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BAROMETER April - JUNE 2022
HALF TERm 5
CONTENTS: Vuokatti 2022 - Aidan U Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Expedition - Ali A Gothic Genre Creative Writing - Benjamin C & Miguel A-C Duke of Edinburgh Silver Expedition - Devan S Field Day - Year 8 - Mr J Martin The Story of the MIG-25 Foxbat - Stepan K Penfold Community Afternoon Tea - Benjamin C
Field Day - Year 9 - Zain S and Danil A, Saif M and Raphael O, Gabriel W and Mark S, Alex W and Henry P Playing Cards - Daniel W Interail - Barnaby M-J
The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Felipe E and Marty V Winners of the Football Writers’ Association Award - Maksims K FA Cup - Marty V Field Day - Year 7 - Felipe E Field Day - Year 12 - Benjamin D
The Elizabeth Line - Felipe E and Ben S Beaten But Not Defeated Breck R Winter Poem - Manuchehr K The Thames Barrier - Frederik B Kenilworth Castle: The Rome of Britian - Oscar F and Rodrigo B-D Trib Drama (Actor’s Perspective) - Marty V Trib Drama (Audience Perspective) - Henry B
Congratulations to Felix H, Year 12 on his winning entry in the 2022 Marcos Burnett competition. “Each year, the standard gets higher and higher. All photographs submitted were fantatsic; it was a very difficult decision to make. We chose this photograph as the winner based on Marcos’ love of evocative scenery and landscapes.” - The Burnett Family.
Vuokatti 2022 Aidan U, Year 13 writes... The Olympics is the goal for so many athletes in their sport. The European Youth Olympics (EYO) is a gateway to the Olympic Games, aimed at giving U18s experience and inspiration. The Winter EYO was held in Vuokatti, Finland in March and I was one of the two U18 boys selected to represent GB. I have been lucky to gain experience competing internationally as a GB alpine ski athlete over the last few years, but the GB Olympic experience was on a new level! Getting to Vuokatti wasn’t easy. The event itself was originally planned for February 2021 and kept getting pushed back as gathering 300+ athletes in COVID just wasn’t possible. Selection depends on your current performance, so it was all very last minute. Then there was getting to Vuokatti itself, it’s in the northernmost part of the Finnish Lakeland – a very long way north and a whole days travel. GB provided me with an enormous bag of kit and instructions on what to wear to each event. You also get lots of
pins to swap with athletes from other nations; the pins really encourage you to get involved in meeting athletes from other countries. I also swapped a GB jacket for one of the Finnish jackets that everyone wanted, the closing ceremony ended up consisting of a lot of kit swapping across various nations. Another part of the experience of being at a multisport event is going to see the other sports. I spent a lot of my time in Vuokatti walking from one venue to another. I was able to see so many different sports for the first time: the local derby in ice hockey, Sweden vs Finland, and the snowboard big air freestyle. The other thing is being part of the GB team. I met other GB athletes
competing in biathlon, speed skating and figure skating, and we shared our accommodation with a GB snowboarder, who made us alpine skiers look overly stressed, he was so laid back – and successful. He came 5th, GB’s best result at the event. I was mostly pleased with my skiing and overall results as well. It was great to be part of a team and lots of support. Best bit? The opening ceremony with candles set in blocks of ice and the Vuokatti dance. You can read more about it here: https://www.teamgb.com/article/ vuokatti-2022-review/3WsAH4C7 bIK5vJhq47YynCreview/3WsAH4 C7bIK5vJhq47YynC
Marcos Burnett photography competition 2022
Deni D, Year 9
Lorenzo S, Year 10
Maksims K, Year 9
Luke T, Year 9
George H, Year 8
Matteo M, Year 10
Bosco DC, Year 9
Freddie T, Year 9
Cameron B, Year 7
Deni D, Year 9 - 2nd Prize
Miguel AC, Year 8
Max D, Year 11 - 3rd Prize
DUKE OF EDINBURGH BRONZE EXPEDITION Ali A, Year 10 writes.... The morning of Friday 6th May marked Year 10’s second trip to the Chiltern Hills, this time for our qualifying expedition. With the knowledge that the coming days were very much an assessment of our capabilities our shortcomings and strengths alike, there was an evident buzz of nerves that lingered on for much of the early hours of the day. We were required to meet at the Hannah House dining room at 7:20 am, from where we shortly departed. The bus journey in itself was a pleasure, with pupils being afforded the opportunity to view the English countryside in its full beauty- a nice change of scenery from the bustling streets of London that we have all become very much accustomed to. At around 9 o’clock in the morning, we had arrived at the Chiltern Hills, sleepy and nervous, but nonetheless full of excitement for what was to come. After arriving, we promptly divided the extra equipment that we were provided with (trangias, tents etc) amongst us, had a brief pep talk from our respective instructors, and not too long after, set off. The first few hours of the trip consisted of brisk walking, lively conversations and (for the most part) accurate navigating. Despite still being in the centre of a village, the views from afar were nothing short of stunning, with many breaks being taken in order to fully experience the scenery. After a few hours of navigating, getting lost, navigating, and then inevitably getting lost again, we finally made our way to the first checkpoint, where our instructors
were waiting for us, ready to supply us with some much needed motivation. We headed off again, and after traipsing through the English countryside for a few hours more, we had our first (official) break of the day, setting down our bags, and bringing out our food. The first few hours of the trip had completely drained some groups, and so it was a hard task to finally end the break, get our bags on and get going, but the knowledge that there were several hours of walking ahead of us certainly made the task easier. The last stretch of the journey took place south of our starting location, in an area surrounded
by fields of farmland, and we were greeted by a host of different friendly locals who were not hesitant to wish us luck or ask how we were doing, a definite highlight of the trip. Just after 4 in the afternoon, most groups started to stream into the campsite. We swiftly set up our tents, unpacked our sleeping bags and roll mats, and then proceeded to settle down for a good few minutes, taking a much needed (and deserved) break. We later took out the trangias provided to us and started to cook our food, which was not too difficult, considering the copious
amounts of ‘Pot Noodle’ present. After having eaten, neighbouring campsites (consisting of different schools) organised a variety of games for us to enjoy, including ‘tag’, ‘stuck in the mud’ and best of all, football. Despite our wearied state, everybody was keen to participate, making for a thoroughly enjoyable, but also memorable event. At about 8 in the evening, having fully worn ourselves out, many of us proceeded to brush our teeth, add on extra layers, and settle down into our sleeping bags. Seeing as this was our second expedition, many of us had learned from the mistakes made in the first expedition (regarding layers - or rather - a lack thereof). I, myself, wore at least two thermal vests. The night, while still piercingly cold, was certainly more bearable than last time, and from what I heard, many people slept quite well.
efficient speed. We stopped for lunch at the top of a picturesque hill where, once again, we took in the beautiful view that was on display. Our day continued in the sweltering heat, while we trudged and traipsed through fields, farms, roads and hills, and by about two o’clock, many of us were really starting to get tired. Despite this, however, all of us persevered, and before long, we were greeted by Mr Sullivan and other staff at the finishing checkpoint. We (to our great relief) took off our bags, and with much haste got onto the bus, where most people decided to sleep. In around an hour and a half, somewhat relieved and rested, the Duke of Edinburgh boys got off the coach and (slightly embarrassingly) hauled their large backpacks home, concluding a trip which, while definitely tiring, I maintain to be one of the most fulfilling and memorable I have been on.
