KGS Newsletter March 2015

FROM THE HEAD PAGE 2 COMMEMORAT ION PAGE 12 HOUSE DRAMA PAGE 20

MARCH 2015 www.kgs.org.uk

CCF CentenaryKingston Grammar School’s Combined Cadet Force marked its centenary with a double celebration. The Biennial Inspection on Thursday 19th March was a huge success, demonstrating the range of activities on offer to cadets and the quality of their work, and the Centenary Dinner on Saturday 21st was a splendid occasion and an opportunity for current staff and cadets to meet some of their illustrious predecessors. See page 10.

NEWSLETTER

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It is often quite rightly remarked that Kingston Grammar School has both eyes on the future but one foot in the past. It is not only right but also important that the main focus of our attention is our current student body and their collective and individual futures, as well as the progress and future wellbeing of our School. This last month we have, however, been reminded that we are a school with an immense history and a very rich tradition. The School’s Act of Commemoration, celebrating the offi cial 454th anniversary of our school, which is probably nearer to being nearly 750 years old, was an incredible occasion and a key opportunity to explore, through this year’s theme of ‘Freedom’, the history of the School. For my part I looked at this theme through the eyes of the students. When the School began it would have offered the fi rst and greatest opportunity for social freedom and improvement to anyone fortunate enough to be selected to receive it. In the modern world we must be cautious to ensure that all of our young people are able to enjoy the freedom of youth and development without fear of prejudice or the enormous pressures that are put upon them by the world we live in.

It was the transformation of the School in 1903-04 that ensured its survival and growth, and allowed for many positive developments since, whilst retaining the motto that was adapted at that time: Bene Agere Ac Lataeri, or ‘work well and be happy’, offering two sides of an equation that are, at all times, equally important to the members of Kingston Grammar School.The School also celebrated the centenary of the CCF Contingent, created in 1915 to support the rush to arms in the First World War. We were honoured to have Old Kingstonian Lieutenant-General Jonathon Riley as the Reviewing Offi cer at our biennial inspection and as our guest speaker at the centenary dinner that saw many OKs back at the School to celebrate the Contingent’s history and success.Perhaps most uniquely it was my great pleasure to welcome back to Kingston Grammar School fi ve former Heads of the School, along with the current and two former Chairs of Governors. I do stand to be corrected, but I doubt that many schools in the country can call on six Heads and three Chairs for a meeting of great minds, although I confess that we did put weighty matters of state to one side in favour of tea and tours of the

School. It was wonderful to see Mrs Fletcher (2009-2014), Mr Baxter (1991-2009), Mr Creber (1987-1991), Mr Miller (1977-1991), Mr Strover (1970-1977), and the two former Chairs of Governors, Mr Marsh (2011-2014) and Mr Elvidge (1984-2011), looking so well and speaking with such authority and great fondness about our School. As for having both eyes on the future, following what I hope has been a thorough and very useful consultation process, I would commend to you the structure of timings of the school day for the academic year 2015-16 onwards, set out opposite, and acknowledge that for many of our senior students the Easter period is the most crucial in terms of their revision and preparation for the public exam season that will soon be upon us. I know that staff have worked very hard to prepare all of the necessary materials and I urge all of our students to make the most of the next three weeks.Finally, may I wish you all a very happy Easter break and I look forward to hearing many tales of successful trips and excursions, as well as to plenty of new and exciting opportunities when we return for the Summer Term.

HEAD MASTER’S WELCOME

KGS Newsletter SPRING 2015 3

Healthcare Dinner

All the students who were interested in a career in healthcare were invited to join fourteen healthcare professionals from a variety of different sectors, from plastic surgeons to radiologists, for dinner in a private room of the lovely restaurant Brasserie Blanc in Waterloo. Having the opportunity to speak and learn from so many experienced specialists is very rare and we were very fortunate to have such knowledgeable and insightful people with us.

When at the dinner, we were seated next to a few medics at each table. After each course the students moved tables in order to sit with and gain wisdom from as many people as possible. After the meal, the students had time to speak to anyone they wished in order to ask any further questions or ask for a opportunity to work with them. I was fortunate enough to secure a work experience placement with a hand surgeon, Valarie Perry, at St. George’s Hospital and will be able to shadow her for an entire week. Valerie will guide me through different areas of the hospital which interest me most, allowing me the chance to witness a variety of different branches of medicine.

The dinner was a great success and I am more inspired than ever to pursue my goal of going to Med School. I learned how to improve my application, tips on how to impress interviewers, and about the positive and negatives of the job itself. On behalf of all the students who attended the dinner, thank you very much to all the healthcare professionals who gave up their time to pass on their advice and knowledge to us. It was a most valuable experience.

Martha Prior, 5JG

The School Day

Following wide consultation among staff and parents on the timing of the new school day, as published in the February edition, we are pleased to share the fi nal outcome and set out below the timings that will be in place from September.

Current New

Period/Time Period/Time

Registration Registration

8.35 8.35

Assembly/Tutor Assembly/Tutor

8.35-8.50 8.35-8.55

1 1

8.55-9.35 9.00-9.50

2 2

9.40-10.20 9.50-10.45

3

10.25-11.05

Break Break

11.05-11.25 10.45-11.10

4 3

11.30-12.10 11.10-12.00

5 4

12.15-12.55 12.00-12.55

Lunch Lunch

12.55-2.00 12.55-2.05

6 5

2.05-2.40 2.05-2.55

7 6

2.45-3.20 2.55-3.50

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3.25-4.00

Additional Information:School opens 7.00Breakfast available 7.30Library opens 8.00In form rooms 8.30Library closes 17.00

Follow Mr Lehec

@kgsheadmaster

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Second Year Geography

Lecture

Living in the Antarctic

To complement the Second Year geographers’ study of Wilderness Environments, Mr Forsyth spoke to the entire year group on Thursday 19th March about his experience of living and working in Antarctica. Students were enthralled by his photos of towering icebergs, the Trans-Antarctic Mountains and baby fur seals. Similarly fascinating were stories of medical emergencies, scuba-diving with whales and the cost of aviation fuel just to get from Punta Arenas to the coldest, driest and windiest continent on Earth. Given that pupils have just fi nished studying the Antarctic food-web, it was especially interesting to learn more about Mr Forsyth’s research into the biology of the region, and the threat posed by whaling and trawling for krill.

After a series of questions from the audience, it was straight back into lessons, albeit with a new found respect for the 12 British Antarctic Survey winter scientists who are left alone in a dark research camp for 8 months with only a colony of penguins for company.JHW

Language Leaders

The Foreign Language Leader Award, an initiative organised by the charity Sports Leaders UK, is a co-curricular programme Miss Pastore is leading with a group of ten Fourth Year students. This is the fi rst year KGS has taken part. The students train to become language teachers and have to attend sessions on lesson planning, differentiation techniques, body language, behaviour management etc. They teach younger students in and outside school (at local primary schools, for example). The ten are: Ye Ji Hwang, Charly James, Lucinda Knight, Charlie Perry, Bella Rona, Joe Rona, Kate Scott-Taylor, Louisa Shriver, Thomas Sweeney and Lucy Tait.The group described their experiences: “The Language Leader Award involves one hour sessions every week for 30 weeks. In these sessions we learn how to plan lessons that we later teach. We also are involved in cultural projects and events. In this process, we are learning to develop our language skills, subject knowledge, confi dence and leadership skills. We have all enjoyed the award so far and the process has been tough but rewarding. “In February we taught our fi rst lessons and the experience was great. The feedback from the students was positive and they engaged well. Some of the pupils’ comments included that ‘the activities were exciting and interactive’ and that the teachers were ‘friendly and fun’ as well as ‘interactive’ and ‘good at helping people out’. “All in all, it is a great opportunity. We feel privileged to be able to participate in this award and have enjoyed it.”

