KGS Newsletter June-July 2016

1KGS Newsletter ∙ June-July 2016

staff with looking after younger pupils on the Fairfield and keeping a watchful eye during break and lunch times.

June-July 2016 ∙ www.kgs.org.uk

NEWSLETTER

This year we are delighted to have appointed Senior Ambassadors from our Fourth Year pupils. They have been

selected to showcase KGS at its very best, helping with tours and events for current and prospective pupils and parents, as well as

LEADERS IN TRAININGAs another successful year at KGS draws to a close, our busiest month yet brought us Sports Day, Junior Prizegiving and Upper Sixth Graduation - and we finally reveal our newly-appointed Senior Ambassadors

SPORTS DAY ∙ page 5 JUNIOR PLAY ∙ page 8

The highlight of our House calendar: Sports Day 2016

'Alice's Adventures' was a dramatic highlight for our Lower School

continued on page 6

assisting staff with school duties.

Already the group have shown themselves to be super leaders, running Lower Sixth Parents' Evening and assisting with a number of tours. In addition, they have been helping duty

FOURTH YEAR STUDENT AMBASSADORS

2 June-July 2016 ∙ KGS Newsletter

Welcome

"Quote xxxxx xxx Doluptat xx utem asin xxctem utas aute m asimaio"

WELCOME

FIRST YEAR CELEBRATING THEIR FIRST SPORTS DAY REPRESENTING THEIR HOUSE


Comment

Whichever side of the referendum fence you sit on, the last couple of weeks in the UK may well have

proved something of a shock. Whether this was a small jolt or something of more seismic proportions will depend on circumstances. There is certainly concern about the most recent House of Cards-esque political wranglings within both main political parties. There was, of course, an element of surprise in the outcome. With the KGS staff and separate student vote both coming out firmly for Remain, and with the pollsters confidently predicting the same in the national vote (albeit by a narrower margin) the news that the country had voted to leave the EU (whatever that eventually means once the bargaining is done) was a surprise to say the least. Perhaps we should not be surprised that the more cosmopolitan and metropolitan the feeling, the more pro-European Union the vote. I could not fail to be disappointed, however, by the low voter turnout of the young, particularly when this decision will have so much more of an impact on them than it might on older generations. 18-24 year olds were least likely to have voted, with only 36% of those eligible doing so, followed relatively closely by 25-34 year olds with a 58% turnout – and so it went, up through the generations, with 83% of those who are 65 or over exercising their democratic right.

Just as shocking, perhaps, was the England football team’s ‘decision’ to exit from Euro 2016. Fans, commentators and casual observers alike were all quietly confident of England being able to reach the quarter finals at the very least when they learned that ‘only’ Iceland stood in their way. According to one Twitter hack, Iceland is a nation of 329,000 people which, when stripped of the ineligible, too old, too young, essential workers, sick and infirm, apparently left fewer than 40 people from whom to select their squad of 23. Even if that is an exaggeration it is absolutely true to say that the Icelandic goalkeeper earns more money as a filmmaker than he does from football and that the co-manager combines his football role with being a dentist. Perhaps there’s a lesson, or at least a thought, for the next England manager.

Arguably, people got what they voted, or didn’t vote, for in the referendum and perhaps the England team got what some of the (misbehaved) fans deserved. Statistics about which way people were going to vote or whether one football team might beat another remind me once again of the

wonderful Disraelian quotation: “lies, damned lies and statistics”. One can try to interpret what might happen from the data but one can never firmly predict what will actually happen. Those who eschew data or at least treat it with suspicion may be more inclined towards the philosophy of ‘thin slicing’, vividly described by journalist Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink. Making conscious or subconscious decisions based on limited information except what is in front of your eyes seems a curious, ill-informed and potentially uneducated way of living but we do it all the time. It is often said that analysing too much data can force us to ignore our instincts, which were actually right. In various walks of life it comes down to what feels right; in sport it is a combination of muscle memory born of good training and habits as well as instincts based largely on good reflexes and vision. It also comes down to hours and hours of practice. One cannot know if something feels good and right unless one knows what is good and right to begin with.

This brings us full circle to KGS: our students are well informed as they constantly and consistently have the opportunity to engage with a range of academic and co-curricular initiatives that include wide discussion and debate. Having the right and the opportunity to vote now will make them more likely to vote in the future on matters that affect them and the nation. Equally, the breadth of study that includes European and international languages and cultures means that we shall continue to engender understanding and tolerance that will negate much, if not all, of the recent and any future demonstrations of racial discord. And of course we’ll continue to enjoy and bask in the glory of our premier KGS sports – rowing, hockey and cricket – on a local and national level.

More importantly, we are reminded that we want our students to have the will and the opportunity to innovate and not just to replicate, to go out and make the world a better place and to positively touch the lives of many. We want them to work well and to be happy and to truly know what that means. We want them to assist others in experiencing that, too. All the data, and more importantly all of our instincts, tell us that they will.