In spite of the fact that all of us were exhausted, nobody woke up after 6am in the morning, with most people waking up at around 4am and 5am. Groggy and in a sleepy stupor, people slowly started to get up and out of their tents at around 7, setting up cooking equipment and preparing some breakfast (which, for most, was porridge), while still maintaining somewhat lively conversations as to what would occur later on in the day. After eating our breakfast, we all (with much difficulty) managed to pack our tents away and then headed off. Given the fact that we had already completed a full day of walking previously, we were quite slow to start, walking at a fairly gentle pace. However we did start to get in the groove of things and, by about 11am, we were maintaining a brisk and
All boys, irrespective of how demanding they found the trip to be, learned skills of resilience, perseverance, effort and, most importantly, teamwork. The Duke of Edinburgh expedition was a rewarding experience that was not only enjoyable, but also really developed the character of all participants involved. To those who have not yet done Duke of Edinburgh, or those who are keen to try, I assure you, taking part will not be to your regret.
GOTHIC GENRE CREATIVE Writing Benjamin C, Year 8 writes...
The Harroway Hall Mystery It was two o’clock in the victorious country of England, the capital of the world. I, Emily Harroway, consider myself a pluviophile, which is a good ethic to have in a country where it rains onehundred-and-thirty-three days a year. Today was one of those days. It was wet cold. As I was in my trap with Cadbury, I could notice the extremely poor visibility because of the thick blanket of mist. It was like the clouds had fallen out of the sky, blinding everything beneath them. I was also miserable because I had contracted a nasty frabicula, consequently meaning I had to stay home and receive pitiful regards form others. “Get well soon, darling”, said grandma, Countess Travain. “Poor thing, sending you my kind regards”, said Aunt Madalaine. I had bigger things to worry about. Like it said in ‘Miss Diana De Vere’s Book for Young Debutantes’: “A young lady must not miss any ball gala or tea party. Any absence will be extremely impolite. A young society girl must always arrive promptly with a chaperone, ready for any event.’ As you can see, it is considered extremely unladylike to be contracting illnesses. Tonight, Phyllis McGough was hosting her summer gala. The event of the season.
My mother was more interested in her new pet crows than me and hasn’t taken me to any event. I hoped my father would be taking me there since he has been the best chaperone, but that was not meant to be. I was entering my slumber chamber when, suddenly, I heard running footsteps. They were coming from upstairs, so I went to check out the situation, but as soon as I got half-way up the stairs, holding the banister tightly, leaving an invisible trail of sweat, my footsteps echoing on the cold wooden stairs, I heard the scream. A scream that cut through the air like a knife, a masculine scream, a scream that attacked your ears and left them permanently scarred. I thought I knew who that scream belongs to.
Mysterious. I knew what to expect; a stabbed mother and father lying innocently in the place where they were laid to rest. Yet, a seventeenyear-old girl can never prepare herself to see her father, her closest companion, lying still on the fur rug, once brown, now covered with a thick liquid, which had turned the carpet a dark, beautiful red. Banging and shouting filled the room, as my mother fought to get put of the window in which she had been imprisoned.
Picking up the pace further, I was sprinting up the stairs now. They felt especially long today, like they were teasing me, throwing me into an endless loop of running. The infinite stairs. For whatever reason, I felt compelled to be the first person to find out what was happening.
The room began to fill up with servants, police constables, detectives, and family members. The mood turned form sombre to scared, as after the cloth was removed from his face, three distinct gashes were revealed. His flesh was cut around his eye, which was now bulging as if it was trying to escape from his face. One eye was sliced open, and the jellylike filling was smoothed across his face. His lips were sliced open, and half his hair was missing. Disgusting. It was hurting my eyes to look at him, so I covered him back up.
Leaving the stairs behind me, I suddenly had a risk to take. Left, or right? I made my bet and headed left, into the west wing of the house, where I was immediately greeted by a once smiling butler crumpled on the floor with a shocked face gazing directly towards my parents’ quarters.
Three days have passed, and my mother had made the commotion caused by my father’s death pass as quickly as my fever. Of course, I felt like my mourning would never end. Hers ended quite quickly. Though I could never be sure, I had a sneaky suspicion that one of the servants had something to do with the murder.
Along the corridors, past the silent statues of armour. I’ve never like them; they hold daggers and swords. One was missing a dagger.
I called an emergency staff meeting in the hopes of convincing the culprits to reveal themselves. However, I was
unsurprised that no one was keen to take up that idea. Another problem that had generated from this loss was that I was in desperate need of a new chaperone for tonight’s event, Miss Veronica Whitley’s summer ball. After the meeting, I received multiple reports of a cloaked figure, roaming the hallways at around 2.30 am. I was informed that Cadbury went to investigate. You know how that ended. Suddenly, I had a brainwave. I needed to check my mothers’ new bedroom. In particular, the wardrobe. It was traditional, sturdy looking with ornate gold finishing’s. It was a huge wardrobe, so it was believable that a person could fit in it. However, it seemed
Miguel A-C, Year 8 writes... The wet, desolate streets of the city rested in silence as the starry black sky wept over it. A heavy black shade had been overwhelming the sky for many hours, intensifying in colour with each long, drawn out minute that passed. The fog still slept on the wing above the drowned city, where the street lamps glimmered like jewels. The small, green trees on the roadside swayed as the strong breeze hit them. Some windows gave out white and yellow lights, but the others were pitch black. It seemed like the clouds had gotten a sudden fascination to the moon and wrapped themselves around it. It was a black pearl in the middle of an endless ocean. Its faint glow passed through the clouds, colouring them white from grey. The pattering of the rain, which was now deafening
concerning that our criminal would hide a witness in the scene of the crime. With my suspicions aroused, I headed to the ballroom, where my mother was hosting a light lunch with friends. Even though they were far away, I could here their conversation very clearly. Lady Feng Shui had arrived on her four-week trip to England. She was the ambassador for Hong Kong’s wife. She was staying in the Savoy Hotel in London’s West End. She was, by far, the centre of conversation. I needed to question my mother, so I called her out.
She didn’t reply. “I know what you did.” She walked up to me and dragged me into the storage room. She told me to ‘remember my place’ and locked me in. It took one painful day for someone to come. By then, my mother had vanished without a trace. She took with her the entire Harroway fortune and my trap. She was never heard from again. That is the story of how I became London’s first female detective, Emily Harroway.