RP


Charities

Having had a record-breaking Autumn Term, raising over £5,000 for 10 different charities, the Charities Team has again been working hard to support a variety of causes since Christmas. In particular we enjoyed a day of love on February 14th to support local charity LOVE Kingston, of which KGS is a founding member. The Fourth Year baked their socks off to produce some beautiful themed cakes and the rest of the school community supported them well by eating copious baked goods and taking part in a mufti day. Overall we raised nearly £1,200 for this worthwhile cause.Kingston Grammar School was ‘highly commended’ in the Most People Involved Award. The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Cllr. Ken Smith JP, and the Deputy Mayor, Cllr. Cathy Roberts, said that they were extremely impressed with the breadth and depth of all initiatives presented. The effort that everyone made in support of the Love Kingston campaign was overwhelming, they said, and they thanked the School for the fantastic contribution it had made.Other collections and events have raised money for charities ranging from the African Prisons Project to India’s Smile Train and Comic Relief, and we have further events coming up to raise money for our partner school in Ghana. Watch this space!

PJF


Cooking for the Homeless

This term a group of us fi nished cooking for the homeless at St Stephen’s Church in Twickenham for the year. I know I speak for everyone involved when I say that it has been a hugely rewarding experience. It was especially so when we had the opportunity to meet and chat with some of the homeless people the cooking benefi ts while waitressing at their Christmas dinner in December. Not only has it been rewarding in the sense that we know our commitment has made a difference to our local community, but it has also given us all the chance to learn how to cook a range of dishes, and for up to 50 people at a time! Dishes we’ve made this year have included pork goulash with homemade dumplings, sausage casserole and fajitas; if nothing else this community service option has defi nitely helped me to feel more prepared for cooking for myself at university next year!

Cooking for St Stephen’s is an excellent community service opportunity for the sixth form and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to any pupils considering it for next year.Anna Hartley, U6ID

Reading Half-Marathon

Congratulations to the six Sixth-Form girls who recently took part in the Reading Half-Marathon. The girls had been training hard for six months and all completed the 13 mile course in fast times. The girls have also raised over £900 for Cancer Research and the World Wildlife Fund. So very well done to... Sophia Shafi ee, Anna Wallich, Gemma Helm, Chloe Waller, Fiona Steinitz and Joanne Davies.NSF

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Lit Quiz Cup

Our senior lit quiz team (Zac Procter, Ye Ji Hwang, Kate Scott-Taylor, Ellena Eley, Izzy Jones and sixth team member Freya King, who helped the team into the fi nal but was ill on the day) are now the proud holders of the Inter-borough Lit Quiz Cup, having fought off stiff competition from Tiffi n, LEH, Hampton, Holy Cross and Claremont to win the ‘senior’ competition for Year 9 and 10 students.

Our ‘infamous fi ve’ put in a solid performance throughout whilst other teams fell down on the set text questions or fi endish picture round. With no idea of their position going into the fi nal round, our book brains maintained their composure to battle valiantly through a wide-ranging buzzer round incorporating Greek mythology, Paddington and the three musketeers.

Each team member came away with a book prize and the new-found grammatical discovery of a pangram. It is sadly the last time that Zac, Kate and Ye-ji will be able to compete so we thank them for being such stalwarts, putting in countless hours of prep whilst also fi nding the time to coach the Junior Team. We will be looking for new recruits to defend the title next year.

Erin has really come into her own this month, proving to be one of the most industrious pupil librarians, tackling every task to a very high standard and successfully grappling the sticky back plastic to achieve the ‘perfect’ air bubble free covered book all with her characteristic boundless enthusiasm.

We are very sad to say goodbye to Mrs Rothwell who has made a huge impact in her short time with us. From training up the pupil librarians to enlightening sixth formers about A Level specifi c journals and teaching plagiarism, she has approached every task with a huge smile. We wish her all the best for the future and her quest to fi nd a captivating non-miserable teen read!

er teams fell down h i iti g i g i t th fi l d

LIBRARY NEWS

Lower Sixth History Trip

Westminster Abbey

Having studied Henry VII for this term we were treated with a visit to Westminster Abbey. Henry himself had taken great interest in the Abbey, fi nancing the construction of the east wing. After leaving school at lunch time and travelling down into the heart of London we were greeted by two guides at the entrance to the Abbey. From there we were taken into a small room where we studied three sources, each revealing a different element of the Abbey’s history. This gave us a taster for what we would experience within the Abbey itself.

Under the direction of our fantastic guides every corner of the spectacular building was covered. Almost one thousand years of English history was on show, from the Stone of Scone to the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On two occasions we were even given access to areas not usually open to the public, viewing the tombs of Edward the Confessor and Henry VII. There was clear evidence of Henry’s desperate attempts to secure himself a dynasty even after his death. To be able to witness what we have studied fi rst hand was a real privilege and gave us a new look at this remarkable king that is perhaps not represented in textbooks. Fergus Ainsworth, L6PJR

gh standard and tttot

d

on of our ffantastic guides every corner

libr arian of the Month - Erin Shrimsley

Hail and Farewell, Mrs Rothwell


KGS Teams up with Brentford FC

Sports Scholars’ smooth night out with the Bees

Oblivious to the biting cold of a February evening, KGS Sports Scholars headed to Brentford Football Club soon after the half term break. They enjoyed more than just a football match, too! The visit kicked off with a successful team-building activity – a Smoothie making competition! Keeping an eye on nutritional values, the task required creating a well-researched recipe and designing a logo and bottle wrapper to complete the fi nished product. Chilli, ginger and kale proved most popular as each group looked to “sell” their concoction when the fi nal whistle blew. Following the smoothie making, the scholars were invited to bib up accordingly, fl ag wave enthusiastically and provide the stadium with the night’s guard of honour as the two teams came on to the pitch. Brentford won the match against the visiting seasiders, Blackpool, 4 - 0

It was a fun and entertaining night out and marked the start of a fruitful collaboration for KGS and the Bees.

Community Trust Project

KGS repaid Brentford’s hospitality a few weeks later when the club hosted the Richmond Borough Primary Schools’ Football Tournament at Ditton Field on 11th March. The Bees ran a number of similar events across London as part of a Community Trust Project to mark their 125th anniversary, and we were delighted to play our part, with over 100 children in 10 teams making use of our playing fi elds.

Partial Eclipse Only in the Heart

The excitement in the School was almost tangible on the morning of Friday 20th March as we waited for what we had been told would be an experience we would never forget – the 84% partial eclipse of the Sun – the smiley eclipse. Health warnings had been issued and solar glasses provided. Colanders, pin-hole cameras and projectors were at the ready. As the skies started to darken perceptibly, the tension increased and the cage began to fi ll up. At 0931 (and 11 seconds), the moment of maximum contact, glasses on, all eyes turned expectantly heavenwards. Then the bell went and we all went in again. But never mind – another partial will be along in 11 years, though we will have to wait until 23rd September 2090 for the next total eclipse visible in the UK. Our youngest pupil will have just turned 87, but should still be fi t and healthy and may even be nearing retirement! We wish him well, and hope he and indeed all our current pupils (the oldest will be a mere 104) enjoy a rather more stunning solar spectacle than they did this time round.

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US Ambassador Visits KGS

Kingston Grammar School was honoured to welcome US Ambassador Matthew Barzun to address Sixth Formers on Tuesday 10th March.