Have a wonderful summer break! ●

Stephen Lehec Head MasterFollow Mr Lehec on Twitter @KGSHEADMASTER

"Quote xxxxx xxx Doluptat xx utem asin xxctem utas aute m asimaio"


welcome

TIME FOR FAREWELLSOn Thursday 30th June, it was once

again time to celebrate Upper Sixth Graduation in the Hall. The students

arrived looking stunning in their elegant evening dresses and black tie and they took their seats while Bijan Ghamsari played Bohemian Dance by Debussy on the piano. Mr Lehec’s thoughtful and carefully-crafted speech was full of pride as he spoke of the bright future ahead of our students and their many achievements in academic, co-curricular and community fields. The tutors had special and humorous words for each form group when their turn came to collect their Leavers’ certificates and prizes from the Head Master and Miss McDonald on the stage.

After the ceremony, we retired to the QEII courtyard for a drinks reception, where parents and staff could enjoy a glass of sparkling wine while the students took their last chance to say goodbye to members of staff. Fortunately it was a balmy evening and, when the students left for the Ball, the parents could continue with their soirée hosted by Mr Bond and Miss Raymond, followed by a party at the house of Mr and Mrs Kelly on Kingston riverside.

We headed off by coach to Hampton Court Palace Golf Club, which is a wonderful venue, and had a welcome drink and delicious three-course meal. Steph Semple gave a lovely speech during dinner and presented a bouquet of flowers to Mrs Davies for organising the Ball. Having danced the night away (joined enthusiastically by Mrs Davies, Mr Sorley and Mr Cooper), the students finally headed off into Kingston, many of them to continue their evening at the Hippodrome! Overall, it was a successful and heart-warming event which truly represented this friendly and cohesive year group. I was very proud of them and shall miss them greatly. ●

Miss B Macdonald

CAPTION XXXX XXXX XXXX XXX

"It was a successful and heart-warming

event which truly represented this friendly and cohesive year

group."


SPORT

SPORTS DAY 2016Sports Day was a huge success, with the

weather staying dry and the children enjoying the lively and exciting

atmosphere. The afternoon began with the field events and some special mentions must go to Jacob Eley (1st Year) who broke the previous record in the shotput, Lily Mercier (2nd Year) with a new record in the vortex throw, Callum Farr (3rd Year), who was exceptional in both the long jump and triple jump, and Lily Abbott (4th Year) who set a new record in the high jump.

The track events featured some outstanding individual performances. Special mentions to Sophie Wood (1st Year) with a new record in the 800m, Oliver Sandry-Butler (2nd Year) who was victorious in the 200m, Maia White (3rd Year) who convincingly who the 1500m and Jonny Kerr (4th Year) who was unbeatable in both the 800m and 1500m.

The House rankings by the end of the day

were: Walworth in 4th place with 373 points, Queen’s in 3rd with 371 points, Lovekyn in 2nd with 406 points and Taverner took first place with 453 points. It was a fantastic day, with lots of new School records, and it was very pleasing to see so many students taking part. ●

Mr D Bartram

A CLOSE FINISH FOR THE GIRLS' SPRINT


school life

Seeing inside the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral and admiring the grand tombs of Nelson and Wellington would be the

highlight of any ordinary day. This, however, was no ordinary day. With the help of the KGS CCF staff, notably Capt. Beggs having put my name forward and WO2 Gardner’s acquisition and preparation of the necessary uniform, I had the honour of representing both London RAF cadets and KGS at the National Service of Thanksgiving for Her Majesty’s 90th Birthday.

I waited nervously in the crypt to take up my position lining the steps of the Cathedral as part of the guard of honour for the arrival of the cabinet ministers and royalty. With me were three other cadets – one from each branch of service – and 84 serving officers and men of the armed forces. The atmosphere was relaxed, with bearskins, polished silver helmets and jackets embellished with gold braid left on chairs while their owners sat around drinking tea.

Soon it was time to emerge from the crypt, form up and march into position. We all wished each other luck for the parade before the Garrison Sergeant Major reminded us to look sharp for the world’s press and marched us out to the steps. We cadets stood opposite the Cathedral, looking towards it. It was not long before the command came to attention, as the new Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, arrived, after which we returned to the ease.

CDT SGT PUGH REPRESENTS KGS AT THE NATIONAL SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING

This process was repeated for George Osborne, Philip Hammond, Michael Fallon, Tony Blair, John Major – who got out of his car right in front of me – and David Cameron.

At this point it was only royalty left to arrive, and the cheering of the crowd and chiming of the bells began. The next arrival was that of the minor royals followed by the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Prince Charles and

MEET OUR AMBASSADORSContinued from front page

With their new distinctive gowns and their shiny lapel badges the Fourth Year Ambassadors are already making their mark and over the coming year they will contribute widely to all areas of school life. ●

Mrs VS Humphrey

CDT SGT PUGH (TO THE LEFT OF THE BOLLARD) AS THE QUEEN ARRIVES

the Duchess of Cornwall. By now the sound of the bells and the exhaust fumes from the old Rolls Royce V12s were making it hard to concentrate and causing us to imagine phantom words of command. We all knew well the risk of fainting and toes wiggled in boots and shoes up and down the steps in an attempt to keep the blood flowing.