“Mother,” I said.
to my ears, was interrupted time by time during the night. The sound of thunder rang in my ears, petrifying me. The darkness suffocated the light, blanketing any sense of hope. I couldn’t see anything, the darkness blinded me and even my sense of thoughts. I was trapped. It was not safe anymore so I pushed through. I ran into the dark forest for cover and for help as quickly as I could… Rapidly walking through the mysterious darkness of the menacing forest, grasping tightly my withering frozen hand. Staring steadily ahead, the forest stretched out endlessly before me, protracted like the same terrible dream. Suddenly, the cloaking fog almost choked me as the hot, squelching, oozing mud bubbled slowly, as if it was trying to warn me. Owls hooted loudly and long
gnarly vines and branches grasped me, ripping and tearing my clothes as I tried to escape from its evil menace. Rain fell down like arrows as I took out my umbrella, clasping it with entwined fingers, dashing forwards to safety… A house drew nearer, everything around me became quieter and more distant. The moon cast a frightening shadow on the house making it seem inhabited by an unfriendly guest. I was more nervous than ever. The trees murmuring couldn’t be heard anymore and the cold iron gates, where I entered the forest, were far back in the distance. Owls couldn’t be heard anymore and there were no leaves on the ground, just some aged concrete steps, and an menacing oak door stood in front of me. I walked cautiously forwards where I read next to the door: ‘Hallow Mansion’. It had a look of a big gothic Church
with arch stained glass windows. From the outside, the house was tall and thin, made from large dark grey stones that had a rough feel and all of this sandwiched together by crumbling cement. The windows rattled vigorously from the howling wind, as though they were about to fall out of the frames which were made from rotting wood being eaten away by wood worm. A rush of cold air circulated around me. I felt goosebumps prickling up my arms and legs. The door had been left ajar perhaps for many years, or maybe someone was already in there. The hallway was dull and smelt of dust mixed with old age. Paintings hung up of what looked to be important rich people, their eyes following my every move. My tummy rumbled loudly echoing through the house. I walked into a large room what seemed like the dinning room. As I looked into it, it stared back at me. Cobwebs and dust were scattered around
the whole place. Soft leather chairs were torn apart. Delicate fragments of valuable and lavish plates lay lifeless on the floor. I soon turned back to exit the room and slowly walked down a wide long corridor. To the left was an old wooden stairway leading upwards to the second floor. Each step looked so delicate and worn that if you were to walk up them you would step right through them. There was a ring of an echoing ticking clock and a creepy delicately white and black stuffed magpie lay in a glass case gently below it. Suddenly I came to an abrupt halt as a struck of lightening revealed a tall black shadow towering over me. I followed its brutal evil darkness into a small empty room. There was a small flashing lamp as it switched on and off as if it had a life of its own. A loud chime of the grandfather clock filled my ears. It had struck midnight. It hurt badly and I softly yelled, “Ow”. The door
suddenly closed leaving a loud echoing trail of noise behind. A dark black figure dropped in the room behind me, the lights switched off permanently… The last thing I remember was a pale bony face with a razor sharp scythe and a ball in chain being dragged behind him, hitting me on my head. Everything went black. I couldn’t see anything. Was everything ok? Was I alive? Or was this going to be my last and final stance… I never again saw the light of day. The glimmering rays of the quiet sun shone through the cracked broken windows as the sky was prickled with colourful clouds which was followed by a sparkling golden stream of light which shone endlessly into the horizon. Five years ago, this city sang with joy and prosperous trade but it was now all silent. The city was too quiet, too lonely, and too woeful to sing again.
You are invited to celebrate the Art and Graphics students at our WSS
GCSE & A LEVEL EXHIBITION Thursday 9th June 2022 I 5 - 7 pm Marylebone Lane Drama Studio Nibbles and drinks provided RSVP to Miss Smith I sam.smith@wetherbysenior.co.uk by Friday 27th May Cover design by Misha Fraser
DUKE OF EDINBURGH SILVER EXPEDITION Devan S, Year 12 writes... On Thursday 5th May, the Silver DofE groups arrived at Bulstrode sharply at 7 am for the final expedition, where each of us would be assessed by instructors, allowing us to show off all the skills we had learnt from our three previous practice expeditions. Luckily, most of us had learnt our lessons from last time and remembered to pack light, only bringing the essentials. After a rather long bus ride, we met our assessors and received our tents and trundles, as well as going over any final checks. Shortly after leaving, we found ourselves passing through fields with horses and large woodlands. We started with a great pace but that was hindered after I lead the group the wrong way. Soon after, we met our assessor for a brief update and carried on our way, stopping only for lunch in a small field. After lunch, we continued through pastures and villages for around two hours, ending up taking a very long break next to a cricket pitch. Coincidentally we met both Mr Sullivan and Mr Davies for the final stint of the day. Near the campsite, there were some ping-pong tables and we were allowed to have one final break before heading to camp. As soon as we got there, we set up our tents and started to prepare dinner, which was pesto pasta. After that, it started to get dark, so we got into our tents and prepared for the next day. Friday morning wasn’t our best. We left camp an hour after we said we would, which the assessors were not happy about, meaning
we had some time to make up. We made our way down some rather steep hills, before reaching a large forest. To all our surprise, we ended up walking in and around the outskirts of an RAF base, which could be identified by the constant noise of what seemed to be practise drills. We were only there for a while but, luckily, the next ‘stint’ of our journey was along a large canal, where we saw many sheep. We continued through the town of Wendover, where we later saw the other Silver DofE group. For lunch, we stopped on the bank of the woodland. Several hours later, we arrived at our second campsite, which we had stayed at before, but unlike last time it was full of kids from other schools. Again we set up our tents and were assessed on our ‘camp craft’ by our assessors. We made dinner and spoke to some teachers, before heading off to our tents. On the final day, we woke up to a wet tent as it had been raining that night, which was no fun at all. On the map, it looked like the last day was to be the longest, but it was not like that at all. We were all eager to go home and so set off on a blisteringly quick pace, passing through previous routes and more livestock. We had to be back to the
bus at 3:30pm. However, by lunch, we were already an hour away from the car park. Due to that, we received a text from our assessor to stop and wait, otherwise we would be too early. We found a path to rest on and were met by many horses. Some of us dozed off for a while but we decided to set off again to where we met our instructors and the rest of the Silver and Bronze DofE groups, who were all ready to go home as much as we were. Overall it was a great experience, we learnt many skills and made some good memories. I would definitely recommend it to any of the younger boys who are thinking of doing Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Field Day - Year 8 Mr J Martin writes... Our music trip was to the Royal Albert Hall (RAH) and the London Science Museum. The day began with a lovely walk to South Kensington, through Hyde Park, It was a beautiful day with the sun shining. When we saw the golden splendour of the Albert Memorial in the distance, we were at the Royal Albert Hall.
to raise money for the victims of the Titanic in 1912. The tour guide took us up the royal stairs, which were particularly shallow so Queen Victoria could ascend the stairs easily, to the Royal Box. The view from the Upper Circle was truly superb, it gave you a full view of the stage. The stage was set up for a Joe Bonnamassa concert later. We entered the Royal Lounge and saw the area where royalty has been drinking Champagne for 150 years!
We were visiting the RAH at a very special time, it’s 150 year anniversary. As we walked through the hallowed corridors, we were able to see an abundance of historic picture placed on the walls. These pictures were a testament to the talented musicians that have graced the stage over the years. Greats such as Jimi Hendrix, Cream, The Who, Sir Edward Elgar, Frank Sinatra, Ela Fitzgerald, Jay Z, Adele, and many more. In fact, the RAH hold the world record for the largest ever orchestra, which was assembled for the charity function
As we looked out, from the Royal Box, it was particularly interesting to see the famous fibre glass domes that were installed and, in fact, paid for by the BBC in the 1960s to reduce the famous echo of 6 seconds. This echo had made the hall practically unusable and a butt of many a musician’s jokes.