Ambassador Barzun’s approach was innovative and collaborative - a conversation rather than a simple lecture. Students were equipped with an electronic key-pad to enable them to answer a series of questions about their perceptions of America as the starting point for further discussion. Thus we learned that 50% of pupils thought the USA was too heavily involved in world affairs, while 55% thought the UK was not doing enough. 80% thought the US Government went too far in electronic surveillance and 70% thought that the security of its citizens was their primary concern. Interestingly, 47% thought the ‘special relationship’ was mutually benefi cial, while 21% said it favoured the UK and 25% the US.Ambassador Barzun then turned to cards, asking the audience to draw or write briefl y on one side the things that frustrated, concerned or confused them about the USA. A large range of responses included poverty, the national debt, ‘Obamacare’, religion, support for Israel, race, but most of all gun control. This was, Mr Barzun stated, always the biggest issue on such occasions (this was his 66th such visit) and he spent some time explaining the historical basis for the position of guns in American culture and mythology. Attitudes to gun control represented, he said, one of the widest gulfs between our countries.The Ambassador then went on to explore the role the USA played in world affairs, asking his audience to consider when its involvement had been for the better, such as in WWII, when it had been for the worse (Vietnam?), but also, more diffi cultly, when its non-involvement had ever been benefi cial. Involvement was not purely military; the USA had a proud tradition of material and humanitarian support, especially for its former enemies. He also explored the social and economic problems that the US had to deal with, springing largely, he said, from a stagnation in incomes since 1980 while the cost of living – primarily healthcare, education and energy – had continued to rise. Many of President Obama’s policies were an attempt to keep the American Dream alive and raise incomes, for example by addressing the need for a minimum wage and equal pay for men and women.Another key issue addressed was race. In too many places, Ambassador Barzun said, trust had broken down between, most notably, the black community and the police. However, the truth was that in many places community policing was working well. The job was to apply the successful models where they were most needed. The opening words of the constitution – ‘We the people’ – had a very special place in Americans’ hearts but it was important to remember that ‘the people’ referred to were until comparatively recently white males. During the last century slow progress had been made, and this century, in the case of the LGBT community, for example, some very rapid progress, but there was still work to be done. The USA was open to criticism, and he was grateful to us for allowing him to explore some of these issues.Finally, in the short time left to us, we turned to the other side of the card – what inspired us about the USA, what we liked and admired. And there was plenty! From Music, TV and fi lm to the values of equality, individualism, and opportunity, from its food and good service, to its dynamism and optimism. It was a shame there was not more time to explore these more positive images of the country.After the discussions, the Ambassador presented commemorative coins to Matthew Pugh and Oliver Cole (both Fifth Year), who had won the award for best team in the Benjamin Franklin Debating Competition last year, and were thus part of what we hope is a burgeoning relationship with the Embassy. We would like to thank Ambassador Barzun for talking time out of his busy schedule to come and talk not only to but with our students and to share his understanding of the past and his hopes for the future. Our thanks, too, to the embassy team for their co-operation and to Mrs Packer and the Gibbon Society for making the visit possible. We may be, as Shaw had it, divided by a common language, and perhaps by more than that, but on this day’s evidence the relationship between our countries is still a very special one.


Technology Club Roboteers were in action again for the third time in as many months at the Vex Robotics UK National Championships, where the top 40 teams from all the regional qualifying heats battled for the crown of UK National Champions. The Vex Robotics competition is part of a much larger Big Bang Fair held annually at the NEC in Birmingham to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths for students at school or university. Team KGS had 14 highly competitive qualifying matches during Friday and Saturday morning followed by the fi rst quarter fi nals on Saturday afternoon. The students worked very well as a team with strategy and tactics deployed at every opportunity. The robot functioned perfectly and Skyrise sections followed by Skyrise cubes were raised onto scoring towers.

After an extremely competitive and tense two days, team KGS fi nished in ninth place out of 40 teams for the main qualifi cation matches and fi fth for the separate Robot Skills Challenge. This was our fi rst year competing at Vex Robotics and we now look forward to developing and improving our skills for a new challenge next year. Well done to Cameron Macpherson, Callum Farr, Thomas Gibson, Nathan Farr and Adwait Joshi. DF

Vex Robotics UK National Championships

PSA Quiz Night

This year’s PSA Quiz Night, held on Saturday 7th March, was a sell-out and a great success. Everyone enjoyed a Persian curry provided by Jerry and the KGS catering staff, with cheese and biscuits and a good selection of drinks at the bar.

16 Teams of parents from all years tested their knowledge to see who would be crowned this year’s winners. Quiz Masters Mr Bond and Mrs Humphrey led the proceedings with their usual aplomb, and Matt Pugh and Ben Park from the Fifth Year diligently kept the score. It was neck and neck for a while but in the second half one of the teams pulled ahead and despite a few last minute challenges came away with the prize – a bottle of champagne for each team member. Well done team ‘N’ - the Foulshams, the Parks, the Pughs and the Finlays!

Thanks to everyone who helped organise the event and made the evening run so smoothly – Mr Bond and Mrs Humphrey, catering staff, scorers, caretakers, support staff, parents and PSA helpers. Not only was it a fun evening, but we managed to raise an impressive £2,000.

Julia Mancell SmithPSA Council Member

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CCF Biennial Inspection

Dressed in his long black coat, with both rows of buttons gleaming like the constellation of Orion, Lieutenant General Jonathan Riley stepped out of the pavilion, looking – from a distance – rather like a general from the American Civil War, escorted by Captain Beggs. This was my cue to sound the company fall in on the bugle and to re-join the rest of the contingent on parade. By the time the General was standing on his rostrum, the corps was at attention ready for his inspection, with the colour fl ying resplendently at our centre, borne by Colour Sergeant Harvey. The General then moved among the contingent, speaking to the cadets about their experience in the CCF and asking about plans for joining the regular services later on.

The parade then fell out to its duties, which included demonstrations (seemingly devised with alliteration in mind) of fi eld craft, fi rst aid, fi re-and-manœuvre, front line infantry weapons, and fi nally the fl ight simulator. I can say with some certainty that the General, one of three men who had the authority to launch air strikes in Afghanistan, relished the opportunity to (virtually) sit in the cockpit and pull the trigger to launch four cruise missiles at a Russian submarine pen.

It was then time for the buffet lunch, the very antithesis of the 24-hour ration pack, so that no man or woman’s desire went without an equal share in the feast. With the guests briefed on what they would be shown next, the contingent reconvened on the parade ground (a.k.a. the Finlay Pitch) for the arena events.

The fi rst two of these were drill displays, demonstrations of discipline, coordination and precision, one of which was performed ‘at arms’. The second was a tent-building challenge, designed to show off and test both the commanders’ leadership qualities and their teams’ ability to work together effectively. The fi nale comprised a phalanx of our elite infantrymen attempting to rescue a casualty under fi re, involving an advance into and retreat from no-man’s land, all under intense enemy fi re, although his exact location was hidden by smoke blanketing the battlefi eld, a remarkable precursor to the cloud which obscured the eclipse of the following day. For one fi nal time we all formed up, and both the General and Captain Beggs addressed the contingent and the guests. The General was greatly impressed by what he had seen, and consequently I must thank my colleagues in the CCF, and all of our members of staff, especially Mr Beggs and Mr Gardner, for devoting all the time and effort which made possible our successful inspection. I’m sure I speak for us all in saying that what a relief it is for that to be over with for two years.Matthew Pugh, 5JG


Having successfully completed our Biennial inspection on the Thursday it was time to celebrate our achievements of the year and indeed of the last hundred years in suitable style at the KGS CCF’s centenary dinner. Being such a unique event in the School’s history everyone was appropriately turned out in their smartest attire and the School Hall was transformed into a grand banquet room.

The dinner was not only attended by current pupils and staff but also by Old Kingstonians from the cadet force including as guest speaker Lieutenant-General Riley, who had previously inspected our contingent, now in the position of a friend rather than an offi cer, and the atmosphere was much more relaxed.

After we had all caught up with old friends over some excellent food, the Lieutenant-General delivered an

inspiring speech on the history and importance of the CCF in its long lifetime and shared some of his fond memories of his time in the cadet force, accompanied by the appreciative guffawing of his former classmates. Captain Beggs then delivered his thanks to everyone involved with the CCF for its continued success over it’s hundred year life to more hearty bellowing and banging of tables. Everyone made sure to drink in the moment before saying fond farewells to old friends and comrades as this may (unfortunately) turn out to be the last time that some of them meet.

The whole dinner was a great success and a testament to the CCF’s legacy, which hopefully will continue for many more years to come.

