College News Summer 2014

1

Summer 2014College NewS

The Chinook experience CCF Field Day trip

Charity 24 hour run Sixth Form Prefects fundraising

Vocal masterclass Celebrated tenor visits College

Celebrating College talent The Annual Variety Show

Headmaster’s Prize 2014 Third Form independent projects

College News Summer 20142

Commemorating, reflecting and educating Finally, after a long and wet winter, it’s wonderful to see College in full bloom - spring has finally sprung. With lighter nights and the grounds looking as beautiful as ever there is a real sense of optimism and energy surrounding College as we come to the end of a very active and productive Spring Term.

Having just returned from a glorious annual Sword of Honour Parade, I just wanted to take this opportunity to highlight our continued association with the Armed Forces. Through our Combined Cadet Force (CCF) College aims to develop in young people the qualities of discipline, self-reliance and leadership that are pivotal to success in the modern world. Pupils are actively encouraged to experience a wealth of activities. Last term pupils were given the opportunity of travelling in a Chinook helicopter as part of an action packed CCF Field Day.

May I also to take this opportunity to reflect on College’s strong military history in a year where we, like many, will be commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War.

With over 3,540 Old Cheltonians (OCs) serving in the First World War and with the loss of 675 former pupils, Cheltenham College, like many schools was significantly affected.

Over the coming months, and as a community, the centenary events will focus on commemorating, reflecting, and educating. Proposed events and activities will include an exhibition in the Chatfeild-Roberts Library detailing the lives of OCs who served in the war, a commissioned play to be performed by College pupils and a new choral work to be premiered in Chapel.

I look forward to seeing many of you at these events. In the meantime, I hope that the following pages will give you a flavour of some of the activities and achievements that pupils have been involved in during the past term at College.

Dr Alex Peterken Headmaster

UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge130 pupils sat the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge this year. Pupils at College earned 11 gold awards, 25 silver awards and 39 bronze awards.

Over 200,000 pupils from across the UK sat the UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge with the top 6% receiving gold certificates, the next 13% silver and the next 21% bronze.

Special mentions must go to George Cook and Tiffany Wong who were the best boy and girl respectively who along with Jeffrey Kwong, Will Hardy, Alex Thorpe, Felix Stevens (3rd, Xt) and Max Chan (3rd, H) all qualified for the follow up European wide Kangaroo round. This meant that they had all placed in the top 22,000.

UKMT Junior Team Maths ChallengeWell done to the team of Benedict Schallamach (3rd, BH), Tiffany Wong (3rd, Ch), Ellie Davies and Lamar Moller (both Prep school) for competing in the UKMT Junior Team Maths Challenge against 22 other schools. The team thoroughly enjoyed the day and came a respectable 13th.

Oxbridge success Four students from Cheltenham College are celebrating their offers from Oxbridge for September 2014:

Chris Bowring (U6, S) to read History at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Libby Caffrey (U6, W) to read Classics and French at Exeter College, Oxford.

Elliot Lau (U6, BH) to read Mathematics at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge.

Jan Haas OC (BH 2010) to read PPE at Oxford.

Our congratulations to these students. We wish them the very best of luck in their future academic endeavours.

Dr Alex Peterken Headmaster

The gold award winners were George Cook (5th, Xt), Jeffrey Kwong (5th, BH), Alex Thorpe (4th, BH), Will Hardy (4th, S), Tiffany Wong (3rd, Ch), Edwin Kwok (4th, H), Harry Byrne (4th, Xt), Leo Shen (4th, S), Neil Hacker (5th, H), Dmitrii Usynin (5th, NH) and Max Roper (5th, H).

3

Top of the BenchFour College pupils - William Hardy (4th, S), Harry Byrne (4th, Xt), Thomas Maddinson (3rd, S) and Benedict Schallamach (3rd, BH) - competed in the Top of the Bench Chemistry competition at Bristol University. They achieved third place overall out of thirteen schools in the Bristol and District region.