Finally, just over an hour after taking our posts, the state trumpeters sounded their


school life

FLAG-RAISING CEREMONY FOR ARMED FORCES DAYOn Monday 20th June Thomas Ewart-Ellisin and I went into Kingston to watch the

raising of the Armed Forces Flag above the Guildhall. Sadly, the rain meant that we had to sit inside. After a few interesting speeches by Councillor Austin, the Mayor of

Kingston, and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant about the armed forces, we went over to the Rose Theatre for tea and biscuits. During the reception we spoke to the Mayor and his wife, and some of the other guests and then it was time to walk back to KGS in the rain.

Overall, it was a very interesting morning and getting to chat to the Mayor was definitely a highlight! ●

Emilia Kinzler, 3HMN

fanfare, the crowd erupted into shouts of adoration and we came to attention for the final time. I could see from the corner of my eye a yellow-clad figure mounting the steps with a sovereign composure and grace exceeding in authority and dignity any of those who went before. When they reached the top of the steps, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh turned and waved to the crowd and I was thrilled to see their faces for the first time.

Shortly afterwards, the step-lining party turned and marched up into the side door to take our seats for the service. From the very back row my view was somewhat restricted, but I was able to hear the Prime Minister, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Sir David Attenborough as they addressed the congregation. As the service neared its conclusion and the first notes of the National Anthem began to sound, the servicemen once again took up the position of attention and sang, not just for, but to, Her Majesty. For any patriotic Englishman this would have been a very special moment, but being in uniform and in amongst the finest of Her Majesty’s soldiers and in the grandeur of the Cathedral at the same time made it truly remarkable.

One final highlight remained as the dignitaries left the service: the clergy filed out, followed by the Honourable Gentlemen at Arms and, finally, the Queen and the Duke of Edimnurgh. As they passed me I could feel their regal gazes, no doubt thoroughly inspecting my uniform and stature. I can only humbly hope that they approved. ●

Cdt Sgt Matthew Pugh, L6TMR


school life

Last year marked the 150th birthday of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, a novel that has inspired countless adaptations in theatre, literature, film and ballet. The weird

and magical nature of Alice’s adventures and the characters she comes across in Wonderland grants a freedom of temporality; the absence of any specific references to the Victorian Britain for whom the original story was written means it remains as relevant to audiences today as it did in the 19th century.

There are almost as many styles of Alice as there are adaptations of Carroll’s novel and this prompted the Directors, Miss Varley and Miss Robinson, to discuss the identity of the heroine. They interpreted Alice’s confusion as she wonders through Wonderland as a metaphor for children and teenagers going through adolescence, wherein their identities and innocence are challenged and changed. This resulted in the decision to cast not one but two students (Zoe Mason and Daisy Bainbridge) as Alice in order to convey the protagonist’s state of misunderstanding and the inconsistency of everything in Wonderland.

The irritable and fantastical characters that Alice comes across were performed convincingly by the First and Second Year actors: Josh Stainer portrayed an elusive and mysterious Cheshire Cat, Chris Wilding an unimpressed Caterpillar and Tomas Caldon was an inpatient and, at times, aggressive Humpty Dumpty. These performances were well matched by those students who played the various Wonderland Royalty: Esme Medley as the ditzy White Queen, Elizabeth Sweeney as the stroppy Red Queen, Erin Shrimsley as a formidable Queen of Hearts and Oscar Evans as her bumbling husband the King.

The aesthetic of our production was inspired for the most part by the two most famous film adaptations of the novel: Walt Disney’s 1951 musical cartoon and Tim Burton’s 2010 adventure film, the sequel to which was released on the day of our final performance. Thus Mr Edwards and Mr Gray designed our set so that it had much of the green forestry and flowers of the 20th century cartoon. This was then combined with some of the darker costume elements taken from Burton’s film as designed and created by Mrs Borrows. The flowers’ (Francesca Bern, Cathlyn Boyle, Amelia Barnes, Flora Gilmour and Maddy Clark) costumes comprised beautiful coloured paper headdresses and tulle skirts which contrasted strikingly with the dark green set. Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Arthur Prince and Beatrix Page) were not the hat-wearing, primary colour-clad jovial twins from the cartoon, but were more akin to Burton’s prison guard-esque apparitions. ●

Miss L Robinson

"The irritable and fantastical characters that Alice comes

across were performed convincingly by the First and

Second Year actors"

ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND


school life

"The irritable and fantastical characters that Alice comes

across were performed convincingly by the First and

Second Year actors"

ALICE WAS PLAYED BY ZOE MASON & DAISY BAINBRIDGE


SIXTH FORM

The format remained as in previous years, with the whole year group, divided into 10 teams over two days, tasked with

devising business plans to present to a panel in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ format on the second day.

Jason Wilary-Attew (Bentalls Director of Buying: Homewares, Furnishings & Beauty) very kindly came in to launch the event with a talk about his career path, enterprise and employability skills, and was then joined on the dragons’ panel by Dave Garnham (Bentalls Logistics Controller) and KGS Governors Frances Le Grys and Nima Khandan-Nia. At the end of the event they professed themselves to be extremely impressed by the overall quality of ideas and the students’ presentation skills.

