Newsletter Term 4 2011

Mystery of the hot

wall solved

HEADMASTER’S FOREWORD

In this issue:

Headmaster’s Foreword 2

Ski Trip to the Italian Dolomites 3

Year 7 Cursed Chalice Competition 4

Year 9 Science in Action Trip 5

Oxford University Materials Science Workshop 6

Charities and Competition 7

Stem Award Ceremony 8

Sustainable Schools 9

Mystery of the Hot Wall 10-11

Edge of Sahara 2011 12 - 14

Memorabilia 15 -16

Blazers’ Appeal 17

Club 2000 Winners 18

Dates Ahead 19

Where to start? The cover and the 18 pages that follow, once again speak eloquently of the spirit of Skinners’ boys and their teachers – whose achievements mark the irrepressible power of their teamwork. Whether raising funds for charity, skiing in the Italian Dolomites or trekking on the edge of the Sahara, images of fun, fellowships (and many references to food) fill the newsletter’s pages.

Dip into the record of events and you cannot fail to recognise that Skinners’ boys are a competitive ‘bunch’; writing short stories to challenge their peers or measured in a national arena for their sustainable initiatives, they regularly rise to the challenge and surpass all expectation.

Teamwork is evident too in the window on our archives and in the strength of the unbroken links with our old boys and the too often unrecognised support of parents. Many thanks to ex-Skinner Malcolm Chambers and his father for solving the mystery of the hot gym wall!

That gym is now very much part of the history of the school rather than its present. We will ‘break ground’ on the building of the new Sports Hall in July, as soon as the pupils leave for their summer holidays. They will return to see the framework of the building taking shape. It will take a year to finish, but we are on course to open the long-anticipated Sports Hall just as the Olympics begins in summer 2012.

S J EversonHeadmaster

This year’s ski trip saw 39 boys and 5 staff head off to the Dolomites. After a peaceful flight and uneventful coach journey the boys arrived at their hotel to be greeted by Lucia, their hostess for the week. Lucia spent the next 3 hours running around after the boys as they locked themselves out-of, and on one occasion, into, their rooms. After a gargantuan meal, (and with the slopes a 10 minute bus journey away) the boys got their heads down in preparation for the action-packed week ahead.

Dolomites and Nursery SlopesThe next morning, and almost every morning thereafter, the boys were greeted with a perfect, sunny, alpine view; although the village itself was devoid of snow, the glistening peaks of the Dolomites stood out along a picturesque skyline . After a quick visit to the ski shop the boys hit the slopes with their instructors. The more experienced boys headed straight off to the advanced slopes, whilst the beginners, closely (and very, very slowly) followed by Mr Fleming and Mr Bullen, tackled the nursery slopes for the first time. The next 3 days of skiing were experienced in the most ideal conditions you could hope for and, with the exception of one windy, snowy afternoon where the temperatures plummeted to -15C, the weather remained near perfect all week long. Fantastic skiing was had by all; with the beginners improving with every hour it was only a few days before all of the advanced slopes were dotted with Skinners’ boys carving, or in some cases face-planting, down the mountains.

Night -SkiingThe highlight of the week for most came on the Thursday evening, when the boys had the opportunity to take part in night-skiing . Despite the cool evening air, all groups enjoyed two hours of skiing on the floodlit pistes. In another evening activity the obligatory Bingo competition saw Robbie Britton in year 8 walk away with the top prize of a brand new pair of Salomon trick ski’s and several others winning goggles, sunglasses and large amounts of chocolate.

Special ThanksSpecial thanks should go to the hotel owner Lucia, who made sure that the boys were fed with endless supplies of risotto, meats, cheeses, chips, pasta and salads. Even James Beeson had to complain that this was the first ski trip he’d ever been on where he was going to put weight on!

A fantastic week was had by all, and even Sam Hayes’s attempt to extend his stay by hospitalising himself on the last run, couldn’t put a dampener on the boys ‘ spirits; Miss Montoya made sure that their taxi driver caught us up before the flight home departed.

A Credit to the SchoolAll of the boys involved should be commended for their excellent behaviour and conduct. - they were a credit to the school. We left yet another hotel with a very positive image of the Skinners’ boys.

