Psychogeography’ is all about? We heard some great answers before Mr Hartley explained that it was about how our surroundings shape our understanding as well as a suggestion of how we should interact positively with the world we experience. The movement was predominantly in cities such as London and Paris. Mr Hartley continued to explore some of the literary influences upon Pyschogeography such as poetry by Blake and the writings of Baudelaire. We learnt about how architecture could be designed with city walking in mind and even laid out in a fashion to stifle revolutions and uprisings. Whilst my mind was distracted by thoughts of the Arc de Triomphe and the manning of barricades I
was brought back to reality with the whimsical idea of taking a tortoise for a walk (not sure where I could get my hands on one) but we were promised that it would certainly bring your city out of its shell as walking slowly can bring otherwise hidden parts to life. Mr Hartley continued by telling us of the Philosophers and thinkers who had continued to explore their ideas through the environment that surrounded them before some fascinating images of how a city could be remapped according to this idea of what I know feel should be called ‘tortoisewalking’. The ‘Naked City Maps’ are well worth a look, and walking round London using a map of Berlin is a novel way of making sure you find unexpected wonders! Anyway, if exploring (with a curious mind) is up your alley then maybe just do something simple like try looking for a different walking route to school each morning or spend one day a week looking up at the buildings.
CLASSICS IN THE CLASSROOM: YEAR 7
Boys in this year group have been learning about the town of Pompeii, including what it would have looked like before its destruction by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius as well as the lives of the people who lived there. The boys were set a task by Ms Mendes to design their very own brochure in order to entice visitors to Pompeii! Here are some examples of the brilliant work the boys produced:
Last half-term, the Year 8 boys learnt about Roman education. Boys were encouraged to think about the similarities and differences between the Roman education system and their own. (Fun fact: Students in Roman times would have to do their work without the use of a desk!) Some of them were rather surprised to find out how narrow a Roman’s education would be compared to their own. Take a look at the school report Rafael H. produced for a Roman boy. It gives you a bit of an idea of the sorts of subjects a Roman would have studied during the three different stages of education. I particularly like Rafael’s use of Roman numerals for the Progress and Study Habits grades! Very authentic!
CLASSICS IN THE CLASSROOM: YEAR 8 Greeks vs the Romans Year 8s recently translated a story in Latin where the statement “Graeci sunt meliores quam Romani” (The Greeks are better than the Romans) was debated. The boys felt very strongly about this statement themselves and created posters reflecting whether they thought the Romans or the Greeks were the best. Here, Jude B. and Rafael H. put forward their arguments for the Romans and the Greeks respectively.
Jude B. says….
Rafael H. says…..
THE GREEKS!
I think that the Greeks are the best as they are much cleverer than the Romans. Many Greeks ended up teaching Romans. For example, the Romans bought Greek slaves to do work which was mentally challenging! I also like their myths as they are very interesting. The Romans also stole all of our gods! The Greeks were great fighters too. Spartans were extremely savage. The Greeks are definitely better than the Romans!
THE ROMANS!
“Romans are the best! We have great amphitheatres where very strong and fearless gladiators fight. We have brilliant roads and structures that have survived through to today, and we have faced volcanoes and many more disasters. We Romans have amazing gods who help us greatly. We Romans have one of the biggest empires of all time! We are far better than the Greeks!
The current focus in Year 9 is on translating stories related to Aquae Sulis, which lies beneath the modern city of Bath. Both Year 9 classes were set the challenge of creating a worksheet on Aquae Sulis for the other class to complete. I was very impressed by the variety of worksheets the boys managed to create with crosswords, wordsearches, and eye-catching pictures all being used. Some boys even handed in a mark scheme to go with their worksheet! In the end, one winner was chosen from each class. These were Josh R. and Leo M. You can see their worksheets, alongside highly commended worksheets from Stefano A. and William P N. below.
CLASSICS IN THE CLASSROOM: YEAR 9
CLASSICS IN THE CLASSROOM: YEAR 9
Year 9 boys have also been hard at work revising their vocabulary using the Memrise website. The 5 boys who have used the Memrise website the most are Akshay B., William P. N., Adam A-M., Aryav L. (AKA “TrollerThomasAL) and Max P. All the hard work the Year 9s have been putting into their vocab. revision has really paid off as 16 out of 27 boys achieved full marks in their last vocab. test.