The teams were required to devise a business plan for a product or service that could be marketed and sold at Bentalls. A budget of £20,000, to cover the cost of setting up, marketing and launching the service, was set. Each group was provided with a Bentalls mentor and had to appoint their own Managing Director and Finance Director.

The teams demonstrated an abundance of innovation and creativity, coming up with a variety of interesting and realistic products including ‘Signature’ (a perfume pen), ‘Easybowl’ (a non-stick self-cleaning bowl), ‘Aqualite’ (a water bottle that reminds you to

SIXTH FORM ENTER THE DRAGONS' DENWe were delighted to once again welcome Bentalls to KGS to run our annual two-day Dragons’ Den event for the Lower Sixth students

have a drink), ‘Step by Pet’ (a pet pedometer) and ‘Noisebox’ (a chargeable portable MP3 player speaker).

The teams were competing for two awards: Best Commercial Product/Service and Best Presentation. While all the above-mentioned products gained honourable mentions from the dragons, ‘CompacTee’ (an elasticated space-saving luggage product) won Best Product and ‘Appucino’ (a time-saving app-based coffee machine) won Best Presentation, withstanding some particularly tough questioning from the dragons!

‘CompacTee’ consisted of Ronan Harvey-Kelly (MD), Ellie Falconer (FD), Miles Compton, Charlotte Le Feuvre, Sam Mackenzie, Megan Nicholls, George Pugh-Thorogood and Tim Wilcox.

‘Appucino’ consisted of Hattie Cashman (MD), Harry Kershaw (Joint FD), Ben Park (Joint FD), Henry Bents, Nathan Foulsham, Alice Loy, Lili Macleary, Daisy Parker, Jacob Phillips, Lucy Roberts, Emily Sansom and George Teasdale.

All of the teams engaged well with their Bentalls mentors over the two days and the mentors were unanimous in their praise for the students’ commitment, collaborative skills and innovative flair. In addition to the individual guidance provided, the dragons also gave

"The teams were required to devise a business plan for a product or service that could be marketed and sold at Bentalls"

THE WINNING TEAM

highly valuable post-presentation feedback. Once again this has been an incredible opportunity for KGS pupils to gain experience of and develop crucial employability skills such as communication, innovation, teamwork, leadership and presentation skills. And, of course, our sincerest thanks once again go to Bentalls for supporting this fantastic event so generously. ●

Mr S Morris


COMMUNITY

LANGUAGE LEADERS IN THE COMMUNITYOn the 20th May, KGS Language

Leaders went on a trip to St. John's Primary School to teach children

aged 5 to 10 some Spanish, Italian, German and French. After receiving our visitors’ badges we were shown to our first classes. My partner Ciara and I went to Year 1 first, where they were all very well-behaved for us. Throughout the lesson they were extremely enthusiastic and keen to learn something new so it was very easy to teach them! We were teaching Spanish colours to the younger years and they were all getting

up and telling us what colour our jumpers were! One class even wanted us to sign their colouring in. Overall I was very pleased with how much the pupils managed to learn and I came away feeling confident that we had done a good job. The experience of being a KGS Language Leader has been very beneficial. I have learnt what it is like for our teachers and have expanded my knowledge of the language quite a lot. I look forward to doing it again! ●

Izzy Pleasance, 3HMN

International Youth Arts Festival Kingston starts today (Friday 8th July) and with 200 events, across 20

venues, involving 70 companies, there really is something for everyone! The Festival provides a platform to celebrate creativity, innovation, co-operation, understanding and appreciation. Kingston will be home to young artists, not just from the UK, but also across Europe and around the world.

Andy Currums is the new Festival Director and in a recent interview about IYAF 2016 he said, “There are loads of amazing and crazy ideas that have come through and I can’t wait to bring them all to Kingston in July.” It’s easy to see what he means, as for 10 days straight almost every available space in Kingston in being used to host comedy, dance, music, circus performances as well as visual art and workshops.

With 200 options to pick from, Mr Crohil and Miss Bolton recommend the following events:

• Of Dragons and Dinosaurs• Victoriana• The Piper of Hamelin• Endgame

To avoid disappointment, Currums advises “flicking through this brochure with your eyes closed and jab your finger onto a random page. Wherever your itchy digit lands on will be a memorable winner of a show.”

We are delighted that the Festival organisers have chosen the Lovekyn Chapel to present ‘Guyana – the Amazon Wonder’. Get a taste of Guyanese culture and unique Creole art, all fused together with the unique presence of the Amazon and its mysterious characteristics. This collection of dance, drama, Capoeira and music is an explosion of colours, culture and artistic vision.

The performance starts at 8pm (duration 90 minutes) and is suitable for all ages.

Tickets are £5 and can be purchased on the door or reserved by contacting the organisers on 020 8174 0090.

For a full list of all the events over the next 10 days please click here: http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/ ● Mrs N Man

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/event/of-dragons-and-dinosaurs/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/event/victoriana/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/event/the-piper-of-hamelin/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/event/endgame-by-samuel-beckett/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/iyaf-2016-brochure/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/


SPORT

The KGS golf team of Fifth Years Sam Reid and James Hall and Fourth Year Max Dawson played in the ISGA National

Plate Final on Wednesday and finished a very creditable 4th out of 11 schools, finishing only 5 points behind the eventual winners (the team scored 101 overall, with the eventual winners scoring 106, so the KGS team performed very well). The event took place at a rather damp and soggy Magnolia Park Golf and Country Club in Buckinghamshire. Max Dawson came second overall in the individual competition with 38 Stableford points, only one point behind the winner.