Tom JamesSki Trip Leader

SKI TRIP 2011 – ITALIAN DOLOMITES

A Quest for All

Over the course of terms two and three, as part of their work in English, the whole of Year 7 honed their story writing skills, entering the Curse of the Chalice Quest competition. With competition strong, two entries from each of the four Houses were selected through student polls for the Chalice Executive Committee to reflect on, before deciding a winner. Discussion over the course of a series of lunchtimes was passionate, well-informed and fair, from all the Executive, before they eventually ranked the stories. A jubilant Robbie French (7 Hunt) scooped First Prize, with Sebastian Shemirani (7 Knott) and Thomas Haynes (7 Sebastian) sharing Second place. Max Umney (7 Hunt) was highly commended in Fourth place. The other placed entries were: Jack Moodie (7 Knott), Hugo Toyne Bridges (7 Atwell), Billy Hobbs (7 Atwell) & Roman Marshall (7 Sebastian).

Readers will no doubt be interested tolearn that Robbie's story will feature in next year's Leopard magazine.

Congratulations to all those who took part.

Chris JohnsonHead of Year 7

Top Row L to R, Jack Moodie, Tom Haynes, Winner Robbie French, Sebastian Shemirani, Max Umney.

Bottom Row L to R, Roman Marshall, Hugo Toyne Bridges, Billy Hobbs

Judges from the four houses together with Mr Johnson

YEAR 7 CURSED CHALICE COMPETITION

On the 23rd of March 2011 the whole of Year nine were fortunate enough to go to University College London to attend lectures on Biology, Chemistry and Physics. From the 5 lectures we were given an insight into what a degree in science could do for us and what kind of career path we could follow.

For me there were many highlights of the trip. One of these was a talk on the everyday science that we do not necessarily see. For example, Dr Nic Harrigan showed us the science behind making a cup of tea. We were shown how to make rings with milk and tea. Dr. Nic did this by adding milk drop by drop to the tea which formed rings (they did eventually fade!).

Matt Parker also delivered an interesting lecture about sound. He played us a medley of songs down a tube with gas going into it, which he set alight. As the songs changed there were naturally different sound waves, so the height of the flames altered - this looked really cool.

There were also talks on how to regenerate the brain, the big bang theory and the science behind magic - all gripping . The speakers were very good at bringing science alive and making it appealing for our age group by adding humour to what they were doing and using members of the audience for their experiments.

The day was fascinating and although some parts were more interesting than others, it was definitely a trip I’m glad I participated in. The day was enlightening and it has definitely benefited me in my science studies for GCSE.

Charlie McVickers – 9G

YEAR 9 SCIENCE IN ACTION TRIP

What exactly is material science? It’s obviously to do with the science of materials but this doesn’t tell us very much and many people won’t have many ideas of where this branch of science fits into the world. Fortunately for me and some of the other members of the lower sixth we had the privilege of attending a material science workshop presented by a representative of Oxford University on 1st March.

First TaskOur first task was to build titanium dioxide dye sensitized solar cells. We had to do this on a budget scale - for our dye we got to choose between ingredients like Ribena and tea. This was not just budget organisation, but also gave us an idea of choosing the best material for the job. Despite these everyday ingredients, there was some far more complex science behind the solar cell than a “drink.” Catalysts, photoelectricity and atom excitation all had a role in the cell - as did expanded surface area, which meant that what looked like an area the size of a finger actually had about the surface area of a tennis court! The science behind the cell was fascinating, even if we were using some common household objects to build them. This particularly came to light when our solar cells were 0.03% efficient compared with the normal 10%. It was suggested, however, that the person who invented anything above 20% efficiency would live a very lucrative lifestyle and, most likely, it would be someone of our generation because of the growing concern for renewable energy.

Our second task was pulling solid metal apart which would have been extremely hard without the aid of a tensile testing rig; all we actually had to do was turn a small wheel. The purpose of pulling apart this metal was not as destructive as it seems, in fact it has quite a constructive purpose. We were measuring how much stress a piece of material could take before it snapped. This led to a few surprises for people who got too engrossed in the task and jumped nervously when the metal actually broke, as it produced a small gunshot noise.