CLASSICS IN THE CLASSROOM: YEAR 10 Boys in Year 10 have been working hard on the Latin Language aspect of their GCSE since the beginning of this year. A special mention must be given to Henri J. who has achieved full marks in every single vocab. test so far (that’s 16 in total!). If he keeps this up until Easter, he will be rewarded handsomely with his very own (mediumsized) Easter egg. Last term, one of the activities the boys took part in to test their understanding of the grammar we had recently covered was a translation race. The boys were divided into three groups and were given one sentence at a time to translate. Once they had finished their translation, they needed to show me their work and only if their translation was correct were they allowed to have the next sentence. The winning group would be the ones who completed their sentences first and also managed to crown themselves with the Winner’s Hat before anyone else got to it. It was a closely fought competition and certainly very tense as two groups managed to start the final sentence at the same time. However, in the end the dream team of Antonio D. and Harrison S. were the victors. You can see a photo below of Harrison S. proudly wearing the Winner’s Hat (for some reason, Antonio refused to be photographed wearing it….).
CLASSICS THEATRE TRIP TO LYSISTRATA
On Thursday 8th February, 18 Year 10 and 11 Classicists made the short journey to Shaw Theatre in Kings Cross to see the annual UCL Greek play. This year’s play was Aristophanes’ comedy Lysistrata which focuses on a group of women who are bored of their husbands always being away at war. Led by Lysistrata, the women come up with a novel plan to force the men of Greece to sign a peace treaty, and thus end the Peloponnesian War. It’s always a slight concern when bringing students to see ancient comedies as the humour does not always translate well to modern audiences, but this production had all of the boys (and the teachers) chuckling away for the majority of the performance. Here’s hoping that next year’s UCL play will be just as enjoyable!
CLASSICS DEPARTMENT LOGO COMPETITION
Alec and Nima
Raphael M
Last half-term, Miss Nash decided that the Classics department was in need of its very own logo. Therefore, a logo competition was launched! It was explained to the boys that anyone who studied a Classical subject could enter, regardless of artistic ability. This is because Miss Bradley had very kindly agreed to help “spruce up” the winning logo if necessary, meaning that a boy who had a fantastic idea but maybe was not so confident when it came to drawing their idea would not be put off from entering. It was wonderful to see such creative entries and to see boys’ favourite aspects of the Classical world being incorporated into their logos. Thank you to everyone who took the time and put in the effort to enter the competition.
MAX POZZI!
Aryav L
Unfortunately, there can only be one winner and that accolade goes to……
Jude B
Vasco de N
Zachary G
Miss Nash and Miss Bradley were impressed by the way in which Max was able to incorporate the Wetherby badge into the logo whilst making it clear that this logo was to do with Classics due to the inclusion of a laurel wreath and Greek temple. This logo will now be displayed in the Classics classroom, used in letters to parents, and printed on t-shirts worn on school trips, as well as anywhere else Miss Nash can think of! Thank you for the logo, Max!
CLASSICS IN THE MODERN WORLD Thank you to Santiago E. for sending me this photo of his grandfather’s grandfather clock! The Roman numerals on the clock face indicate how the influence of the classical world can still be seen all around us today. Please do send me your photos of anything Classical related which you come across either in this country or abroad. Sometimes you see Classical references in the most unexpected of places.
For example, whilst in Sri Lanka I walked past this spa which had been named after the famous Latin phrase “carpe diem” meaning “seize the day”. So keep your eyes peeled for those links to the classical world!
REMAINING POOL FIXTURES
POOL SINGLES 2018
POOL DOUBLES 2018
Charif A (7) V Armand S (11) Will B (11) V Kaan D (8) Luca L (11) V Dom G (9) Miron Bykov (10) V Yuvraj C (10) David D (9) V Zack Z (11) Alec F (7) V Antony A (10) Nick P (9) V Josh R (9) Joao C (9) V Nour H (10) Gabriel T (8) V Ruslan B (7) Ed G (11) V Seb P (10) Faisal A (8) V Rahul T (11)
Alan A/Nick S (11) V Sam M/ Jose M (7) Gabriel T/Santiago E (8) V Pietro A/Seb L (9) Ethan E/Younis A (10) V Nico F/Alec F (7) Antonio D/Abdul F (10) V Stefano A/Max P (9)
DEADLINE – 9th MARCH 2018
MATCH REPORT
Football U16 WSS A v Hampton U16 B 6-2 Man of the Match: Tom B U15 WSS A v Hampton U16 B 1-3 Man of the Match: Savva I U14 WSS A v Radnor House, Twickenham 3-1 Man of the Match: David T
Rugby U13 WSS A v Kew House School 35-10 Man of the Match: Raphael M U12 WSS A v WPS 5-25 Man of the Match: Michael F
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