The competition consisted of three practical problem solving tasks undertaken in the teaching laboratories at Bristol’s Chemistry Department. It was an enjoyable day for all four pupils and a valuable glimpse of the university setting. They represented College very well indeed. They are shown in the photo with the competition host and organiser, Tim Harrison, who gave an entertaining and informative lecture demonstration to round off the event.

Academic Colours Congratulations to the following students who have been awarded full Academic Colours since the last edition of College News.

Francesca Ball (L6, Ch), Jana Bourhill (5th, Q), Anne-Marie Bowring (5th, Q), Christopher

Bowring (U6, S), Alexander Hilditch (U6, S), Genevieve James (5th, Q), Ruth Matthews (U6, A), Toby North (L6, Xt) and Isabelle Winstanley (5th, Q).

Congratulations also to Andrew Jensen (3rd, Xt) and Benedict Schallamach (3rd, BH) who have been presented with Headmaster’s Distinctions.

CCF – Sword Of Honour Parade and Leavers’ DinnerThe Combined Cadet Force held its annual Sword of Honour Parade on Wednesday 19 March in glorious sunshine. The parade is an annual event in the Spring Term where senior cadets are given awards in appreciation of their efforts towards the CCF during their time at College. All 234 Cadets of the Combined Cadet Force were awaiting the arrival of the Inspecting Officer, Rear-Admiral Henry Parker CB (Director Carrier Strike), an OC and former CCF Naval Cadet.

Senior Cadet WO1 Pippa Hughes (U6, Q)controlled the parade and Colour Party and invited Admiral Parker to inspect the CCF and present a variety of awards:

Lieutenant Christine Harrison, who is the Officer In Charge of the Naval Section, was awarded the Lord Lieutenants Certificate for Meritorious Service to the CCF. She has done an outstanding job in refocusing the Navy Section and regularly gets cadets and staff away on courses.

Awards to cadets were as follows:Cadet Corporal Jana Bourhill (5th, Q) (Army) The Adjutants Cup

Cadet Corporal Tom Dowley (L6, L) (RAF) The Chocks Away Trophy

Cadet Colour Sergeant Percy Bodington (U6, BH) (Army) The Rifles Bugle

Cadet Petty Office Evgeny Godlevskiy (U6, L) (Navy) The Nelson Bust

Cadet Warrant Office Class One William Martin (U6, NH) (Army) The Rifles Sword of Honour

Cadet Chief Petty Officer Tobi Ade-Odiachi (U6, W) (Navy) The Nash Sword of Honour

Cadet Sergeant Stephen Abraham (U6, NH) (RAF) RGBW Sword of Honour


Vocal MasterclassCelebrated Tenor James Gilchrist visited College to give a vocal masterclass to our senior music scholars, James Lloyd -Smith (U6, S), Ruth Matthews (U6, A), Laurence Pemberton (U6, S), Hebe Way (U6, Q), Matthew Finan (L6, S) and Amy Hinc (L6, W).

We were delighted to welcome James Gilchrist who is unsurpassed in his field as a Lyric Tenor and whose warm enthusiasm and inspirational creativity were of great encouragement to our pupils.

James Gilchrist’s masterclass is the latest in a series of Cheltenham College Music Masterclasses where past guests have included Julian Lloyd-Webber (Cello), Margaret Humphrey Clark (Vocal) and Jennifer Raven (Flute).

The students said afterwards: “…taking part in the vocal masterclass was extremely beneficial for my development as a singer. It has given me the confidence to experiment with new techniques to make my performance as a whole more varied and enjoyable to watch…it was an invaluable experience with lots of extremely helpful and applicable lessons learnt which I will always incorporate in the future.”

After his visit, James Gilchrist commented: “I thought all the students were really very impressive. To have six Sixth Formers of such quality is really a tremendous sign of the musical life of the school.”

Thomas Trotter Organ RecitalOn a night where wet and windy weather hammered on the Cheltenham College Chapel door, it did little to dampen the spirits of those attending an Organ recital by Thomas Trotter.

The audience sat mesmerised as one of Britain’s most highly acclaimed musicians and sought after organists performed pieces from the likes of Bach, Schumann and Rebuke.