We continued our journey to the top floor. I thought the view couldn’t get better from the Royal Box but the vast scale of the circular hall was truly revealed from the top floor and some of the boys felt dizzy! One of the many things the RAH is famous for is the organ. The original organ was built by Henry Willis & Sons in 1871. It had four manuals and 111 stops and was, at that time, the largest in the world. The organ earnt the nickname ‘The Voice of Jupiter.’ It is currently the second largest pipe organ in the UK, after the Liverpool Cathedral Grand Organ. It was originally built by Henry Willis, having an unbelievable 147 stops and, since the 2004 restoration, 9,999 pipes. The second part of our trip was to a retro gaming event at the London Science Museum.
modern games, the difference is incomparable. It fact, the RAH has a sold out concert of live game music, played by a professional orchestra, something that is a very special experience. I thoroughly recommend a trip to the RAH to see a concert or to take part in the tour. The RAH really is a national treasure. Currently, the RAH is in £20 million pounds of debt, due to the pandemic. It receives no money As a child of the 1980s, I spent many an hour with my father, programming my beloved ZX Spectrum 48k and waiting for hours for tapes to load games such as Manic Miner and Jumping Jack! It was great to see the 40-year journey the humble computer has made and how it became inexorably tied up in popular culture. Our boys and staff had a great time. For many boys, the high point was beating Mr Thornton on Halo! The retro exhibition was also a brought home how much music plays a part in gaming and, like the computer itself, music has changed so much. Listening to the 8bit sounds of Mario and comparing them to the rich orchestral scores of the
from the government, only from the National Lottery. I’m sure that audiences will always go to the RAH and it will financially bounce back, as it remains a truly world class concert hall. It really was a privilege to have our behind the scenes tour.
The Story of The Mig-25 Foxbat Stepan K, Year 12 writes... In 1976, the cold war was at its peak. Both the West and the USSR were trying their best to outdo each other. And nowhere was this more prevalent than in the military. In 1965, the Soviet leadership learned that the Americans were building a longrange supersonic bomber named the XB-70. Able to effortlessly bypass any Soviet air defences at the time and reach its target in mere hours. Before these, the Soviet’s problems were solved by having great radar coverage across its borders. This allowed them plenty of time to take down any bomber as they were all relatively slow. However, with the news of the XB-70 supersonic bomber, everything changed. As a result, the Soviet leadership ordered the Mikoyan Gurevich Bureau to build a plane capable of stopping anything that tried to cross the Soviet borders. What they came up with was truly a masterpiece. Able to cruise at Mach 2.5 and have a top speed of over Mach 3.3, fast enough to disintegrate the plane, it was a fierce interceptor backed up with mean looks. In 1967, during the October revolution air show, the world was first given a glance at the new Mig-25. The grainy footage revealed a plane with enormous air intakes that hinted
at massive power; huge wings pointed towards incredible agility, and experts predicted using exotic materials such as titanium. However, the scariest part of this plane was that it looked like the next-generation US air superiority fighter, which was set to enter service within the next decade. To catch the XB-70, the Mig was outfitted with the most powerful engines that the Soviet Union had, that would suit the asking of the project. Engines that powered missiles were chosen, which meant that the first versions of the Mig had a service timespan of only 150 hours. Moreover, the Mig would experience incredible kinetic heating at such fast speeds, which meant that engineers would have to use a heat resistant material but, due to the need for fast production,
they went for heavy steel allow, which was easy to shape and allowed the Migs to be built very fast but, in turn, compromised the Migs manoeuvrability. To see the incoming foe, the Mig was fitted with a colossal 600 k-watt radar designed to spot high flying targets up to 100km away and burn right through their jamming devices. As for its weapon, it was given the largest air to air misses ever produced to take down anything in its way. All in all, this project gave way to one of the most respected and legendary aircraft in the history of aviation and ,with some updates and modernisations to it, the new Mig-31 still operates as the Russian go-to interceptor and is set to guard its airspace well into the 2030s.
PENFOLD COMMUNITY AFTERNOON TEA Benjamin C, Year 8 writes... On Wednesday 4th May, Wetherby Senior hosted more than 30 visitors from the Penfold Community (a community centre for over-50s) for an Afternoon Tea in the Bulstrode Dining Hall. During periods 5 and 6, pupils from Years 8, 10 and 12 attended, so we were able to chat, play games and have tea with the lovely members of this community. It was truly wonderful to see that the members had come from all over London to see and hear about our School. There was also exceptional music performed by boys from Year 10, ranging from piano to guitar. It was obvious to me that everyone was in awe at the amazing Music Department at Wetherby Senior. However, my favourite part was the quiz at the end. All pupils and community members were put into teams, and we all had a blast answering the hard (but fun) quiz questions. My team did not win but everyone on it still had a great time! Overall, I think it was a valuable and enjoyable experience and I hope Wetherby Senior hosts more events like it.
Field Day - Year 9 Zain S and Danil A, Year 9 write... As the teachers did their final head count, excitement and anticipation was in the air. At 9:30am, we left and walked to Bond Street station, where we took the Jubilee line to London Bridge. After a pleasant walk, we arrived at the Old Operating Theatre. Upon entry, we walked up a narrow (and slightly claustrophobic) spiral staircase, which opened on the museum. We were greeted with dozens of cabinets full of medicines and operating instruments from a past time. Everyone set about trying to answer their work sheets and some even began operating on each other! We explored mini sections, including the apothecary and the medicine chest. My favourite part was the operating theatre, because it gave such an insight into how little they had to work with at the time. At 11:00, we left the operating theatre and embarked on a journey to Potter’s Fields, next to Tower Bridge. We ate an early lunch and had a small break before we got up and left at 12:30pm to return to our School for some afternoon activities.
Saif M and Raphael O, Year 9 write... For Field Day, we were all looking forward to our chemistry trip to the Old Operating Theatre. As we departed the labs with our Year 9 peers, we were filled with bounds of excitement. And then we started our trip off on our way to Bond Street tube station; only five stops from our final destination: London Bridge. We then walked further and arrived. This evocative museum, placed in the attic of the ancient St Thomas’ Hospital in early eighteenth century, offers a unique glimpse into the history of medicine and surgery. Throughout our time there, we wrote down notes on some of the medical equipment used and were even able to get a full sighting of a prior operating room, where we even took a few pictures on the operating benches. Whilst walking throughout the museum, we got an insight on the different medical and surgical inventions at the time, for example, anaesthesia and antiseptics. All round, we had a great time and, after walking by Tower Bridge, we relaxed at
Potter’s Fields, eating our lunch and chatting with our friends. The field trip was amazing!
Gabriel W and Mark S, Year 9 write... We began in our four groups and set out to Bond Street station. It was a breeze of a walk to start off our journey, once we had all reached the tube and hopped on it was five noisy stops to our destination. As we emerged from the dark underground station, we were met with the full force of the sun in London Bridge. A ten minute leisurely walk, until we reached the blissful sight of the first openly watched area of operation in London. We ascended up a 19th century wooden spiral staircase for what seemed like an eternity. Once we had scrambled our way to the top and strolled through the gift shop, we entered the herb garret, feeling like we travelled back through time. The wood carved room looked like it had belonged in a Harry Potter movie - mystical is the way I would describe it. After we had an amble round, all of us embarked on the task to visit every corner of the theatre and document it. First was the herb garret, where we experienced the perplexing ways people would be treated back in the day. Next on the list was to visit the physicians and diagnosis section, which was full of weird ways to treat people - I never knew blood letting was believed to have actually cured people! With that ticked off, we moved on to the apothecary section to learn how people scammed their way into being doctors. Next, we were informed how mercury used to be a treatment for syphilis. Moving on, we finally opened the doors to the actual operating theatre! A wooden bed was located in the middle, where the unlucky victims of amputation would lie, surrounded by stands full of
spectators. After the magical visit to the operating theatre, we had a chilly walk along the Thames to find a spot for lunch. We all sat down in groups to enjoy a picnic on the edge of Thames. After lunch, we began the backwards end of the trip, reaching London Bridge station and eventually walked back through our School doors.