In their next tournament the same team won the handicap category of the Independent Schools Under 19 Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the HG Trophy at Burhill GC.

In a strong field of 20 independent schools from the South East of England, KGS finished 5th overall in the gross (no handicap deductions)

GOLF SUCCESS FOR KGSKGS golf team win team event with Max & James collecting individual first place prizes

KGS DISPLAY AT THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY

KGS was one of the first schools in this country to adopt the sport of hockey. It first made its way into

the playground in October 1890 when the Head Master reported that it was carried out with “much zest’ but some “reckless slogging”. Matches were played between classical and modern sides. KGS has cultivated brilliant players, right from those earliest times, with Stanley Shoveller and Gerald Logan going on to win gold medals at the 1908 Olympic Games.

The remarkably strong hockey tradition has never diminished and, by 1999, the School had produced 42 hockey internationals, including a succession of captains.

The Champions Trophy is a world-class hockey event which this year will be held at the Olympic Park, London from 10th – 26th June. A pop-up hockey museum will be open at the site for the duration of the competition, organised by the Woking-based Hockey Museum. We are delighted to announce that the School has been invited to contribute a display as part of this temporary museum, enabling us to showcase some of the highlights of our rich hockey heritage. ●

Mrs J Halford

competition, a very impressive result given that we ranked in the lower half of schools on paper.

In the handicap competition, we won by a Tiger Woods-esque margin of 11 shots (the two best scores counting) with James Hall collecting the U19 net score individual 1st place prize and Max Dawson collecting the U15 net score individual 1st prize.

Thank you to Mr Daly for supporting the boys at the tournament. ●

Mr M Rodgers


SPORT

Huge congratulations to Lucy Hicks (First Year), a member of the Surrey team, who won bronze in the England

U12 girls' doubles badminton tournament at the Yorkshire Open recently.

This follows Lucy's gold medal in the York RIO Invitational Tournament last month. ●

STUDENTS WIN U18 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WITH SURBITON HCSeven of the starting 11 in the Surbiton U18 National Champions team are KGS students. ●

U13 GIRLS ARECRICKET CHAMPSOn Wednesday 22nd June,

the U13 girls beat George Abbot School by 246-

210, Salesian School 252-217 and Weydon School 235-233 to take the SSCA Cup. This is the first representational title won by a KGS girls’ cricket team! Huge congratulations to them all. ●

Mrs N Maclean

CRICKET STARSFollowing an exciting six weeks of

cricket, the Head Master presented First XI Captain Ronan Harvey-Kelly his

‘bat’ for scoring 122 not out against Latymer Upper School. KGS scored 225-5 and then won the match by 70 runs, completing a clean sweep of victories. Ronan has been in good form as he scored 90 the previous week against Christ’s Hospital School. First Year Harry Pink was just behind Ronan with 81 not out against Reed's.

Our bowlers have been taking wickets across all of our teams though Fred Mills (First Year), presented with the match ball, completed an amazing spell of 4 overs, 14 runs for 5 wickets against Christ’s Hospital

and 4-16 against Reed's. One better was Lucas Griffin (First Year) with a spell against Sutton Grammar School where he took 5 wickets for 4 runs in his four overs. ●

Mr S Hardy

LUCY TAKES BADMINTON BRONZE


school life

This month we were delighted to launch a new community project, this time for our Third Year. After helping to host tea

parties for residents of Rosclare while in the Second Year, this year 64 Third Year students volunteered to work alongside pupils in two local primary schools.

"In Reception, I read with a few children and they were surprisingly good! I had loads of fun and, once they had gone off to lunch, I tidied up before finding a new class to help out in. I went to a Year Two class where they were already working hard, so I helped them find verbs and adjectives in a text. Then we re-enacted a story they were learning. The children seemed to have a lot of fun with that, and so did I. The story was about an ogre and was very amusing to act out, especially when you’re one of the tallest in the room! Overall, I loved it and I’m very glad I volunteered.”

Nonny Jones, 3AEB

PRIMARY SCHOOL VOLUNTEERING64 Third Year students volunteered their time to help in local primary schools

Both schools were delighted with our students' conduct and participation, so well done to all those who took part. A huge thank you to staff and pupils at both King Athelstan and St Joseph's primary schools who welcomed us so warmly, as well as to the KGS staff who accompanied us. ●

Miss K Pinnock & Miss L Knight


school life

BELLA ITALIANO

On Monday we attended an exciting Italian play with Anna Landi, a brilliant Italian actress who set

us many fun tasks to complete in her native language. This helped us learn new Italian vocabulary as well as exploring ways to memorise it and pronunciation of various words. It was not only an Italian play but also a drama workshop: we sang an Italian song (about school subjects), we did drama exercises in Italian and we performed a play, with all of us taking the role of a character. The play was especially fun as we were able to explore the different ways in which you are able to learn words. Overall, it was a fantastic experience! ●

Cathlyn Boyle & Isabella Walsh-Whitfield, 1ROP

TEATIME WITH 2RSSOn Tuesday 21st June, it was 2RSS’s

turn to host our regular Tea Party for residents of Rosclare Care Home.