Colour Sergeant Style

Centenary Dinner

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Commemoration

For the third year in succession we were fortunate to have the use of the Rose Theatre for our annual Act of Commemoration on Friday 6th March, and it was wonderful to be able to bring the whole School community together and to welcome guests from the ranks of current parents, current and former governors, former staff, alumni and friends of the School and the outgoing head of Tiffi n Boys’ School, Miss Hilda Clarke.

The theme of the celebrations, in a year which sees the anniversaries of, among other signifi cant moments, the signing of Magna Carta, the fi rst English parliament, the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo, the end of the Second World War and Nelson Mandela’s release from Robben Island, was Freedom. The Head Master began proceedings with an address in which he looked back over the 454 years of the School’s known history and further back into the mists of its 13th Century beginnings, acknowledging the debt we owed to those who had been the benefactors of the School in that time. He also recalled the signifi cant milestones of the last 100 or so years, from the refounding and renaming of the School in 1904, the fi rst overseas trips in the 1920s, the creation of the Houses in the 1930s, and the acquisition of Ditton Field in the 1950s, to the opening of the QEII Building in 2005.

Education, the Head Master went on, was not just a key part of freedom, it was a freedom in its own right, providing a wealth of opportunities and the chance to be of benefi t to the world around us. One of the hardest freedoms to accept, he said, was freedom from the pressures of expectation, be they from friends, family or the media. It was important to embrace the freedom to fail, not to like everything about oneself, or agree with everyone, the freedom to feel a little low and to know that growing up is not always easy – the sorts of issues tackled in our paradoxically successful Failure Days. He said he wanted students to be free to be happy, and free to succeed in ways that would be of benefi t to others. In short, they should work well, be happy and be free.The address was followed by a variety of contributions, musical, discursive and dramatic. Music featured strongly with a superb concert piece for French horn and piano entitled ‘Libertus’, played by its composer Peter le Tissier on horn accompanied by Mr von Freyhold, a lively rendition of the theme from ‘The Naked Gun’ by Mr Gough’s jazz band of Diasy Langston, George Casci, Will Lloyd, Zachary Procter, Peter Dawson, Josh Hill, Rebecca Holt, Sophie Bien-Nowakowski, Thomas Reed, Faiz Saleem and Lucy Roberts, and a sensational version of Queen’s ‘I Want to be Free’, featuring Robert Bern in Hendrix mode on guitar, with Luke Mobley underpinning the rhythm section on piano alongside the calmly impressive Grace Lloyd on drums and super-talented Lucy Roberts on bass and backing vocals, while Min-Woong Seo added a classy new dimension to the old standard on violin and Aoife Parr, fresh from her gig at Ronnie Scott’s (see p.15), was as powerful a presence as ever on vocals.

e


The spoken word was represented by a series of readings from Gibbon Society luminaries Ben Doble and Serena Sekhon, highlighting the contribution of fi ve key individuals – Mary Wollstonecraft, Mahatma Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto, Nelson Mandela and Aung San Suu Kyi, a powerful and superbly crafted and delivered personal piece by the CCF’s Lance Corporal Flo Haly on the Liberation of France in 1944, and a lively, entertaining and crowd-pleasing informal debate, heated but always good-humoured, from the Gibbon Society’s Oliver Cole and Matthew Pugh, chaired by a long-suffering but very patient and calming Joe Underwood.The dramatic element was provided by A2 Drama students Rishi Manuel, Sophie Smith, Milly Stell, Amelia Cashman, Peter Alvey, Alice Reid, and Tom Currey in an extract from Steven Berkoff’s adaptation of Kafka’s ‘The Trial’ – a searching, biting satire on freedom and justice in modern society, superbly realised and performed by this very strong cast using many of the techniques of physical theatre and the total sense of conviction we have come to associate with them.It was, then, a hugely enjoyable but also seriously thought-provoking celebration of this most important but perhaps most fragile of our values. Our thanks to all the staff and pupils who put so much into making this event so special and so successful, not least the technical team, the CCF, who stewarded the event and the Rose Theatre who were our hosts. It is well worth remembering why the day’s theme is so important and celebrating our tenuous hold on it, and echo Caliban in ‘The Tempest’, hallooing the aspiration of primitive man, and sing ‘Freedom, high-day! High-day, freedom! Freedom, high day, freedom!’ NDB

14

Torpeddio on Target!

In last month’s Newsletter we reported on the challenge facing First Year pupil Eddie Hunt of competing in 18 events at the Middlesex County Swimming Championships. Now we can report that Eddie enjoyed a hugely successful Championships, the highlight being winning a county title with gold in the 400m Individual Medley. He also won four further medals - two silvers for the 1500m freestyle and the 100m breaststroke, and two bronzes for the 50m and 200m breaststroke. He was in a top fi ve position in 14 of the 18 events he swam, achieving PB’s in all but one. As a result he now has 14 regional qualifying times. The Regionals take place in early May and are swum in the 50m pools at the London Aquatic Centre and Crystal Palace. We will follow his progress with a keen interest!And if that was not enough, Eddie has been given two awards by his swimming club - the Age Group Award and the Cairns Trophy, which is awarded to the boy ‘showing keen spirit, unselfi sh attitude and good all round performance with improved times’.Not a bad month, really!

JORGE MESTRE SAXOFONISTA

KGS’s own jazz legend, fourth-former George Casci, has taken some time off school recently to tie up with a music academy in Wandsworth and a Brazilian Ministry of Culture exchange leading up to Brazil 2016. As part of the programme he played Speaker’s House in Westminster Palace on 26 February, The All England Club a few weeks later and a big concert on 24th March at the Brazilian Embassy for various ambassadors and attaches. George is playing in ensemble and performing various solos with talented youngsters and Brazilian professionals. In the audience at Speaker’s House was Julian Joseph, pianist, composer and broadcaster, who was very complimentary. A professional video has been commissioned by the Ministry of Culture, and a clip from the fi rst event’s rushes is attached. The fi nal product will be fi nished later in the year and contains interviews and profi les of young London musicians across a range of cultures and languages.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPmkB4AahBc&feature=youtu.be

PEOPLE


Aoife Parr Debuts at Ronnie

Scott’s

Already a seasoned performer before she turned fourteen (she played at the Royal Albert Hall last summer), there is no stopping Aoife Parr! Sunday 1st March marked her début at Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club. Aoife couldn’t believe how lucky she was to have been selected for the ‘Big Band in a Day’ event in the fi rst place, but the occasion itself exceeded her expectations. She said, ‘the whole day was totally captivating, a once-in-a-lifetime experience; everyone was so friendly, relaxed and we learnt so much!’ After a full day’s rehearsals with just fi fteen or so other children aged between 12 and 18, they played ‘Moton Swing’ and ‘C-Jam Blues’, which included a lot of improvisation, to a packed house before ‘Metheny Big Band’ took to the Stage. Even the next morning, Aoife was still buzzing from her experience; she’d met lots of new people from all over the country, but the highlight was being told that she was the fi rst French Horn player to have played at Ronnie Scott’s! (‘Horn’ in Jazz terms is a trumpet so Aoife had had to play a trombone part!)

Just one month ago, on Sunday 1st February, Aoife had performed at the Royal Festival Hall with the National Children’s Orchestra (NCO) for the second time in her life! Sadly the occasion was a Memorial Concert for Vivienne Price MBE (1931 – 2014), Founder of the NCO. They played favourites such as the Radetzky March by Strauss, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lark Ascending, as well as lesser known pieces such as Flop-eared Mule by Dabczynski, a little gem of a piece which all ex-NCO children (including my own sons!) will have fond memories of having played. Although, naturally, the occasion was tinged with sadness at the loss of such a fi gurehead in the youth music world, Aoife said it was ‘amazing’ and described the atmosphere as ‘emotional yet electric’. The balloons coming down at the end turned the event in to a true celebration of their Founder’s life and work.