Practical ApplicationBy finding how much stress a material can take we can incorporate it into designs such as aircraft, bridges and ships; after all it would not do much good if one of these suddenly snapped in two. It is not just the amount of stress a material can take but also properties such as density and its thermodynamics that are researched. It takes a mixture of all these things to make a successful and safe creation that is fit for purpose.

The complexity of some of the science that went into the solar panels was more than I had previously thought, and the intricacy of methods used to measure the properties of the materials was a pleasant and refreshing change from using only a scale or measuring cylinder. The workshop ran smoothly, albeit we did more simple things than the scientists working in this area. The workshop was a great eye opener to a branch of science that may usually be overlooked but is definitely worth consideration.

Will Bryant, Y12 Physics & Chemistry student

OXFORD UNIVERSITY MATERIALS SCIENCE WORKSHOPS

Year 11 decided to support Red Nose day this year for their fundraising campaign. They managed to sell 300 red noses and, combined with MUFTI contributions, day

raised £847.

Well done to all who got involved!!!!!!!!!

Mr Stone

Bio OlympiadAnother year, and another success for the Skinners’ Biology Team in the annual Institute of Biology Olympiad. Once again we were up against the top schools of the country but our scientists can hold their own and after a gruelling 2 hour test we emerged with 2 Silver Medals, a Bronze and 4 Highly Commended awards.

Joe Severs, James Turbett were the winners of the Silver Medals and Jacob Wright of the Bronze. All 3 will be invited to London in the summer to receive their medals. Well done boys!

“Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.” Edmund Hillary

BBC Radio 4Tom Heap from BBC Radio 4’s weekly programme ‘Costing The Earth’ came to Skinners’ recently to interview boys and staff as part of their ‘Greening the Teams’ episode which was broadcast in May.

He was given a tour of the school’s sustainable projects by some of our Y10 STEM Ambassadors and then sat in on the weekly Environment Committee meeting in S2 where he recorded interviews with some of the key players discussing their agenda items.

Interestingly, we were the only school the BBC wanted to interview – it turns out we had been ‘recommended’ to them (by persons unknown) as an example of a secondary school that had embedded sustainable issues at all levels, including Curriculum, Campus and Community.

Was their journey down from Birmingham justified? Why not listen to the programme and judge for yourself?http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b010t7tz

The NSEC Awards ceremony took place at the ExCel Arena on 11 March 2011 and was compéred by Kate Bellingham (DFE's STEM Careers Champion and Education Ambassador for the Bloodhound Engineering Adventure). The award was presented by Jenny Jupe (Strategic Director for Specialism and Curriculum Networks at SSAT) and Professor Brian Cox (University of Manchester, BBC 'Wonders of the Solar System' ).

The STEM Award prize is a day at the University of Sheffield with the Project Sunshine team (http://shine.sheffield.ac.uk/) and a Lego Mindstorms Kit (donated by Lego Education). A team of 15 pupils will go to Sheffield in July 2011 to learn about the cutting edge research concerning energy sustainability, food security and global climate change.

STEM AWARD CEREMONY

(L to R) Kate Bellingham, Jenny Jupe Sam Ineson , Aaron Lennon (Deputy Head), Tom Cloke, Ben Breathwick, Professor Brian Cox

STEM Solar Car ProjectThanks to a grant from the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust we have been able to pass some of our expertise in STEM onto other secondary and primary schools in the area.

The money has allowed us to buy solar car kits for six of our partner secondary schools ( Bennett, Cranbrook, Judd, Tonbridge Girls School, Tunbridge Wells Girls Grammar School, Tunbridge Wells Boys Grammar School) and train their teachers and pupils in how to run solar car races at primary schools. The idea is that they ‘pass it on’, thus relieving the pressure on the team at Skinners’ to match the huge demand from primary schools for this sort of activity.