As the date fell so close to the Queen’s 90th birthday, we added a patriotic touch of red, white and blue, which gave the event a lovely festive atmosphere.

We had an extremely enthusiastic group of almost 20 students who baked a huge variety of cakes in preparation and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know our guests. As well as the usual refreshments, we enjoyed some fantastic music from talented violinist Ricky, and a super game of bingo run by Amelia, Alice, Zac and Sofie.

Both guests and students had a great time, and it was lovely to see such a friendly, relaxed

atmosphere, and to hear so much laughter and fun! Mrs Pinnock and I are very grateful to all the 2nd Year students who have hosted tea parties with us this year, and look forward to continuing our relationship with Rosclare next year. ● Miss L Knight

KGS TAKE TO THE 'SKIES'On Thursday 23rd June, the Fourth Year

girls went to the Emirates Aviation Experience in Greenwich to celebrate

‘Women in Engineering Day’. This is a very important day because unfortunately women are often discouraged from taking science-based A Levels which then, of course, blocks their route to a career in science. After a rather long journey there, we began learning about jet engines. We thoroughly enjoyed an attempt to fly using the high-tech flight simulators, to varying degrees of success! This was a great opportunity to experience the basic skills and atmospheres that a pilot would face. After multiple attempts, we came to the conclusion that it was much harder than it looked. We then got the chance to speak to some of the engineers and researchers

who work for Emirates. They spoke about the aerofoil and Bernoulli’s Principle which we investigated using large plastic bags. The basic idea is that if you increase the speed of the air then the pressure inside the bag will decrease and stuck air into the bag to reach equilibrium. Afterwards, we were shown a simple model of a jet plane, and raced each other to see how quickly we could construct one. In addition, we had a fascinating conversation about safety testing as well as how Emirates are trying to introduce a more efficient engine, which would use less fuel and create less pollution. The trip was inspiring and has encouraged an interest in engineering, something I hadn’t considered before. ●

Sorrel Humphrey, 4ELH

FOURTH YEAR IN CONTROL


school life

Great Staff VS Students Bake-Off

On the 8th March, students and teachers alike had spent their evenings, shaking and baking in preparation for the

Great KGS Bake-off, celebrating the Queen’s 90th birthday. The competition was rising. The contestants, fresh from the oven, delivered their cakes for inspection. Our all-star judge, Mr Lehec, sieved out the competition with his Paul Hollywood-esque ice-ing glare. Thank you to him for tasting each and every one of the cakes; after all, it was the yeast he could do.

After thorough consideration, the results were in: Mrs Davies breathed a sigh of relief when her cheesecake was not damned with a soggy bottom (as Mary Berry would say), and won the prize for ‘Best Loaves & Tarts’. Mr Garner’s Victoria Sponge won the ‘Star Cake Baker’ prize, leaving him feeling giddy and proud. A certain English teacher admitted to feeling sickened at not winning a prize, saying ‘I kneaded this… However, despite feeling crushed, those who won truly deserved it.’ Losing is a bitter-sweet hardship, but don’t worry, it gets batter.

THE QUEEN AT 90To celebrate Her Majesty's birthday KGS hosted a number of events in her honour, including a bake off, an art competition, a debate and a themed mufti day

Alice Metcalf made a royal effort and won the prize for the ‘Best Traybakes & Biscuits'. Gabriella Linney’s bake was eggcellent, earning her top prize for ‘Best Cupcakes & Scones'. Finally, Matthew Harley was fittingly crowned the Show Stopper; his masterpiece really was the icing on top of the cake.

Well done to all those who took part! ●

Domi Rybova, Jamie Bisping & Greta Weston, L6

SHOW STOPPER MATTHEW HARLEY

"Mr Lehec sieved out the competition

with his Paul Hollywood-esque

ice-ing glare"

QUEEN-INSPIRED ARTWORK BY JESS MURRAY100 FIRST YEARS CREATE ART FROM ABOVE


school life

HOUSE MUSIC 2016This year’s House Music competition was

a brilliant evening, showcasing a broad and diverse array of musical talent at

KGS.

Queen’s was first, and the evening started with ‘The Great Train Race’, a 20th century piece for solo flute, performed with the highest musical command and masterful interpretation by Penny Cairney-Leeming. The Jazz Ensemble which followed was equally entertaining. The final item, a First Year choir with band accompaniment performing their very own rendition of ‘God Save the Queen/Under Pressure’, was a charming and highly effective arrangement.

Walworth’s first item was ‘You Waited Too Long’, a band piece for vocals and electric guitars, sung with idiomatic Blues feel. The Walworth choir then sang ‘Roar’, displaying a wide range of vocal talent. The final piece was ‘And I’m Telling You’, and it was a pleasure to hear Noor Bajwa sing with emotion and true passion.