Aoife’s next project is her début at the Barbican on Sunday 29 March performing Mahler 2, the Resurrection Symphony, with Thames Youth Orchestra (TYO) alongside fellow students Peter Le Tissier (U6) and Grace Lloyd (2nd year) as well as ex-KGS TYO alumna Kath Roberts.

If Aoife continues at this speed, who knows, maybe she’ll make her Wigmore Hall début before she leaves KGS!

TW

16

Maggini concert

On Friday 27th February our Music Scholars participated in a shared concert with the Maggini Quartet, with whom KGS now has an established partnership. The Maggini project included a private concert for KGS’s best musicians, followed by several masterclasses with the Music Scholars’ chamber groups, and the fi nal concert showed the excellent work they have all produced.

The fi rst half comprised six School chamber groups, and was opened by the experienced trio of Cassie Quick (violin), Lucy Roberts (cello) and Kevin Liu (piano), who performed Tchaikovsky’s Chant sans Paroles with sensitivity, mature musicianship, and well-developed interaction between the performers. Another established group, the Brass Trio of Josh Hill on trumpet and Peter Le Tissier and Aoife Parr on horn, performed an arrangement of Sullivan’s Madrigal from The Mikado with competent professionalism, negotiating the tempo changes with ease.

Our youngest group followed: Shayma Al Saraf and Emilia Hazel on violins and Emily Sprackling on cello; they played a Haydn Minuet and Trio with some accomplishment and showed a developing sense of ensemble. A charming Telemann Trio Sonata movement followed, showcasing the mellifl uous tones of Nonny Jones (oboe) and Zoe Mason (fl ute), and providing a pleasant moment of calm. They were succeeded by the clarinet and fl ute duo of Alborz Farahati and Penny Cairney Leeming; mismatched in height, but not in musicality, they played Rutter’s Fanfare and Proclamation with aplomb and assurance, a very impressive duo. The last item in the KGS half was the fi rst movement of Beethoven’s Quartet in F major, Op. 18 No. 1. In an excellent performance, the sense of conversation and ebb and fl ow was apparent, and the manic scale passages were negotiated with confi dence, rounding off the KGS half of the concert impressively.

For the second half, the Maggini Quartet played Dvořák’s String Quartet Op. 106, in G major. This is an extraordinary, breathtaking piece of chamber music, exploiting the instrumentation to the full, with almost octet-like writing in many places, and developed in the manner of, and to the length of, a Mahler symphony. It was an astonishing performance, showing just how much can be achieved with just four instruments, and provided an fantastic model for our students to emulate.

All agreed that the concert had been a superb example of music-making at its fi nest. Not only did we see a group of international renown, but also their approach and advice has helped our scholars to fi ne-tune their own chamber performances to professional standards. We are now hugely looking forward to next year’s event!

PH

THE ARTS

18

KGS Choral Society Oratorio Concert

‘St Paul’ by Felix Mendelssohn

It is rare nowadays for Mendelssohn’s fi rst Oratorio ‘St Paul’ to get an outing in this country, but the KGS musical community pulled out all the stops on March 15th at the Rose Theatre and gave those of us lucky enough to be in the audience a magnifi cent performance under the controlled direction of Mr von Freyhold. Professional soloists (Charlotte-Anne Shipley, Norbert Meyn and Samuel Evans) and orchestra led by Julie Monument had been engaged for the occasion. This gave a splendid opportunity for the young singers of the various School Choirs, as well as the KGS Choral Society, to take part in such a high quality musical performance. Both the use of Lutheran chorales as the basis for much of the music and the work’s structure, which juxtaposed dramatic narration and more refl ective arias and chorales in the style of Bach’s Passions and Cantatas, reminded us that Mendelssohn was infl uential in the nineteenth century revival of the latter’s music, and it seemed highly appropriate to be hearing this with Passiontide and Easter approaching.

The theatrical venue was well suited to the dramatic nature of the narrative of Saul’s journey from persecutor of the early Christians to Christian leader via his conversion on the road to Damascus. Subtle use of lighting effects added to the musical impact of the conversion scene and for the listener the beautiful sound of four part female voices from on high at this juncture was a highlight of the evening.


The choirs had clearly been extremely well prepared. The text was well enunciated and good tuning and rhythmical accuracy were well in evidence. Although it is invidious perhaps to pick out individual performances, Samuel Evans’ burnished bass voice brought authority and the appropriate emotional tone to the title role. There were some beautiful sounds from the principal oboe and skilfully negotiated solo parts for the principal cello. One rather delightful touch (perhaps making a virtue of necessity) was the use of three altos from the School Chamber Choir to join the three soloists to make up the fourth part of a beautiful solo quartet chorale. No doubt the absence of the solo contralto part was due to the need to perform a version of the piece of manageable length.

Above all a very impressive array of musical talent was on show, evidence of how KGS music continues to thrive. Events such as this, of course, do not happen without a lot of work behind the scenes and it is important to acknowledge the substantial contributions and support of many KGS staff – Miss Hyde, Mr Tierney and Mr Selimi, but particularly Mrs Watkins, who held the event together with her inimitable style.

Christopher Roberts (Parent)

Photographs: Rajiv Sachdev www.fi rstphotogrpher.com

20

House Drama

This year’s House Drama Competition was a seriously impressive event, and an impressively serious one, though there was a huge amount of fun along the way as well. The adjudicators for the evening were Lorna Rees, currently Artistic Director of Gobbledegook Theatre, and Eleanor Buchan, an actress, theatre-maker and story-teller who has worked in just about everything, from rep and Shakespeare to site-specifi c improvisation, dance and immersive theatre. Both of them declared themselves overwhelmed by the quality of what they had seen, and by the maturity, professionalism and total commitment of everyone involved. This included the ‘amazing’ compéres, Lydia Cozens and Sam Kan, who were slick, confi dent and very funny.

The theme of the Competition was ‘Difference’, and fi rst on stage were Lovekyn with ‘Four Walls’, devised and directed by George Parrott, Charlotte Samady, Archie Sturton and Natasha Thomas, a play which set out to show the effects of mental illness on family life. This was a cleverly constructed piece in which stylised mime and movement blended with (what we took to be) realism to create the inner torment of the leading character, played with real compassion by Jamie Bisping, who is convinced he is the target of relentless and remorseless bullying and belittling by his sister, the excellent Maddie Kelly, and everyone with whom he comes into contact, all of which we see acted out, and unable to believe that no-one else will admit to seeing or hearing what is to him so blindingly obvious. Take two, and we suddenly see a different reality, this time showing how groundless the boy’s version of events is, his low self-esteem the result of paranoid delusion not deliberate undermining. Take three and we see the boy’s dawning realisation of this and thus the emergence of something like hope for his future. The adjudicators were full of praise for the energy and maturity shown by a young cast and the confi dent performances of the two leads. This was, they said, fantastic work, with the switch between the artifi ce of mime and realism producing a genuinely surprising revelation. The theme was handled with great compassion, making mental illness something we could all relate to, empathise with and understand. A tremendous start to the evening!