This well attended event marked an eagerly awaited occasion and offered the chance to hear College’s enhanced Harrison & Harrison instrument in the hands of one of the world’s greatest organists.

In 2013, thanks to generous donations, the Pedal Ophicleide was completely revoiced on lower

Rockschool Success

Chai Tephabutra (U6, BH) is the first pupil from College to gain a Rockschool diploma. For his diploma, he played jazz, film music and computer game music – rather than the traditional classical music for which College is better known.

Chai, who is not doing A level music, undertook two years of preparation beyond Grade 8 to achieve his diploma. He commented: “I needed a challenge after Grade 8 to push myself to improve my technique and musical ability. The style of music that Rockschool required suited my taste in music. Through lessons and playing in bands, College provided a framework for me to practice and explore different genres.”

Chapel CompositionChapel was treated to a performance by members of the Chamber Choir of a new composition, ‘Immortal Babe’ written for the season of Christmas and Epiphany by Ruth Matthews (U6, A), one of College’s top Music Scholars and Head of Chapel Choir.

The composition is for Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass (SATB), choir and organ, and Ruth herself sang the two sections of soprano solo. The piece incorporates the traditional Christmas plainsong Veni Redemptor sung by lower voices, and the main melody is based upon the opening notes of the plainsong, first heard in the soprano part. It is very rare to sing a pupil’s composition of this standard in a Chapel service.

wind pressure and a 32ft Double Ophicleide was added, completing the tonal scheme and creating one of the most successful organs of its type, perfectly suited to the warm acoustic of our beautiful Chapel.

It was fitting that many of those involved in supporting the instrument’s modification and enhancement, including past College parent and professional musician Steve Winwood, were able to join us to mark this special occasion. The Chapel organ is central to College life and we are eternally grateful for the very kind donations that have provided us with an organ that all of us at College are extremely proud of.

The quality of Thomas’ performance was brilliant and the whole recital showed the College organ at its best. It was an unforgettable evening and a fitting celebration for the new additions.

Alexander Ffinch, College Organist

5

This year’s House play, directed by Upper Sixth students Liberty Ford, Hugo Chambers and Elizabeth Uttley, was great fun from start to finish. The play was chosen for many reasons but essentially because it can be performed as either a comedy or a thriller, so the cast were able to enjoy playing with the various styles, adding a fun soundtrack for comical effect.

Everyone who auditioned got a part and more than 30 students were part of the cast and crew. The leads went to three Christowe boys (Dan Stoianov – 4th, Robert Madeley – 5th and James White – U6), who all had, to the audience’s delight, kissing scenes with Queen’s girls (Molly Caesar – 4th, Catriona Brown – L6 and Georgie Gardner – L6). The plot moved from London to Scotland and the actors enjoyed practising a range of accents and wearing extravagant outfits.

Our thanks go to Jill Douglas from the Prep for her help with costumes, to Rachel Pryce for the props and to Adrian Reader for the lighting. The performances went very well, thanks to a fantastic backstage crew led by the very disciplined

Kieran Connolly (L6, Xt) – who may well have found himself a career plan. The friendship between the boys and girls, across all year groups, will no doubt continue long after the final curtain, and after all, this is what House plays are all about.


ChinookPupils taking part in CCF (Combined Cadet Force) at Cheltenham College were treated to the arrival of a Chinook helicopter at Cheltenham Racecourse as part of their CCF Field Day experience in February. Cadets had the opportunity to travel on the helicopter to their Training Camp at Nesscliffe near Shrewsbury.

The Cheltenham College CCF has a history which started in 1862 and College has enjoyed a close association with the Armed Forces ever since.

All Fourth Form pupils at College are members of the CCF for at least one year, with many pupils choosing to continue. There are sections representing each of the three services: Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force. The pupils are enthusiastically guided by officers who are full time members of the teaching staff at College while holding commissions in their respective Volunteer Reserves. The Contingent Commander is Major Richard Penny, formerly of The Queen’s Royal Hussars. Full time co-ordination of the CCF staff, cadets and activities is in the capable hands of the School Staff Instructor (SSI) Warrant Officer 2 (QMSI) Jason Gwynne formerly of The Army Physical Training Corps and The King’s Royal Hussars.