To give you an idea of the impact of this project, here is a list of primary schools who will be getting solar car races this term for the first time:

Bidborough, Sissinghurst, Langton Green, St Matthews, St Peters, St John’s , Paddock Wood, Penshurst, Woodlands, …and on the waiting list still (to be supported in the summer term) are Ticehurst, Lamberhurst, Colliers Green, St James’, Churchill, Lady Boswell, St Margaret Clitherow. That’s a lot of pupils being exposed to this sort of STEM technology! In return, the primary schools follow up our visits with class work on types of sustainable energy.

We believe it is necessary that all students understand the benefits (and drawbacks – it is still expensive technology) of power from the sun, and grow up confident with these new forms of energy. The events in Japan have made us realise that clean-green energy of this sort is going to be vital to supply our future needs.

Mark MoodyHead of STEM

No – not ‘one of ours’ this time!….A sixth former from the Boys Grammar School teaching Langton Green

pupils how to assemble the solar car kits.

SUSTAINABLE SCHOOLS Science in Action – STEM Technology

projects passed on

Mystery of the Hot Gym Wall = solved!If you look back at some of the previous editions of the newsletter, you will see pictures of the time we borrowed a ‘FLIR’ Thermal Imaging Camera and took lots of pictures of heat loss around the school.

One of the images puzzled us however – it showed a very warm exterior gym wall, even though there was no existing radiator in the space on the other side.

At the time we asked if anyone could come up with a solution. Well thanks to old-boy Malcolm Chambers who is currently at University studying Environmental Physics, the mystery has been solved.

He has managed to lay his hands on copies of the original plans for the old Gym drafted in 1910 which show quite clearly that there is an unsuspected under-floor space and ventilation flues built into the wall. It is interesting to see that part of the Gym was used as an ‘Armoury’ and the external wall that now faces the Modern Language block as a covered ‘Fives’ Court. It also had a ‘gallery’ where pupils could watch from above. Interesting also to spot that Upper and Lower school urinals were segregated even then.

So it seems that heat is escaping from the old boiler room and gathering under the floor, from which it then escapes up the old flues in the wall where an old radiator must have once been situated. Many thanks to Malcolm ( and his father who digitised the images from original plans) for providing another piece of the fascinating historical jigsaw of The Skinners’ School.

COPIES OF THE PLANS FROM 1910

‘Salaam Alaykum’ was a phrase that was introduced into the vocabulary of the 14 boys that went on the Morocco trip in the February half term 2010. Bags packed and money belts full, we boarded the plane with excitement and enthusiasm, as none of us had ever been to a place like Marrakesh before. The short three-hour flight welcomed us into the afternoon sunshine of a different world. We met our guide Ollie at the airport who showed us to the van where we managed to squash all of our bags into the boot. The ride into the centre of town, accompanied by the honks of the dangerous commuters on mopeds and the frequent call to prayer, gave us a quick taste of the new culture we would experience for the next 8 days.

After settling in to our hotel (situated opposite the Koutoubia - the most important mosque in the city) and converting our money into dirhams, we went for a walk around the square, where we had our first, quick glimpse of Marrakesh’s famous souks.

Day 2 - Food Glorious FoodThe next morning we awoke early to the sound of hustle and bustle of the streets below. The best part of the hotel was the morning buffet breakfast on the roof terrace, tucking into fresh orange juice and croissants. After the morning tour around most of Marrakesh, we sat down for lunch in a local restaurant, eagerly anticipating the afternoon tour into the souks. A typical meal in Marrakesh started with fresh salad and warm bread to soak up the deliciously fresh vegetable soup. The main course was always cooked in a Tajine, the traditional cooking method; a cone shaped clay pot, they have used for centuries.

The food that was produced from the Tajines was amazing as the ingredients were slow cooked, gathering all the flavours at the bottom ready to be soaked up by bread.

The souks were in a completely different league to the farmers’ market in Tunbridge Wells on a Saturday morning! We were led through the maze by our guide and saw the production of steelworks, carpentry, bakeries and butchers. Unfortunately we were treated to a live de-feathering of a chicken in true Moroccan style!