After the interval it was Taverner’s turn to excite the audience, and Aoife Parr’s solo song ‘Think of Me’ showed her vocal versatility. The second piece was ‘Toxic’, a truly characterful band item with stylish vocal duet singing and effective accompaniment on drums and piano. The programme continued with a cover version of the Amy Winehouse song ‘Valerie’, another band performance, accompanied on guitar and ‘batterie’ (which is essentially a box), masterfully performed by Sophie Gallagher (voice), Joe Malbon (guitar) and Grace Lloyd (percussion). ’I will follow him’ from “Sister Act” was the final piece, and was sung with sensitivity and included part-singing and rhythmic excitement in the second half.

The final House of the evening was Lovekyn, and Juliet Gray delighted the audience with a solo flute piece, ‘Chanson from Suite Antique’, which was played with a real sense of natural phrasing. Next up was a highly enjoyable cello duet – a combination not often heard in concerts; Emily Sprackling and Lucy Roberts delivered a performance

with secure intonation. The final item was a rendition of ‘Stand By Me’ with the Lovekyn Choir accompanied by a highly competent band. A solo interlude by trumpeter Will Everitt led seamlessly into their second song, ‘All You Need is Love’ which concluded a highly successful programme.

Four Houses presented four truly imaginative and balanced performances. This certainly did not make the process of finding an overall winner easy. The evening’s adjudicator was Krystian Bellière, who enjoys a successful career as a pianist, vocal coach and conductor, working at such prestigious venues as the Royal Opera House amongst many others.

The evening’s overall winner was Queen’s, closely followed by Walworth, Taverner and Lovekyn. It was a truly enjoyable evening all round, and we are already looking forward to next year’s competition. ●

Mr M von Freyhold

THE WINNING HOUSE IN ACTION

LOVEKYN SOLOISTTAVERNER SINGERS NONNY SINGS FOR WALWORTH


COMMUNITY

Feast at the Field

The sun shone – well, some of the time – and while the clouds occasionally threatened, it stayed dry, enabling both

RJ Sturgeon XI fixtures against the School and the Family Tennis event to go ahead, a blissful day of tranquillity in the midst of a hectic week, sandwiched between Brexit and Exit.

A sizeable crowd turned up to enjoy the cricket, play some tennis, bounce on the castle (a new and very popular addition) or just enjoy plenty of Pimm’s, buckets of ice-cream and a sizzling BBQ courtesy of KGS Friends. The focus of the day was, of course, the cricket, and reports of the exciting matches can be found below.

In the tea interval, David Gordon presented the RJ Sturgeon Cup to the cricketer who has made the most of his talent, won this year by Ronan Harvey-Kelly, whose brother Ralph won it a couple of years ago. There was also a moving moment when the Chair of KGS Friends, John Cook, made a presentation on behalf of OKs everywhere to Head Groundsman Gary Brailsford and his wife Sue on their retirement after 40 years of service to KGS. We all wish them both every happiness.

Sturgeon Cricket Match

The annual KGS First XI against the RJ Sturgeon First XI in memory of OK Rodney Sturgeon took place on 26th June at Ditton Field. Despite the terrible weather earlier on in the week, the ground staff did a brilliant job of preparing the pitch and outfield.

Sturgeon chose to bat first with Max Griffin (2015) and Guy Morris (2012) opening the batting. Rather unfortunately, though, the top

STURGEON CRICKET

order seemed to have spent too long in the Pimm’s tent before the game began. It was left to Jack Baverstock (2011) and Pete Scott (former Head of Cricket) to boost the Old Boys to 185 off 35 overs. Mr Scott sportingly missed a straight ball to allow all the Old Boys to bat. The interval was an opportunity for Ronan Harvey-Kelly to be presented with the Sturgeon Award for the ‘cricketer who makes the most of his talent’.

The School began their innings in a steady fashion until Sean Laverack removed Ben Mallinson and Ronan, Fergus Ainsworth and Joe Hughes came together to produce a match-winning partnership for the School. Joe recorded fifty runs, including three huge sixes and Fergus was unfortunate to be dismissed on 48. It looked like the School were easily going

FAMILY TENNISThis year saw 28 KGS parents and

pupils play in the annual Family Tennis event. The competition was run in a

round-robin format and after seven rounds of hard-fought matches, Alastair & Thomas Cutts emerged victorious in a close-run battle, just ahead of Melanie & Matthew Wood. It was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. Many thanks to everyone involved. ●

Mr S Morris

to knock off the remaining runs until a flurry of wickets took the game to the last over, with the Old Boys needing two wickets and the School two runs. Unfortunately former First XI captain Matt Maginnis conceded a single and then took a wicket; Mr Wakely, not fancying the drama of a one run/one wicket situation, judged it to be a no ball and the School won in dramatic fashion.

Thanks from all the Old Boys must go to James and Peter Gordon for organising the day and to KGS’s Mr Hardy and Mr Reed who organised the teams and the umpires. ●

Mr T Beaumont


COMMUNITY

ANNUAL FUND PHONEATHONA team of Lower Sixth Formers have been busy phoning Old Kingstonians to seek support

for this year’s Annual Fund. The main purpose of the telephone campaign, which launched on 20th June, is to raise additional funds for bursaries and other School

priorities.