Alex W and Henry P, Year 9 write... We were all excited to visit the Old Operating Theatre that dates back hundreds of years. We started our morning at our Marylebone Lane building at 8:30am. We learnt some brief history about the Old Operating Pheatre, and then took the tube five stops to London Bridge. We made the short walk to the stunning building where
the museum is. We walked up some old wooden spiral steps to a beautiful attic, where surgeries took place over centuries. We discovered the old medicines and spices that saved people’s lives for centuries. The coolest part was the main operating room, where the surgeries actually took place. We staged a surgery like people would do before, and it was a lot of fun. We then continued on exploring all of the museum. There were a lot of spices, like the opium poppy, which was used before but not anymore. After we finished all the activities at the museum, we walked down the Queens Walk, taking in the beautiful sites of central London. We walked up to Tower Bridge, and had lunch on the green, in front of the Thames. We stopped there for an hour to relax and enjoy the beautiful day. At 12:45pm, we walked back to London Bridge to catch the tube to our School. We had a great time exploring the Old Operating Theatre and I would recommend others to visit this museum.
Playing Cards around the beginning of World War II. A particular company, called The Topps Candy and Gum Company, were the most famous baseball card distributer and were synonymous with baseball cards for an era.
Daniel W, Year 8 writes ... The playing card Playing cards have stayed relatively in the same place for centuries, a game with a goal. Whether you’re guessing an opponent’s hand of cards in go fish, scavenging rare and numerous cards as a collector, or predicting a person’s fate with cartomancy. Without a doubt, it’s impressive how far a piece of card can go, and it would be interesting to explore the world of cards in depth.
and instruct the player to build upon a layout of cards, so it’s more elaborate. Trading cards
The most iconic use of playing cards are in the standard 52-card deck that uses abstract symbols of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades, as well as vivid art of kings, queens, jacks and jokers in contrast. Traditional card games using the 52-card deck are usually played against someone else, and take advantage of the fact that your opponent can’t identify your hand of cards and that card symbols match with each other, which often introduces an element of unpredictability to most card games which is emphasised by the technique of shuffling all cards in a stack to guarantee this.
Unlike regular playing cards, trading cards are collected instead of played in a game and may be based on any topic, like football. A popular example of football trading cards are Panini’s FIFA World Cup sticker cards, where you are intended to insert cards corresponding to stadiums, mascots, and players into an album. The fact that these sticker cards are remarkably cheap contributes to how popular they are globally, ever since their debut in the 1970 Mexico FIFA World Cup. More invested collectors may be interested in buying and preserving vintage sticker cards for historical value, as they become rarer considering most sticker cards have already been stuck into half-completed albums.
There exists many genres of card games such as: shedding games like Crazy Eights, which rely on placing down cards and matching cards to remove all cards from your hand; trick-taking games which tasks the players to play cards from their hand and win based on the card’s specific value within the game; and patience games, which deviate from most card games by being single player
Baseball cards are another example of sports cards and were originally distributed by tobacco companies, who used them to protect and market their product, although the cards weren’t given much thought by customers in the late 19th century. When baseball gained popularity amongst children, confectionary companies packaged cards with candy to incentivize children to buy them
Standard playing cards
As the market for baseball cards changed in modern times, collectors were more interested in vintage cards from a different era. Famous examples of these trends occurred as early as the late 20th century with the T206 Honus Wagner being sold for $451k, which is worth £737,626 today, and the Mickey Mantle card being sold for £41 million. Trading card games As we approached the end of the 20th century, trading card games (or TCGs) emerged that worked similarly to trading cards, as you would buy booster packs in addition to a starter deck, which you would play against other players. The first trading card game was Magic: The Gathering, which was developed by Richard Garfield and
patented by wizards of the coast, so the game could be released in 1993. Although, it could be argued that the ‘Base Ball Card Game’ in 1904 is the first card game, but the game was more of a recreation of baseball in cards and had little to no interaction between players as you would aim to score the most points. TCGs are usually designed around players attacking an opponent’s health points and moving their deck of cards onto a play area to attack or affect their cards or health points. However, cards are considered a “resource” to control how many cards are placed. While standard playing cards held no significant value on their own, TCG cards were unique from another with functions in game and appearance which allows a player to customize their own deck that complements their
favourite strategies, and it is highly encouraged to choose creatively in their selection, instead of choosing the same cards. TCGs have been adapted to play on the internet, which relies on a server to store data of a card which you could buy with real currency, with in-game purchases or through in-game means. Other games, outside the card game medium, have adopted similar monetary practices of trading card games, such as loot boxes or in season passes in video games, though these have met scrutiny. Popular trading card games build up a community of people who follow the game and often push it to its limits, develop strategies, and compete in tournaments just because of how much they are devoted to the game. Sometimes, developing a loyal following is the key for the longevity of the game,
and card game companies have supported their community by funding or hosting tournaments that have cash prizes which incentivises players to improve their skills. Conclusion Overall, the fact that card games have spawned a diverse genre of games, in addition to staying relevant into the modern age, is a testament to how fun they are, and I look forward to where card games go next. Sources Playing card – Wikipedia Trading Cards - CARDBOARD CONNECTION (https://www. cardboardconnection.com/paniniworld-cup-sticker-guide) Trading Card Games - Gambiter (https://gambiter.com/ccg/)
Interrail Barnaby M-J, Year 8 writes... Inter rail is a company that issues rail passes that allow you to travel throughout Europe and parts of western Asia for one fixed price. Interrailing is a must do for any European adventure, and many backpackers or those on gap years have found interrail to be a very popular option. I have interrailed on several occasions and found it fun. Interrailing is also great when travelling on a budget and Eurail offers different types of passes, depending on your travel plans. They have a global pass, which is what most travellers use, this allows you access to the entirety of the interrail network. You may also purchase a singular country
pass which allows you full access to all of the rail systems of one country for a fixed period of time, these are quite often cheaper than global passes and allow you to explore country in more depth at your own pace, instead of rapidly going from country to country. Interrail includes not only trains but also certain buses, ferries (predominately within the Greek islands), and even a collection of cable cars! With prices starting at 200€pp for a four-day global pass, interrail could be cheaper than ever before! In 2020, I interrailed from Zurich to Budapest, via Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and it was one of my favourite trips of all time! Interrail
is an experience that you never forget and I highly recommend it to anyone who has the patience and time to sit on trains all day!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane Felipe E and Marty V, Year 7 write... At 6:15pm on 21st April, everyone met in our Drama Studio, excited to watch the play, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Once we left the Drama Studio, we had to take the tube to Tottenham Court Road and then change to the Northern line to Charing Cross. The tube trip was very enjoyable since we really enjoy the tube. At Charing Cross, we had a little walk to the theatre. Once we were at the theatre, we got our tickets and we exchanged them, so we could sit next to each other and our friends. As we entered the theatre, you could see that it was massive. We got surprisingly good seats; Miss Twomey had asked the theatre if we could get some better seats as she told us that theatres normally try to put big groups at the back. Her efforts paid off! The seating was much better than other trips! We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery that was on stage before the play started. The play, personally, was the best that I had seen for a while. The story was remarkably interesting and you could see how the characters tried to get past difficulties. The props made it even more exciting. I won’t give anything away, but the door scene was very impressive. My favourite part was when the two main characters had to fight an enemy on stage. I could see that it was choreographed very well, and the acting was still exceptionally good. I did think that the stage was smaller than other plays that I have watched.