Day 3 - Sahara DesertThe next day we once again set off on a long journey over the Atlas mountains to the Sahara desert. After a long, grueling and hot drive through amazing scenery, we reached our camp and set up our tent in the most remote place we’ve ever experienced. We ate under the stars, the excitement building for our first trek the next day. The memory of that night was of seeing the stars; we were told how astonishing they were, but we did not realise how incredible until we saw them for ourselves.

Day 4 - Camels and Solar PanelsWe awoke to the groaning of the camels; the Berbers were starting to load the camels with our tents, food and bags. We ate breakfast, charged our solar panels and applied sun cream before we roared ‘Yalla!’ - ‘Let’s go!’ in Berber language! The average day would be around 3 hours walking in the morning, a long restful lunch and 2 hours walking in the afternoon. The heat was comfortable, and luckily it didn’t cause too much of a problem for any of us throughout the trip.

Quiet reflection – Oli Stock on dunes near our campsite on Day 3

Deep in the souk of Marrakesh

Dorian Maciborski had Mr Stone cut to size by the end of the trip!

“It’s a desert – you’re not supposed to be able to see anything else!”

The walking was peaceful, each of us chose to walk with different people for small parts of the journey before our guide Mohammed miraculously found us a shaded area to have a quick break and snack on trail mix (a mixture of local nuts and dried fruit).

The lunches were pure heaven. Sitting in a breezy, shaded area on mattresses, we tucked into the fresh vegetables, pasta or rice and bread. We were surprised at how the Berbers managed to whittle up such a fresh feast in the middle of nowhere! A quick snooze later, we set off again into the afternoon sun excited to see our next camp.

Ice Cold CokeOne of the funniest memories we shared was during the morning of trek 1; a man sitting at his permanent ‘base’ made by the nomadic people offered us Coca Cola and Fanta. We were amazed to be offered cold drinks in the middle of the desert!

Day 5 - Riding CamelsAfter our third night camping, we were allowed to ride the camels. Whilst the Berbers saddled the camels, we prepared our cameras for an unforgettable experience. The most dangerous part of the camel ride was dismounting. We had to time ourselves perfectly with the camel’s movements to make sure we didn’t fall off. As the camel leant forward, we had to lean back, and as the camel leant back, we had to lean forward!

Day 6 - Sand Dunes and Face Planting!On trek day 3 we climbed our first proper sand dune! With our shishas wrapped around our heads we certainly felt very much connected with the Moroccan ways. Our first sand dune gave us huge laughter when a member of the group ran down the dune as fast as he could when unfortunately the steep slope got the better of his running legs and he face-planted!

By the end of the day’s trekking, we loved the whole experience and everyone was becoming great friends. At night we would tell each other jokes, play cards and perform magic tricks. The whole atmosphere was one to remember. By the fifth night we had completed the trek and were returned to a ‘kind’ of civilization -running water and electricity but most importantly proper westernized toilets and showers! It was pure luxury and made us realise how easy life is at home.

Day 7 - Closing CeremonyAfter the final evening meal we asked the Berbers to perform the traditional ‘closing ceremony’ , after which we donated some money to give them as a token of our appreciation for their help. On the way back to Marrakesh we stopped off at one of the sets for the Gladiator movies, which was amazing. The whole arena in Gladiator was constructed next to this hill town, which had been there for centuries, due to the strategic position.

Hustle and HaggleBack in the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh, the first hour was spent on the hotel lobby couches connecting to Wi-Fi on all our gadgets! For the first time we were given the choice to hunt in groups through the souks for souvenirs and haggle for the best prices. Running through the little streets to shop and to get back by the deadline set by the teachers was one of the highlights of the trip!

Day 8 – Homeward boundOn the final day we finished our last minute shopping and enjoyed a final Tajine dish. We flew home with life-long memories and new friendships.

A huge thank you to Mr. Moody and Mr. Stone for organizing a great trip!

Jack Hindle & Thomas Andradi-Brown (Yr 11)

Many people are aware that Skinners’ has a strong CCF contingent but may not be aware that there was a very popular Scout group , known as The ‘Crew’ , that was formed in the Autumn of 1933 . Amongst the Skinners’ Memorabilia we have some Minute Books from the Skinners’ Scout group – or the Rover Crew as they called themselves. The books give many details of their meetings and are also peppered with some wonderful old photographs , menus from their annual dinners , newspaper cuttings and various black ink drawings, some of which are reproduced on the following page. The narrative below is an excerpt from the Minutes from 1937.