In contrast to Lovekyn’s bleak minimalism, Queen’s gave us colour, warmth and noise with ’The World’s End’, set in a pub of the same name, crowded with colourful characters, a focal point of the local community. A large cast of young performers gave us some great ensemble work as the regulars come together to try to save their pub from the merciless hands of the property developers, represented by lowly fi xer Miles Compton. Miles was excellent, and his character, as the adjudicators pointed out, carefully

drawn. He was no black-hatted villain, no monstrous fat-cat, just the messenger boy, the one who, to put bread on the table, had the unpleasant job of telling pub landlords they had to get out if they couldn’t afford to buy the land their pubs occupied at the market rate. Of course, the regulars try all manner of fund-raising ruses, but inevitably fall short and so it is the end of the world for The World’s End. The adjudicators thought this a ‘beautiful piece of work’ by directors Laura Marcus, James Gawn, Niamh Cullinane and Grace Kelly. They loved the mix of ages in the cast, the enthusiastic and committed rhubarbing that created the sense of the busy, happy pub, where diverse characters and social oddballs were given space and love, but for whom there was, realistically but all too sadly, no fairy-tale happy ending. The ensemble playing was excellent - almost choric - and the play dealt with serious contemporary issues realistically but with great compassion. Ensemble piece though it was, the judges found special praise for Omid Alavi’s comic timing, and I was taken by the performances of Luca Kamleh Chapman as the landlord, Olivia Arnold as the landlady and Dennis Rigby as the fl ashy Gregg (with three Gs! ) And it was great to see that blue hat on stage again – fi rst sported in House Drama by Clare Bergenroth almost a quarter of a century ago. It was a star then and was again now. I think there should be a rule that it has to appear every year.After the interval came Taverner, with ‘Inside the Outsiders’, an insight into the minds of patients at an unhappy group therapy session, written by Danny Livingstone and directed by him and Joanne Sivanathan, Teddy Coward and George Kitson. Danny was also one of the characters and began the play setting out the chairs for what was to follow, and from the very beginning we knew we were in for something very special. Danny set the scene metaphorically as well as literally. He created the mood and atmosphere perfectly, and by nothing more than the way he looked and the precise, deliberate way he moved and spoke. And in the eyes, and by the minutely observed


costume. The great character actress and comedienne Sheila Steafel once said building a character starts with the shoes – and while most school (and especially House) productions are plagued by the presence of so many school shoes Danny’s glistening white trainers were spot on. (That blue hat has a very similar effect!) In the days when we had an award for best actor, Danny would have won it before he even opened his mouth. There followed a series of harrowing monologues, each superbly delivered by an experienced and very strong cast while the others acted out the anxieties being described, and all cleverly linked by commentaries from Lydia Fisher-Norton’s therapist Rosemary. The adjudicators loved this device, commenting on the detailed ensemble playing it involved and praising Lydia for handling the diffi cult task of holding it all together with such skill. All the actors gave convincing performances, they said, and showed great commitment. Danny, of course, deserved special mention, not only for taking on the onerous and very challenging task of writing, acting and directing, but for his superbly detailed and fi nely observed performance.

And so fi nally to Walworth, with ‘Nightmare’, directed by Josie Palmer, Maya Yousif and Paula Antalffy. This piece was a comic exploration of the repercussions of a minor accident involving much satirical humour at the expense of the press, the NHS and pushy mums. The cast adopted a novel approach to the shoe dilemma by deciding to perform in bare feet, which was sort of democratic and neutral, but the most notable theatrical device was the gender-blind casting of Christian Maddock as the pushy mum – an hilarious stroke of genius. No-one else could have pulled it off half so well, and the adjudicators loved it. Again, beautiful ensemble work and stagecraft won special mention (the chorus of four doctors and reporters were very funny). The two leads, Sofi e Procter and Rory Stroud, from the First Year and Second Year respectively, rightly earned particular praise for their performances (and might have jointly challenged Danny for the acting prize had there been one) and

the switching of stories, the physical working out of the narrative and the music sequences all worked very well. When we had acting awards there was one for supporting actor, and two real contenders stood out from this cast, I thought, along with Omid from Queen’s. Joshua Staner threw himself into his role as doctor/reporter and created a real connection with the audience, and Amelia Metcalf was strikingly poised and disciplined in her movement, gesture and the all important use of her eyes. Hers was a small role but a riveting performance.And then we all relaxed and waited for the verdict. Opinion was clearly divided. Taverner’s was, the audience clearly felt, a very serious piece of Drama and a very serious contender for the title, but would the relatively small cast and restricted age range count against them? Lovekyn had great style and that clever structure – hard to beat for writing – as well as a very strong cast. Queen’s was full of warmth and colour and compassion – great writing, great ensemble work, great acting. Walworth had many of the virtues of all the others – physicality, stagecraft, ensemble playing, good writing – and added great comedy. What a diffi cult task, we felt. And the adjudicators agreed! They said it had been an almost impossible decision, but in the end had concluded that Walworth were fourth, Taverner third, Lovekyn second and the winners were Queen’s. Congratulations to all of them. Thanks too to the Drama Department and Miss Boulton in particular for overseeing it all, to the unseen marvels of the technical crews and to our brilliant adjudicators, who spoke such wisdom – the true mark of a great judge is that the audience feel he or she speaks for them, and Lorna Rees and Eleanor Buchan did that and much more. Thank you to everyone involved for yet another wonderful evening of House Drama.NDB

22

Netball We have had a fantastic second half of the season with squads growing in numbers at after-school practices and results refl ecting the girls’ commitment and hard work. Teams have played in over 9 tournaments and 30 fi xtures, with some wins and, unfortunately, a few losses! Our focus, however, has been on preparing for the Kingston Borough Tournaments, reports of which can be found below.As the season draws to an end, all teams can refl ect on what they have achieved this year and be motivated for next season. With continued practice, shooting clinics and fi tness work, KGS netball will go from strength to strength. A big thank you to Miss Butler and Mrs Storey for their support this season.JS

Borough Championships

U18 – Gold Medal Winners

Expectations were high when Kingston arrived at the Borough Championship. We were the returning Champions, but with only three of last year’s victors still on court we knew it would be a challenge to maintain our title. We started strongly, beating Holy Cross 36-2, a well-deserved result as the team never allowed our style of play to relax or collapse as was exemplifi ed by the speed and effi ciency with which the attack capitalised on possession. The ensuing match, against our greatest rivals, Tiffi n, was by far the most diffi cult match we have ever played. At half time we were losing by six goals. We were playing our usual netball and we were being annihilated. Tiffi n seemed to be the better side; they were doing everything we had done against Holy Cross; they capitalised on possession and played around us. After the break we came back on the court and with every player taking responsibility for moving the ball down the court we began to close in on Tiffi n’s lead. Both in attack and defence we stepped up our game. Whereas previously Tiffi n had been getting a run on us, now the defence effectively shut down their every opportunity and the attack swiftly utilised these interceptions. By working the ball around the post the attack were able to ensure that we were given as many opportunities to score as possible. It paid off. At full time Kingston Grammar was leading by just one goal, but that was all that was needed. Jo Davies, U6

g gt this season.

-

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SPORT

U15 – Silver Medal Winners

On the 3rd March, a nine-strong U15 team headed up the road to Tiffi n Girls to participate in the Borough Tournament. With six matches to play, the afternoon would be challenging, exacerbated by the lack of substitutes in the squad.The opening match was against Tiffi n themselves - a competitive affair which saw the hosts come out on top, 8-5. The next game was against Hollyfi eld, and from the fi rst whistle, play was nearly always in our opponents’ fi nal third, thanks to the combined effort of Rebekah Beaumont, Charlotte Whittle and Fiona Kennedy in the middle of the court. This allowed the well-oiled shooting machine of Jasmin Werner and Hanna West to rack up fourteen goals in twelve minutes. However, the next match, versus Surbiton High, was to prove more diffi cult – a closely contested game which culminated in a 7-7 draw against a well-drilled team who were diffi cult to beat.