But, otherwise, it was an amazing play to watch, and I think if anyone really likes acting, they should come to see The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Lastly, we want to say thank you to Miss Twomey, Mrs Atkinson, Miss
Maroudi, Mr Tibbles, and Miss Smith for taking the whole group to the play. Thank you so much for this amazing experience.
Winners of the Football Writers’ Association award Maksims K, Year 9 writes... Previously winning in 2018, Mohamed Salah, the Egyptian international has won the Football Writers’ Association Award with 48% of the votes, as the Manchester City playmaker was behind in second place. After a stunning season at Liverpool FC, Mohamed Salah has scored 22 goals and assisted 13 as the top goal scorer and assister in the Premier League. However, the goals don’t stop there, as he racks up another 8 in the Champions League in just 11 appearances! Sam Kerr, a superstar player for Chelsea, has won the FWA award. The Australian forward scored 18 goals in the Women’s Super League and assisted 4. Over 40% of the votes went to Sam Kerr, while Arsenal’s Vivianne Miedema was trailing behind in second place. Kerr has been outstanding for Chelsea since joining in 2019 and, this year, has overtaken Tim Cahil as Australia’s top ever goal scorer.
FA Cup Marty V, Year 7 writes... Saturday 14th May was the 150th anniversary of the FA Cup. I watched the FA Cup Final and I fully regret this, as nothing interesting happened until the end. However, when the penalties started, I was on my feet! The game was Liverpool v Chelsea. It was just like the Carabao Cup Final, that ended
with Liverpool winning. So, Chelsea had to win, right? If Chelsea lost, they had officially lost three FA Cup Finals in a row. But, if Liverpool won, it would have been 17 years since they won their last cup.
a long time because that is what happened in the Carabao Cup. As I am sure you now know, it ended with Liverpool’s Konstantinos Tsimikas scored the winning penalty. The crowd was on their feet - Liverpool won the FA Cup!
Once the game started, there were good chances at both ends. Yet, none were close enough to a goal. It all ended in penalties. I knew the penalties would last
The next day was the Woman’s FA Cup Final. This time Chelsea won with Sam Kerr scoring two out of the three goals, one of which clinched the victory.
Field Day - Year 7 Felipe E, Year 7 writes... Our Year 7 Field Day began at 8:45am in Mr Chidell’s Hannah House classroom. We were given our safety briefing by Mr Chidell and split into four different groups. Our four different teachers were Mr Chidell, Mr Cross, Mr Tibbles and Mr Hayes. We were told about our route to get to our walking start point. We had to walk to Bond Street, to get the Central line to Tottenham Court Road, and then switch to Northern line, Northbound, for eight stops to Hampstead.
seen the map before. After that we walked to Keats House, where we had our lunch, and walked around the poet John Keats’s house. After that we bought ice cream from an ice cream van. Freddie’s ice cream had fallen off as soon as he had gotten it, mine as well! After that we went to Hampstead Heath for some relaxation after a long morning of walking and writing. We were sitting on the grass. Mr Hayes was reading out people’s poems, they were packed with laughter and funny jokes.
Fun fact: Hampstead is the deepest station on the whole of the TFL network. So, this meant getting an old elevator all the way to the ticket level, that felt like an hour. After we had arrived at our starting point, we were given our booklets in which there was lots of information about our walk. We started walking to a church where we were given instructions to look for different people’s graves. It wasn’t very successful but then, as we were leaving, we saw a map of the whole site, making us regret that we had not
After that had finished, we packed our bags and headed to the Overground station near Hampstead Heath, from there we took two stops to West Hampstead and then switched to the Jubilee line to go straight down to Baker Street. From there, we arrived at Hannah House to be dismissed. A huge thank you to our English Department for planning the trip!
Field Day - Year 12 Benjamin D, Year 12 writes... This term, our Year 12 Field Day took us right to the heart of the EU operations within the UK. We were given an interactive talk, not only about the importance of the European Union, but also about how it operates and the different levels of decision making that takes place within it. Following the talk, we were split into groups of three or four, and asked to debate some of the hot topics that currently surround the EU, such as, ‘Should Hungary be kicked out of the European Union?’ or ‘Should Ukraine’s application to join the EU be fast tracked?’. Finally, we ended the session by having a Q&A with one of the Head’s of EU-UK Relations, postBrexit, who helped ensure that, by the time we left, everyone had a clear understanding of what it means to be living in a world where the UK isn’t in the EU. Once that concluded, we got the opportunity to head to the Supreme Court, where we took a self-guided tour of the various courtrooms and exhibits that they offered. We were able to see firsthand where some of the biggest events in recent British politics took place, such as the exact place where the Justice Lady Hale announced that Boris Johnson’s proroguing of parliament in 2019 was an unlawful act, resulting in the end of the longest propagation of parliament since 1930. Many of the other boys took it upon themselves to use this time as an opportunity to role-play some of these court cases, which ended up providing some entertaining debates, to say the least.
The Elizabeth line Felipe E and Ben S, Year 7 write... The Elizabeth line is a new east to west railway unlocking much needed capacity in the centre of London. For example, people who worked in Liverpool Street, if they commuted in Paddington, would need to take the Hammersmith and City line or Circle for nine stops, on a line which is remarkably busy and does not have a very regular service. The Elizabeth line helps with this, getting from platform to platform in just under 12 minutes, with stops at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, and Farringdon. One of the main reasons to build the Elizabeth line was to alleviate congestion on the tube. Pre-Covid, the tube was getting busier and busier. Obviously, less capacity will be needed than before as people will have moved permanently to work from home, but most people will be coming back to the office at least one day of the week, meaning that the capacity will still be needed. Will the Elizabeth line be part of the Underground? No, the Elizabeth line will be like the Overground, being that it will have cheaper fares depending on where you are coming from. A good comparison is to Paris’s R and R lines. These are suburban railways linking and coming into the centre of the city, this is
what the Elizabeth line is doing is connecting suburbs (Ealing, Romford, Slough, and Romford) to the centre of London, with an express connection service. People have been calling for London to have this for ages.
be five or fifteen minutes away, depending on which building you are coming from. If you live in east or west London, you will be very thankful as your journey times will be transformed.
For now, the Elizabeth line operates as three separate railways, as the full integration of the railway will not happen until the end of this year. Full integration of the railway is when you are able to get a train from Shenfield on to the western end of the line and vice versa: Reading, Heathrow, and Ealing Broadway.
Fun facts: An estimated 200 million people a year will use the Elizabeth line.
Will the Elizabeth line impact people coming to our School? Yes, it will, as Bond Street will have an Elizabeth line station, meaning that the Elizabeth line will either
All Elizabeth line stations will be fully step free.
The UK’s economy will grow by £42 billon. London’s rail capacity will be increased by 10%.
98% of the materials used were beneficially reused. Every 100th passenger on the Elizabeth line will get their journey for free on the Queen’s birthday.