The team comprises 14 students who, as well as generating income on behalf of the KGS Foundation, are tasked with updating alumni records, publicising forthcoming events and recruiting OKs to speak at careers events or offer work experience.

KGS Foundation exists to support the School in raising much-needed funds for areas such as bursary provision and capital projects that offer new or improved facilities for current and future students. Each year, through the Annual Fund, we reach out to alumni and invite them to make regular donations or show their support in other ways. As such it is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about our OKs and build stronger links with them, particularly with those who live far away from the School and find it difficult to attend KGS Friends events.

Student Loulou Backhouse Spriggs says she is thoroughly enjoying being a part of the campaign: “It’s lovely to talk to alumni about their experiences of KGS and find out about their careers since leaving. As well as raising money for the School it’s also valuable for me and the rest of the team in terms of work experience and developing our skills.”

Our goal for this year’s phone campaign is to raise £18,000 and if you would like to find out more, visit: http://www.kgs.org.uk/events/annual-fund-2016 or email [email protected]. ●

Mr C Conneely

KGS Second XI v “The Past, their children, teachers, parents and assorted ringers”

For the first time in living memory, the RJ Sturgeon Second XI, representing the Past, turned up with a surplus of players and so, much to his relief, captain David Gordon (1977-84) was immediately able to dip out of playing and don an umpire’s jacket.

The Past won the toss and elected to field.

The KGS openers put on a healthy first wicket partnership with Elliot Hudson scoring 84 and Artie Rice-Oxley scoring 31. At one point, with the run rate climbing and wickets hard to come by, the Past were staring down the barrel of a substantial run chase but a controlled spell of bowling from young Tom Gordon broke the opening partnership and brought the run rate back under control, with KGS finishing on 142 for 2 after 25 overs.

The Past’s innings was peppered with regular wicket falls but Peter Gordon, son of James Gordon (1972-79), carried his bat for a largely faultless innings of 74 not out, ably assisted, at the end, by on-field captain Neil Mackintosh (1971-78). With a couple of overs to spare, the Past won the game and the old boys (and young ringers) were able to adjourn to the beer tent where some looked rather more at home than they did on a cricket pitch.

KGS First XI v Sturgeon First XI

Sturgeon First XI 169 ao

Tom Beaumont 25Baverstock 40Pete Scott 77

Jo Hall 3-27

KGS First XI 170-8

Ed Darwin 43Fergus Ainsworth 48Jo Hughes 51

Laverick 2-21

KGS Second XI v Sturgeon Second XI

KGS 142-2

Elliot Hudson 84Artie Rice-Oxley 31

Old Boys 143-4

Peter Gordon 74*. ●

Mr N Bond & David Gordon

LOULOU IN ACTION


school life

PHOTO CHALLENGE

COMPETITION

Submit a photo of yourself reading in an unusual place

Simply email [email protected] or [email protected]

Entries must be received by

Friday 23rd September

There will be prizes for the best pupil and staff photos and the best entries will be displayed

THERE ARE ONLY THREE RULES:Don’t endanger yourselfDon’t endanger anyone elseDon’t endanger the book

A* MISSION= COMPLETEHuge congratulations to

Tomas Caldon, Toby Jones and Lucas Richford

who, in becoming the first ever First Year students to complete the entire A* Reading Mission, have made KGS history. Each has read six classics ranging from P.G. Wodehouse to John Steinbeck, poetry including works by Ted Hughes and Shel Silverstein, Shakespeare sonnets and a play, and have written an essay reflecting on the experience. Tomas Caldon, who was the first to finish, writes: "this challenge has taught me the power of books: how when written the right way, they can make a person burst into tears or burst out laughing or even give them nightmares; how the book is far better than the movie." Each has received a Penguin ‘clothbound

classic’ of their choice in recognition of their achievement and to encourage them to keep up the good habit! ●

Mrs H Cleaves

FUTURE LEADERS MAKE THEIR MARKOver the course of the Autumn term, a group of Lower

Sixth students embarked on a vocational qualification in Leadership and Management, as part of their EQUIP course

of study. The qualification is registered on the national framework of recognized qualifications and is the equivalent to an AS level award.

Proving enjoyable for all involved and capitalizing on existing leadership opportunities, the intrepid group were the first students from KGS to participate in such a course of study and after several assignments, in-depth recording and recounting and the completion of the course of mandatory lessons, Sophie Gallagher, Elliot Hudson, George Kitson, Alice Metcalf, John Miller, Benedict Park, Andrew Wickerson, Rohan Winder, Bethany Williams, Joseph Hughes, Megan Nicholls and Jake Cutts successfully achieved the Institute of Leadership and Management Level 3 Award.

By achieving this award each student has built a firm platform to take their leadership prowess to new heights, helping them to develop the tools which they will need to lead others confidently and effectively. We hope, with this success, that they will be inspired to become successful and motivational leaders with the ability to select the most appropriate leadership style as any situation demands. ●

Mr A Beggs

http://www.iyafestival.org.uk/events/

KGS Newsletter June-July 2016

Documents

Transcript of KGS Newsletter June-July 2016