Next up was Tolworth Girls’ and an 11-0 win, adding to the goal difference which would ultimately decide the results. The last two matches were against Coombe Girls’ and Holy Cross, and every player threw everything they had at them – although a mammoth defensive effort from Emily Perkins, Jemima Baker, Lucy Tait and Anouk Vaessen deserves a mention for their strength under immense pressure. After trailing 3-5 at the break against Coombe, KGS managed to turn it around to win 8-5, although victory slipped out of the grasp of an exhausted and hard-working KGS team against Holy Cross, and the fi nal score was a 7-10 defeat.However, due to KGS’s prodigious goal difference (which included over fi fty goals scored), a second place medal awaited them – an achievement familiar to the team from their fi rst borough tournament four years ago, and one they have still to better. Nevertheless, I am confi dent that with the commitment and versatility shown by this squad, one day we will be proud owners of gold medals, as well as our numerous silvers.Fiona Kennedy, 4DB


U14 - Silver Medal Winners

On Thursday 12th January we took part in the Kingston Borough Netball Tournament hosted by Tiffi n. Our fi rst match, against Coombe, went well with us winning 14-1. Then we went on throughout the tournament constantly scoring goals and winning matches until we played Tiffi n and unfortunately lost. Then our last match was against Surbiton. It was very close and we came out drawing. Overall we came back with silver medals and we all played very well, especially Rachel Heynike who made some great interceptions. This was an exceptional result for the squad.Jess Francis, 3HL

U13

On Thursday 12th January, the U13s took part in the Kingston Borough Netball Tournament. Our fi rst match was against CCC and we beat them 17-0. Then we went on to beat Tolworth, Coombe and Hollyfi eld. However, we narrowly missed beating Tiffi n, Surbiton High and Holy Cross. We only lost each match by two goals. Everyone played exceptionally well as we had back-to-back games. We had some outstanding individual performances by Issy James and Guilia Duggan. Overall we came 4th, thanks to some great coaching by Mrs Stapleton.Sara Gotham-Pardo, 2AB

U12

On the 13th March the U12 A team went to the Kingston Borough Netball Tournament at Tiffi n Girls’ School. They played six games and played extremely well as a team. They won 4-3 against Holy Cross. They lost 6-4 to Surbiton High, won by a brilliant 14-4 against Coombe and a very tense 7-6 against Hollyfi eld, then drew 5-5 with Tolworth and unfortunately lost to Tiffi n Girls’. The girls had a great experience playing as a team and thoroughly enjoyed their fi rst Borough Netball Tournament, fi nishing in a proud fourth place. Everyone had a brilliant time and took a hilarious team photo for Comic Relief, starring their red noses. A massive well done to Jasmin Good (captain), Lily Mercier, Jess Larkin, Shayma Al Saraf, Charlotte Higham, Maria Uria Kabashima, Gabby Linney, Sophie Merriman, Clara John, Simi Isaacson and Matilda Halliwell. BRING ON NEXT YEAR!!!!!

UU14 -

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U13

alliwell.RING ON NEXT YEAR!!!!!

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and played extremely well as a i h b b illi 14 4 i C b d

24

U16 Boys

South Heats

Because of KGS’s success in the previous stage of the tournament, we now had to travel to Southampton on 5th March to compete in the South Heats stage of the National Cup competition.The fi rst match was against Ardingly. We had a very strong start to the game with Zach Wallace giving us the lead. Unfortunately, a lack of concentration seemed to be our downfall yet again and Ardingly equalised. The rest of the match was tense with a few notable chances at either end. In the fi nal few minutes, after a well worked build up, we won a short corner which was dispatched with perfection with a Joe Hughes drag fl ick into the top left of the goal to win us the match.After a short break, we were back on again against Magdalen College School. We didn’t start the game particularly well, but despite this Zach Wallace put us in front. With only one circle penetration, somehow

Magdalen managed to level the score. Then, a nicely fi nished 1v1 from Will Freeman put KGS back in front going into half time. After the break, an inspired Magdalen came back to level things up 2-2. As in the previous match, we managed to win a short corner in the dying minutes of the game which, as in the previous match, Joe Hughes emphatically fi nished off to win us the match - again…Finally, we were set to play our fi nal and most signifi cant game of the group so far against King Edward VI. Whoever won this would top the group and therefore have an easier draw in the South quarters. Aware of this, we started the game with great composure and professionalism. We dominated the fi rst ten minutes of the game, and got the all-important fi rst goal. We then defended the rest of the game extremely well and managed to hold on to secure a 1-0 win. We had topped the group and had now progressed to the South Quarter-Finals.

HOCKEY

U18 Boys

Round of 16

The U18 boys went into the Round of 16 of the National Cup, against Bradfi eld College, full of confi dence after their strong display against RGS High Wycombe. They started the game very brightly and after some hard pressing Ben Park intercepted a ball from their centre back and played it to Mark Samuel, who took it past one defender and scored with a bit of fortune as the ball went through the keeper’s legs. KGS kept their high tempo up for the rest of the half meaning the score was 1-0 at the midway point. In the second half KGS were often on the back foot but were able to withstand the pressure with some heroic defending. However, when the ball was controversially hit into the KGS D at head height and wasn’t blown up for dangerous play, the ball eventually struck the foot of a defender. From the penalty corner Bradfi eld converted through a defl ection. Bradfi eld kept piling on the pressure and not long after they went 2-1 up with an excellent solo goal. The game then started to pick up for Kingston, and when Bradfi eld decided to sit back and try to absorb the pressure they were punished. Despite having one man sent off, Kingston managed to win a penalty corner. Owen Williamson had his drag-fl ick saved off the line but Ronan Harvey-Kelly was there to tap in. The fi nal whistle blew again bringing a game to penalty fl icks for Kingston. Matt Newton, the goalkeeper, managed to repeat his heroics from Reed’s with two terrifi c saves, however, meaning Kingston comfortably went through.

Quarter Finals The quarter-fi nal draw saw KGS coming up against Repton away from home, bringing together two teams with great histories in the National Cup competition. Right from push back the game was played at 100 miles an hour, with Repton taking an early lead. Kingston quickly responded through Owen Williamson from a penalty corner and not too long after a ball from Jake Winterbottom to the back post and a deft touch from Lewis Godliman meant Kingston went 2-1 up. However, Repton were a very strong side and had quality throughout and they equalised just before half time. Repton piled huge amounts of pressure on Kingston in the second half but Kingston arguably had the better chances, with efforts from Jake Winterbottom, Mark Samuel and Owen Williamson. The fi nal whistle blew and Kingston were into yet another penalty fl ick competition. This time, however, they could not manage to pull it off and went out narrowly, 5-4. This meant the end to a great cup run for Kingston and certainly one they shouldn’t be disappointed with, fi nishing in the top eight schools in England. Mark Samuel, L6JJT


U14 Boys

South Heats

Having qualifi ed for the South heats by beating Dulwich 4-2 in the semi-fi nals of the London fi nals, we were drawn in a group with Merchant Taylor’s, Eastbourne and Langley Park.

We were missing James Thompson, our regular centre back, so Mr Wiliamson decided to switch things around, playing myself at centre back and Josh at centre mid. This gave a better balance to the team and worked quite well.

We played Merchant Taylor’s fi rst and had most of the possession, playing high up the pitch. However, they did have some good players, their inside right in particular had some good skills and he was the one who was to create all their chances. Unfortunately, despite having most of the possession and creating chance after chance, we were unable to score. So, as often happens, Taylor’s scored with one of only a couple of chances to snatch a victory.

We played Eastbourne next and this was supposedly our best opportunity. Again we had the possession and territory, but again we were unable to convert. And guess what? Eastbourne scored with their fi rst chance- a short corner. After half time Mr Wiliamson played me at left wing to try and get a goal. I won a corner after beating a couple of players and being tripped. I then scored the corner on the second attempt, but Eastbourne held out for 1-1.

We therefore had to beat Langley Park in our last match to go through. AGAIN the chances were there, and Langley failed to get out of their half, their centre back, who had a good aerial, being their only outlet from the back. In the closing seconds a cross from Sam Langston went right across the face of the goal with no one being able to get the fi nal touch. The score was 0-0 meaning we were knocked out of the competition. The disappointment was that we played well as a team and we knew we were easily good enough to progress but were unable to show that.