7

SANe Charity of the Year for College In January Paul Flitcroft, SANE’s Director of Fundraising and Marketing, visited College to address the students and staff. He said: “We are extremely grateful to Cheltenham College for their support, and for recognising the importance of mental health. Through this collaboration, we’ll inspire young people to talk openly about mental health, and share the message of help and hope with friends and family. All the money raised will be dedicated to SANE’s free, confidential emotional support services; this is at the heart of what we do.”

The Black Dog Campaign arrived at Cheltenham College in the form of ‘Elvis’. The Black Dog has been used as metaphor for depression since Classical times; it was used by Sir Winston Churchill to describe his darker days. Elvis was designed by musician and SANE supporter, Adam Ant.

SANE has brought the anti-stigma campaign to life using these sculptures of Black Dogs, which are then placed at prominent locations across the UK. Cheltenham College will host Elvis to provide a focus to their fundraising and mental health education activities.

This year the Sixth Form Prefects undertook a 24 hour run on 1-2 March in aid of SANE.

SANE provides emotional support, practical help and information to families and the public, as well as initiating research into causes, treatments and experiences of mental illnesses.

The run took place around College Field with the runners sleeping in the Cricket Pavilion between

their shifts. The runners took it in turns to run for 30 minutes in pairs.

Head Girl, Pippa Hughes (U6, Q) commented, “SANE is our chosen charity for the year and it was exciting to raise money for such a great cause. The run was challenging but rewarding, despite the miserable English weather!”

So far the Prefects have raised just over £7,000. Many thanks to everyone who has generously donated. Donations can still be made at www.justgiving.com/CCPrefectRun. Donations can also be made via text: Text ‘CCPR99’ and the amount (eg £1 – maximum £10) to ‘70070’.

Inspirational TalkOn Thursday 13 March, John Willis, founder of Power2Inspire visited Cheltenham College to complete a 1000m swim and talk, as part of the 50:50:100 Challenge (1000m in 50 pools within 100 days).

Cheered on by pupils, John completed the swim in an impressive time of 35 mins 18 secs. Following the swim John thanked pupils for their kind support and encouraged them to take part in an informal Q&A session.

John was born without fully formed arms and legs but with a fully-fledged passion for sport, health and ability. Through inspirational challenges

and motivational talks John aims to raise funds to establish networks of motivated people, in sport, business and society.

Early in the day, John spoke to a packed Chapel. Always focusing on the positive, John concentrated his speech on ability rather than disability, with emphasis on strengths rather than contemplating the things he couldn’t do.

From January 2014 through to April 2014 John hopes to raise over £20,000. If you would like to learn more about John’s challenge, please visit his website: www.power2inspire.org.uk

To make a donation, please visit: https://my.give.net/swimchallenge

Tanzania FundraisingDuring the Christmas period a special effort was made to raise money for an African educational project. College raised £5,000 to support the building of the Brinckman High School in Tanzania. This incredible sum was donated by those who attended the Chapel carol services.

The Brinckman High School will provide English medium education up to A-level for 320 students,

and equip them for tertiary education. It will be run by Kasulu Cathedral, and will have a Christian ethos. Four classrooms are already under construction and designs are ready for the next stage including a dining room, dormitory and library. The first intake of students is planned within two years.

Our thanks to everyone who gave so generously.


This March saw the College’s 9th Annual Variety Show, held to support the Bradet Residential School, Romania, and the Gogar Primary School, Kenya.

The cast included over 40 very talented students, from every year group, showcasing a diverse range of skills. They were led by the presenters and directors, Tom Dowley and Ed Robbins, both Lower Sixth Leconfield students, who were delighted to finally take the helm after performing in the show for the last three years.