Beaten But not Defeated Breck R, Year 7 writes... On Saturday 14th May, the Eurovision song contest was held, with most European nations (excluding Russia and a few others) and, of course, (the very European) Australia. It was held in Turin, Italy, as they won last year. All the countries performed amazing songs. The UK, after getting zero points last time, was third favourite for the entire thing (after Poland an Ukraine), and performed an amazing song, Space Man, by Sam Ryder. This was my personal favourite (although there may be a bit of bias there). Ukraine, the favourite before the show, also had a good song but a different style with much more flutes and dancing, reflecting the culture. Just in case you don’t know, Eurovision is based on the audience and jury both having 50% power in the
vote. The UK started strong by getting by getting over 250 votes from the jury, although Ukraine were only roughly 100 points behind. While the audience votes were being announced, we could tell there was a massive build up of points and then Ukraine was announced the winner with over 400+ Points!! Spain also got a lot, along with Serbia. With Ukraine
first, the UK needed about 350 points Sadly we only got roughly 150. Here are the standings: 1st: Ukraine - 631 2nd: UK - 466 3rd: Spain - 459 4th: Sweden - 438 5th: Serbia - 312
WINTER POEM Manuchehr K, Year 7 writes...
The sky is dark, The floor is white, The world is peaceful On this beautiful wintry night. I look outside and I see, For one single moment it is just the snow and me, I wish it always were a snow But nobody will ever know. The warmth of the snow and cold of the fire, Both well-lit with their warm attire, As my feet move across crunchy snow,
A winter’s wind keeps a cool blow. Close by the friendly fire I sit, To warm my frozen bones a little bit, To dry my wet feet so I don’t catch an affliction, I also love the roasting marshmallows constitution. I smile inside From my small frozen window, a frozen landscape I see what I saw was beautiful outside. I feel so free.
The Thames barrier Frederik B, Year 8 writes... The Thames barrier will never fail and it is what keeps London from flooding. The £534 million engineering marvel was built in 1984 (ten years after the beginning of its construction) because of past floodings in London, such as the North Sea flood of 1953. In fact, flooding in London was a problem ever since the Romans established London, simply because of an unpredictable and treacherous river while many, thinking of uses and potential profit, overlooked the risks and dangers of it. In 1966, Sir Hermann Bondi saw these risks and that some form of barrier to save London was vital. The design of the barrier was important so, three years after it was proposed, Charles Draper came up with a plan in his parents’ house, inspired by the design of taps on his gas cooker. The chosen site for the barrier was at New Charlton, because of how straight the banks were and the river chalk on the riverbed ensured a good support. The genuine reason why the Thames barrier will never fail,
is because of its engineering. As I said, it was inspired by the design of taps of his gas cooker. This design is unique. In fact, the Thames barrier is the only flood barrier to have this system in place. The way it works is that the four 61m gates and two 30m gates, spanning over the 520m wide river, have a ditch beneath them so that, when the doors rotate, the
door fits into the ditch. Each gate is a 3,000 tonne, 4cm steel ‘disk’ that rotates. The ten gates are fitted between nine concerete piers. The way it was built was that they built the northern piers first, then the southern ones. This was done so that the traffic could still flow. If the Thames barrier failed, the entirety of London would suffer -
hospitals would close, roads would be shut, and the damage would be somewhere around £20 billion and £100 billion, not including the human costs, while reversing that damage would be harder than inflicting it. Basically, it can’t fail. Ever. And it won’t, because each gate can be controlled by four separate motors, powered by electricity and, even if the entire UK power grid were to fail (it never has), the entire thing can be run on three deisel generators. When the barrier closes for a monthly exercise, the barrier closes when the tide is at its lowest point. Then, when the gates open again, there is equilibrium (equal pressure) on each side of the barrier to avoid a tidal wave downstream of the river. And, if some unpreditable storm comes along that goes over the barrier, London won’t flood because there is space for the water to sit on the other side.
of very durable, portland cement. And the barrier’s durability has been tested many times. For instance, on 27th October 1997, a dredger called Sand Kite hit one of the piers, sunk and dropped 3,300 tonnes of gravel onto one of the flat-lying gates. The pier came out fine because, quite frankly, boats are not that solid. It only suffered a broken ladder that could easily be replaced but the boat was stuck and the gate could not open. One idea the team had was to close all of the other gates and use the force of the outgoing tide to push the ship out. When that didn’t work, the boat was left there for several days. Luckily, one of the 206 flood defence closures, since the construction, didn’t coincide with that period of time. After a week or so, the gate could move again and the boat was pulled out. However, a longer- term problem occurred when one side of the gate lost its paint due to abrasion, shortly after the gate was fixed.
However, if the actual construcion fails then its over, right? No because the actual piers are made
When the barrier was built in the 1970s, it was built for a 60-year life and would have had to have been
remodeled in 2030. Of course, 2030 was a long time in the future back then! Now its going to be very soon and now it may just be sitting there, ominously. However, with the help of simulations, the team working on the Thames barrier are confident that the barrier will last another 40 years, at least, and the reason that the estimate is so hugely off is because the initial engineers, who built the barrier, put in a huge margin of safety. They didn’t cut corners because they knew what would happen if this did magically fail, and that has given us a lot of breathing space now.
Kenilworth Castle: The Rome of Britain Oscar F and Rodrigo B-D, Year 10 write... On Tuesday 3rd May – just after a restful bank holiday – Year 10 history pupils went to Kenilworth Castle, to put a face to an important area of study in their GCSE course. As we approached the castle, our first thought was that it looked ruined, with a collapsed roof and crumbling brick walls. Upon reflection, I don’t know what else we expected from a castle a few centuries old, yet that’s what led to our title: The Rome of Britain, due to Rome’s infamous one-day burning. We would soon learn the fascinating history behind Kenilworth Castle and understand its somewhat derelict nature. In fact, the castle has an incredibly expansive history covering the reigns of 39 monarchs, countless wars and other major historical events.
A brief history of Kenilworth In 1120, the reigning monarch, Henry I, granted the land of Kenilworth to his chamberlain, Geoffrey de Clinton. De Clinton then builds the central keep and founds the nearby priory with the aim of turning Kenilworth into a defensive fortress. The castle’s land, over the following years, changes hands several times; de Clinton’s heir takes charge of the castle until Henry II acquires it, passing it down to King John until Henry III gifts it to his sister and her husband, de Montfort. This is where Kenilworth becomes a marvel of defensive castle architecture. The 13th century sees an outer circuit of stone walls, a dam, vast gates and a mightily reinforced keep built, which manages to withstand a six-month long siege under the command of de Montfort’s son. The last major event to happen at Kenilworth was the abdication of Edward II – the brother of the second Earl of
Lancaster, Henry, holds Edward II prisoner at Kenilworth, where he resigns his throne. After this point, Kenilworth became a palace rather than a fortress. It became a place of luxury that nobles, and in particularly Queen Elizabeth I, enjoyed with a thriving middleage entertainment scene. Our trip We arrived after a two-hour drive via the M1 at the castle, where we took a brief moment to sort ourselves out before heading to the castle grounds. We were met by perhaps the grandest view of the keep and common area. Our time began with a brisk walk around the castle grounds – down by what used to be the dam, right to the top of the castle, in line with the old structures of the collapsed roof. This was when we tried to set the scene before learning about the history of the castle, what was where, who did what, and to generally have a backdrop
to the place we were studying, before the specifics came into play. We wandered through the recently reconstructed garden, passed some lively birds – some argued they were chickens, we didn’t agree – and found ourselves consumed by the vastness of French-inspired grounds. After lunch and a quick break, it was
time to really understand the form and function of the castle. We sauntered along, now with a tour guide, and learnt how exactly such an impenetrable fortress, one that survived a six-month long siege, transformed into a palace – and just exactly why. The Great Hall was a hallmark of this, a building constructed only much later in Kenilworth’s history fit to host events – banquets, parties, whatever it may be – for the highest degree of royalty, Elizabeth I at the time. Other people’s highlights seemed to be hearing about the various, largely brutal and torturous, defence methods and the castles gates, using the likes of hot tar and ‘murder holes’ – but I think I’ll stick to talking about the architecture. We finished off our day in one of Kenilworth’s last remaining in-tact buildings, which housed a model of Elizabeth I’s bedchambers.