Jonny Kerr, 3HL

South Quarter Finals

After a wavy performance in the South heats and a disappointing result against Reed’s the weekend before, the team really needed to hit top form for this ‘winner takes all’ clash. We had been drawn against Stowe, a team from Buckinghamshire. We knew little about them but they had performed well in their South heats, beating Langley Park, who defeated us earlier in the season. We started the game with lots of possession and with Stowe playing the ‘half-court’, but only fi ve minutes in a well-worked move resulted in a short corner. James Hall stood up and produced a good fl ick low into the bottom right hand corner. We kept the ball well and created some good opportunities although without any signifi cant outcomes. Towards the end of the fi rst half Stowe abandoned their defensive style and started to create some opportunities, most notably a shot from close range, but an excellent diving save from Will Garside prevented them from the equaliser. Still only 1-0 up at half-time we went into half time with a feeling of frustration as we refl ected on many missed chances, including one that was easier to score than miss from Alfi e Style.

We started the second half like the fi rst, with lots of possession but this time resulting in numerous short corners which, however, failed to provide us with a goal. A tense ten minutes followed with Stowe constantly putting pressure on our back four, but we defended well and prevented them from scoring the equaliser yet again. Up at the other end, another short corner was won and well scored by Tom Gooding to double our lead. Stowe’s heads started to drop and just a few minutes later a good breakaway goal was put away by Michael Moran, with a little help from Nick Browning. We continued to press on with a good through ball from Zach Wallace which Michael Moran got to just before the Stowe keeper and defl ected into the bottom corner for the fourth goal. For the fi nal goal, Zach Wallace received the ball from Alfi e and forced a save from the Stowe keeper, but he pushed in the rebound to make the fi nal score 5-0. We had now progressed to the South semi- fi nals.

Ed Darwin

26

U12 Girls

Alleyn’s Tournament

On Thursday 12th March the U12 A+B tournament at Alleyn’s took place. This tournament was very important for the KGS girls entered partly because it is one of the fi rst of many that they participated in. Both teams fi nished in well-earned third places. The As won three matches and lost two. They played Alleyn’s As and Bs, and Streatham and Clapham High School, winning all three matches. Unfortunately they were narrowly beaten by Surbiton High and Thomas’s Prep, Clapham. The Bs also played very well winning their match against Royal Russell, drawing with Surbiton High Cs, Ibstock and Alleyn’s and just losing to Surbiton High Bs.

The Bs also started very positively with bright eyes and the resolve to win. The goalies (Shayma Al Saraf and Simi Isaacson), however, were the defi nite stars of the matches. We lost count of the number of saves they achieved. When the As where faced with the challenge of penalty fl icks, Simi Isaacson, the As goalie, stepped up to the challenge having never done so before. She saved all three attempts, which, when combined with Emma Sloan’s fantastic goal, resulted in a win. Overall the girls played incredibly well and they are looking forward to taking part in many more. Well done girls!!!

U13 Girls

London Tournament

On Thursday the 12th of March the U13 girls went to Alleyn’s School to play in the London Tournament. The fi rst match was against the home team. Throughout the match the score was level at 1-1 but KGS managed to score a goal in the last minute, beating the biggest competition in their pool.The next match was against Thomas’ Clapham and KGS won 3-1 and then KGS also won the next matches against KCS Wimbledon Bs (8-0) and KCS Wimbledon As (5-1). This meant that KGS had won their pool, which meant that we would play Broomwood Hall in the semi-fi nals and Alleyn’s (who came second in their pool) would play Surbiton High.KGS managed to beat Broomwood Hall 3-0, which meant that we had got through to the next round of the tournament, the South heats. However, we still had to play Surbiton in the fi nals.KGS played really well against Surbiton and managed to beat them 3-0! This means that we won the tournament! All in all it was a very successful day and we are getting ready to hopefully play as well as we did in the London tournament in the South round.Issy James, 2KC

U13 Boys

London Tournament

On Tuesday 10 March, the U13 Boys’ A and B teams played in the London Tournament, hosted at Ditton Field. It was a 7-a-side tournament with two groups. KGS A played Whitgift A and B, Dulwich A and Trinity. The B team played against Dulwich B and Trinity B. It was a highly competitive event in which the KGS teams struggled to win many matches but there was great team spirit and the boys felt that they learnt lots to take through to the U14s next season. Thank you coaches, Mr Durban and Mr Beaumont.

Callum Farr, 2MW

U12 A Boys

London Tournament

This was the U12As fi rst hockey tournament at KGS. They would face teams that had been playing hockey for years more than they had.

Their fi rst match was against Alleyn’s School. Unfortunately they lost this 5-1 with Marcus Newbury scoring our only goal. They played well but unfortunately Alleyn’s had more experience than KGS. Their next match was against Trinity. The boys were disappointed with their defeat in the previous match and were determined to win this one. The result was 1-0 to KGS with a great goal from Joseph Highes. The boys were very happy with this result. Next they played Dulwich College but unfortunately they lost this 5-0. The last match was against Whitgift, a very tough side. They lost this 7-0.

After a great day but with only one win KGS were out of the tournament. Thank you, Mr Durban and Mr Beaumont, for a fantastic day.

Jamie Hughes, 1LJ


Schools’ Head

The biggest Head race for schools of the year took place with 6 KGS crews racing. The leading boats from the senior boys and girls all raced well but some of the results were frustrating. The Boys’ 1st VIII were aiming for a top fi ve fi nish in their category and raced well but fi nished 8th, and 31st overall. It is worth noting that seven seconds faster would have seen KGS 5th in the category and whilst overtaking Cheltenham College Will Burden, the cox, was forced out of the stream for approximately a third of the course. The Boys’ 2nd VIII also had substitutes due to illness and considering the endless crew changes in the preceding weeks should be pleased with their row. They were all J16s on the day and they fi nished 12th against crews containing J17 and J18 rowers, but their time put them 6th in J16 1st VIIIs.The Girls’ Quad produced a solid performance; we were expecting a top 10 fi nish and the girls came 8th out of 23 crews. To reach the fi nal at the National Schools’ Regatta in May will mean a top 6 fi nish, but the girls are working well and achieved the result they are capable of.The J15 crews were mixed. The Boys’ VIII, with little time together as a crew due to a mix of illness and other school commitments, raced well on the day to fi nish in the top half of their category. The Girls’ J15 squad had a hard day. The VIII raced well and 14th is disappointing for the girls, but this squad has a great attitude and are consistently picking up speed; they will be more competitive in the summer! The Girls’ J15 coxed four, racing a year ahead in the J16 category, unsurprisingly were last in their category but did scalp a handful of boys’ crews, which was a good day for them.

PS

rowing

Kingston Head

Sixty-eight members of KGS Boat Club took part in Kingston Head on 20 March and while there were no victories to celebrate, eight of the 11 crews that raced achieved “podium” positions, with four second and four third place fi nishes. The time-trial event featured crews from all ranges of age and ability. A Leander Club eight packed with world champions and Olympic medallists led off the morning division, which also included 27 KGS under-14s competing on their home water for the fi rst time. An octuple coxed by Jonathan Christov fi nished third in their category (seven minutes behind those men from Leander). A girls’ J14 octuple was third in their event, as was a girls’ J14 quadruple scull, beating crews from Twickenham RC, Surbiton High School and Walbrook RC.Two boys’ under-15 crews competed against adults in the Novice coxed fours event and fi nished an impressive second and fi fth respectively. A J15 girls’ four and J16 boys’ eight also fi nished second in their Novice categories, the latter from a fi eld of 18 boats and behind only a crew from Imperial College.Four of the School’s top boys, coxed by Will Burden, fi nished second in their event, behind St John’s College, Cambridge but 26 seconds ahead of the next-best crew in a time of 19 minutes 49 seconds. Meanwhile, the Under-15 girls’ eight raced up an age group, beating Canford School’s J16 crew to fi nish third.For many this was the fi nal race of term, with the summer regatta season next on the calendar. The National Schools’ Regatta takes place from 22-24 May.MWG

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****************************Friday 8 May

Jazz and Popular Music Night

Theatre 7.00 pm to 10.00 pm

Everyone welcome

Speak to Mr Selimi for details

[email protected]

****************************

KGS Newsletter March 2015

Documents

Transcript of KGS Newsletter March 2015