Acts included a variety of dance, music, song and sketches and culminated in rousing whole cast rendition of the Blues Brothers classic “Everybody Needs Somebody”. Particular highlights of the evening were Georgie Thorpe (L6, Ch), performing an enchanting ballet, a performance of 1960’s number one hit “If you want to be happy”, by the ever popular Close Harmony group led by our Deputy Head, Duncan Byrne, and a hilarious performance of a Rowan Atkinson sketch offering

dating advice for men. A fantastic evening was had by all, and it was difficult to say who was having the most fun the cast or the audience. One cast member commented “This is my first year of being involved, but I definitely plan to perform again. The atmosphere backstage is great and the audiences have been really supportive”. Another said, “It is amazing to be given an opportunity to perform, whilst also helping to raise money for such great causes”.

The show was performed over three nights to a combined audience of nearly 800, pupils, staff and parents. Their generosity resulted in the event raising over £5,000 for our chosen charities. This money will help us to support the continuing renovation of the Gogar Primary School environment and to equip the classrooms with desks and chairs. The money will be used in Bradet to further equip a new multi-sensory centre for the children with most acute special needs and to continue to support the dental programme.


AthelingsChris Bowring (U6, S) has been selected to represent the United Kingdom Cadet Rifle Team known as the ‘Athelings’. The team of 18 cadets will tour Canada in July, competing in the Dominion of Canada Rifle Association meeting just outside Ottawa. The climax of the tour is the Michael Faraday match against the Canadian Cadets. This is a three range shoot at 300, 500 and 600 yards.

Cheltenham College is not only supplying a cadet member of the shooting team this year; Jonathan Cload, the College shooting coach, a regular member of the GB Rifle Team and the Atheling’s Commandant, and Sarah Proudlove (Head of 3rd Form and EAL) the team’s Adjutant will also be attending. The College has an excellent reputation for being one of the top shooting schools, having provided a member of the Athelings team almost every year since 1982, but for three members of the team to come from one school is exceptional.

Clay Pigeon County ChampionCongratulations to Oliver Palmer (5th, L) who has been named this year’s Down The Line (DTL) Junior County Champion after competing in the Gloucestershire DTL Championship held at the Wales 2000 Shooting Ground. His individual round scores were 22/25, 25/25, 18/25, 22/25, giving him a total of 87/100 hits and points of 252/300.

He shot his first 25 straight in one of his rounds, with his only blip occurring when the trap height

went wrong in round three causing a 10 minute delay. Up until that he had only missed one of his fifteen shots. In his final round he managed to score well to give himself a chance to win. In the end he was tied on 252 and had to go into a shoot off. In the shoot off he found his routine and concentration, scored 23/25 and with it became this year’s DTL Junior County Champion.

Ollie has been training for the last three and a half years at Ian Coley’s Shooting Ground with coach Shaun Porter who won Bronze in the DTL World Championship for England in March.

The Otters Relay Championships 2014The Otters National Relay Championships generated great excitement this year with the event being held in the superb Aquatics Centre, Olympic Park in London. This was indeed an historic event as it was the first competition to be held there since the 2012 London Olympics.

The standard of competitors was high, as the venue attracted the cream of entries from all over the country. College entered a team in every event.

Boys: Isaac Gibbard (Capt) (L6, S), Kelvin Lai (4th, BH), Adrian Wong (U6, NH), Alexey Gordeev (U6, BH), Alex Chiu (L6, H)

Girls: Pippa Hughes (Capt) (U6, Q), Emily Campbell (4th, Ch), Jules Mackness (U6, A), Yvie Seville (5th, Ch), Bea Martin-Harrington (L6, Q)

Competition was fierce. The boys certainly found the standard exceptionally high, but personal best times were still achieved by Alexey Gordeev and Isaac Gibbard. Unfortunately, the boys didn’t manage to reach the final in either the freestyle relay or the medley relay events.

The girls’ results, however, were very encouraging as they were placed as reserve finalists in the Dunelm Cup (medley relay) and achieved

a fantastic result in the Aldenham Cup (freestyle relay), making the final. Whilst they finished in sixth place in this final, they only missed out on bronze medals by just 0.8 of a second.