It was (at least according to Mr Robertshaw) fascinating in terms of its classically medieval architecture and interior. Kenilworth and GCSE History GCSE History pupils study the ‘form and function’ of Kenilworth Castle, with a particularly focus on how it changed over time. We study the way that it transformed from a mighty fortress to a palace of luxury to an area of relative ruins. It was great to be able to see the place that we’re actually studying; we may not get to see firsthand the monumental and historic events that took place at Kenilworth, but to see a memento of what has been, to be able to see how an area has transformed like this over time, to us, is really what history is all about.
Trib Drama (aCTOR’S Perspective) Marty V, Year 7 writes… Trib Drama is an exciting competition between all the Tribs. This was my first year taking part and I would really like to do it again. It is an amazing opportunity to make friends with some of the older pupils at our School; I was able to meet at least ten people from other years just by taking part. Here’s how I became involved and why it is a remarkable thing to do: At first, I thought that only Trib representatives had to attend Trib Drama rehearsals. Since I am the Year 7 Trib rep for Ravensbourne, I believed that my attendance was compulsory. I went and subsequently realised that I had to audition for a part. I hadn’t prepared for this, so I was amazed when I found out that I had been offered a part. I really wanted to do my best and support my Trib.
the night of our first show, I was ready to show everyone who I was and what I could do. Overall, it was rather nerve-racking since it was my first time performing with an audience, but I soon became used to being on stage. The second performance was the most important one. This was the play during which the judging would take place and when Henry B (our resident drama critic and senior editor of The Barometer) would be attending to write his
So Long Mr Longland
I was assigned the role of Mike. For a whole term, I spent my Friday lunchtime club sessions learning my lines and memorising my cues for going on stage. I really enjoyed seeing everybody on my team and working together for a common goal. Some of my co-stars were already studying GCSE Drama, so it was very interesting to work with them, as they were able to provide an insightful perspective into acting. Sometimes Ravensbourne would also do some after-school rehearsals in the Drama Studio to get the feel of the stage. Every rehearsal reminded me that we were getting closer and closer to the play. We performed on two nights: 28th and 31st March. On
review. Trib points were at stake! I was very nervous when I had to go on stage, but then I remembered that I had my teammates beside me and that we had already done one successful show. I got out there and it was amazing.
Written by Jacob Sheils | Edited by Liam Beirne Monday 28th March at 7pm | Thursday 31st March at 7pm Marylebone Lane Drama Studio Tickets available on Parent Pay | £10
Trib Drama (audience Perspective) Henry B, Year 13 writes… I have been The Barometer, drama correspondent for four years; it is a post that I held even before my appointment as senior editor. However, this was the first time that I was recruited as an audience usher due to a shortage of prefects! The annual Trib Drama competition is always a highly anticipated event. Since 2019, boys have collaborated on a whole play rather than reciting individual monologues. This makes for a very interesting experience, since different actors and directors interpret their characters in different ways. To ensure that each Trib had a fair chance of success, Miss Twomey carefully selected a play composed of five scenes of equal length, each with equivalent comedic moments. Effra had the unenviable task of kicking off the show. This was not easy, but they took it in their stride: Barnaby M-J employed some very effective changes in volume to portray his character’s conflicting emotions and her troubled mental state. Meanwhile, Edward H’s very convincing movement was able to persuade the audience that he had actually swallowed a key. Tyburn’s team had some strong actors with vibrant expressions. The work of a good director was evident in their performance. Witty lines were well-delivered and Theo N’s nail polish complemented his costume beautifully. Walbrook’s creative use of lighting made their scene particularly enjoyable for the audience and Edward P was able to masterfully switch between characters – a testament to his vocal skills.
During the interval, I had the honour and privilege of speaking to Mr Paul Giles, former teacher of drama and LAMDA at Wetherby Senior. He has directed other shows that I have reviewed during my time at our School, though he is now known by everyone for being part of a ubiquitous Peloton advertisement. Mr Giles returned to our Marylebone Lane Drama Studio to be our external judge for the evening. He very kindly gave me an exclusive statement of his thoughts after the first three scenes. He said that the performances were “incredibly slick,” and remarked that the “wonderfully stylistic characterisation [was] appropriate for the style” of the play. “It was good to see that the actors playing female roles [were] very comfortable in doing so.” When I enquired about his infamous Peloton commercial, which was filmed in Warsaw, Mr Giles affirmed that it was “the most exhausting acting job” he has ever undertaken. He achieved his two fastest 10 km running times across two arduous days of filming! Ravensbourne’s interpretation of the police officer was particularly humorous. They opted to provide their actor with a pot belly (in the form of a pillow) and use biscuits from the canteen as a prop – a creative touch that the other teams had not considered. Fleet did well to explore LGBT+ themes in their scene. I believe it is very important to have equal representation in theatre and school productions should be no exception. Moreover, they exploited the comedic lines in their script by placing emphasis on coined words such as “doubleiloquy.” Mr Giles noted
that the audience and the boys “had fun letting the script do the work.” The actors and directors owe a great deal of thanks to Miss Twomey for producing the play, Mr Tibbles for operating the lighting system, and all the heads of Trib for their brilliant support. Of course, we are also very grateful to Mr Giles for returning to Wetherby Senior and being a superb judge. The show would not have been such a success were it not for the unremitting devotion of the actors, the directors, and the teachers who supported them along the way. Every scene was unique; they all had something special that set them apart and made them humorous. It’s safe to say that this format is a proven success and I’m sure that it will be retained for future competitions. Awards Best director: Paul C (Fleet) Runner-up: Ali J (Effra) Funniest actor: Ramzi K (Walbrook) Judge’s choice: Oscar F (Fleet) 1st place – Tyburn (Faaris ES, Isaac E, Theophile N, James S, and Thomas S) 2nd place – Fleet (Ihsan A, Ziad B, Oscar F, Asad J, and Christos L) 3rd place – Ravensbourne (Zain H, Matteo H, Jack K, Matteo M, Nick P, and Marty V) 4th place – Effra (Rufus D, Shiv D, Edward H, Joseph I, and Barnaby M-J) 5th place – Walbrook (Jeremy B, Benjamin D, Ramzi K, Alexandre N, and Edward P)
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LEAVE OU LAND STOP
SAVE O UR PLOT LEAVE OUR LAND
Written and directed by James Tibbles Poster created by Teo C, Year 10 Marylebone Lane Drama Studio I 7pm Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June 2022