APPEAL

F

R

BLAZERS

A P P E A L F O R B L A Z E R S

If anyone has any old, still useable blazers at home we would be very grateful for these for our Second Hand Uniform shop as stocks are low at the moment. Please bring any blazers to the school office

during the school day. Many thanks!

Winners of Club 2000 Lottery

February - 871 entries 1st Mr a CunninghaM £250.002nd Mrs J braggins £100.003rd Mr J andrews £ 50.00

MarCh – 852 entries1st Mr a goodChild £250.002nd Mr w halligan £100.003rd Mr M MustaFa £50.00

april – 852 entries1st Mrs C Morpeth £250.002nd Clare Midgley £100.003rd Mrs C a CheesMan £50.00

If you would like to take part in the lottery, please email denise.tourle@skinners-

June 20116 Term 6 Starts6 Year 10 GCSE Maths Set M Exam7 PA Committee Meeting 7pm at School8 Year 10 Electronics GCSE unit exam8 Year 10 on Study Leave all day for RS Exam8 Wallacea Meeting in Room L7 at 7.00pm9 Year 10 GCSE RE exam9 Year 12 Drama Trip to ‘Look Back in Anger’ at Trinity Theatre after school10 Year 7 Reports to parents, Year 9 and 10 Progress grades issued10 Year 10 GCSE Maths Set M Exam12 CCF Shooting at Bisley12 Macmillan Sponsored Walk by Staff/Friends13 SCHOOL EXAMS FOR YEARS 7 TO 9 UNTIL 24TH JUNE13 Year 10 GCSE Geography Module Exam/ Year 10 GCSE ICT exam13 Year 10 GCSE Maths Unit 2 Exam14 Year 10 GCSE Economics Exam15 Junior Maths Challenge follow on round17 Year 10 GCSE English Literature unit Exam17 South Africa Rugby Tour – Auction of Promises in Dining Hall21 Year 9 GCSE Maths Exam /Year 10 GCSE Maths Exams22 SPORTS DAY23 Carnegie Competition in School Hall23 GCSE Art Exhibition in AR1/AR2 (Leopard Building)23 New Year 7 Parents’ Evening 8pm in Dining Hall23 Apollo Society trip to ‘One Man, Two, Guvnors’ @ National Theatre24 Year 12 Reports issued to parents24 Year 13 Leavers’ Dinner, 7pm in Dining Hall25 Year 8 Trip to Loire Valley – return on 1st July27 Year 12 Marine Biology trip29 Year 11 Duke of Edinburgh walk30 Year 12 UCAS Personal Statement workshop30 Non uniform day30 AS/A2 Art Exhibition in School Hall30 Year 10 GCSE Drama Exam performance in Thomson Theatre 7.30pm

July 20111 Year 11 Work Experience Briefing in Thomson Theatre @ 9am1 Year 11 Book Return in Dining Hall @ 10.30am1 Year 12 Physics Trip to Cern, Switzerland2 CCF Annual Camp – returning on 9th July4 Year 11 Work Experience starts – for two weeks6 Year 5 Open Morning 10.30am -12.00pm6/7 University of Sheffield STEM trip7 New Year 7 induction day8 German Exchange Students depart for Germany – returning on 15th July9 Junior Rugby Development Tour departs to South Africa – returning on 23rd July11 World Challenge depart to Chile11 Year 12 Biology trip to Cuckmere Haven12 Summer Concert – 7.30pm in Thomson Theatre13 Year 10 Morrisby profiling in School Hall15 Year 10 reports to parents18 Apollo Society trip to ‘The Cherry Orchard’ @ The National20 Activities Day22 TERM 6 ENDS30 Wallacea Expedition to South Africa Departs – returning 12th August

DATES

AHEAD

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yourvoice@skinners-school.org.uk

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Susan Phyall Assistant Head