It was an excellent day. The 10 swimmers were delighted to have this once in a lifetime opportunity, they swum with total commitment and they were all excellent ambassadors for College.

11

SW U16 RugbyDan Beachus (5th, BH) was selected to play for the South West England Under 16 rugby squad against the Midlands in February.

emily Sumaria MemorialIn December 2012 at the age of 19 Emily Sumaria, a former pupil of the Junior School (now Cheltenham Prep) and Cheltenham Ladies College passed away from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). She was at Leeds University.

As Emily was an avid and keen hockey player it was felt that an annual memorial match in her name between College and CLC would be a great way to remember Emily and bring awareness of this form of Epilepsy.

British Rackets Professionals Singles TournamentAs part of the 25th Anniversary of the re-opening of Cheltenham College’s rackets court, 21 of the country’s rackets professionals were hosted at College for their annual Singles Competition. The tournament, staged at a different school or club each year, was last hosted by College in 2000.

The game, the forerunner of squash, is played by over 60 pupils at College and demands a super eye for a ball, athleticism and a degree of caution with the ball flying around the court upwards of 100mph.

The standard of play as the competition moved through to the semi-finals was excellent. College’s court has a reputation for being both fast and true, and the viewing gallery was treated to some spectacular rallies. Whilst the local rackets professional, Mark Briers went out in the second round, Ben Snell, OC (L, 2002), the No. 2 seed and Head Rackets professional at Queen’s Club, West London, could not quite overcome the Radley College professional, Mark Hubbard, No. 3 seed, and lost the final game 15-14. In the other semi-final, Will Hopton, the top seed who is a professional in Chicago, overcame Ryan Tulley, the Wellington College professional and No. 4 seed, 3-0.

The final was a hard-hitting affair and in the first game, honours were fairly even, with Will Hopton emerging on top with his dogged retrieving and consistency of serve. Games two and three saw the Chicago professional, 15 years his opponent’s junior, take control and was a comfortable winner in the end. This is his third title.

Girls’ HockeyHattie Bevan (l6, A) has been invited to be part of

the NAGS/AASE England Hockey programme.

Hattie will be training with the U18 NAGS squad and will have a

chance to play in a home nations tournament later in the year.

U18 Lambs SquadPaddy Tarleton (U6 NH) has been selected for the final U18 Lambs Squad. He made his first appearance this term at Hartpury College against the Irish Exiles, sadly the Lambs lost to a last minute drop goal.

The Independent Schools Rugby Football Club known as ‘The Lambs’ was set up in 2006 to provide representative rugby opportunities for talented players where they did not exist before. Rugby should, and can be, a game of perfect balance, a game where creative expression and physical courage meet in harmony.

This was the second match held in her name and this year CLC won 3-1. It was an open game played in the right spirit with both teams having opportunities although CLC proved to be more clinical in taking their short corners.


Headmaster’s Prize 2014Congratulations to the whole of the Third Form for their efforts in their independent project, the Headmaster’s Prize 2014. This is the third year that we have run the initiative and the third year that every project was submitted on time. The quality and range of work was quite outstanding and while the prizewinners (detailed below) deserve to be highly commended, every pupil should be congratulated for the effort put in.

Over the Christmas holidays, the whole year group was tasked with the project, based on the theme of ‘Conflict and Memory’. The pupils could interpret the theme and format of their project as they wished – the idea was to get them to step away from the mainstream curriculum and be creative and independent in their thinking. It was a chance for them to explore an interest in depth and to start developing the kind of independent learning and research skills that will help them stand out from the crowd.

The range of work was outstanding and included movies, posters, art installations, games, poetry, textiles and DT projects, essays, music compositions, science experiments, scrapbooks, and many more. The range of interpretations of the theme was no less varied.

Naturally, as 2014 marks the centenary of World War I, some pupils chose to further their understanding of past world conflicts as well as modern conflicts such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. Others focused on specifics for example children in warzones such as Sierra Leone or animals in conflict. Others chose areas such as the conflict between cultural and commercial interests in London or inner conflicts such as PTSD, alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. Others chose to focus on the memory side of the theme and created projects on remembrance; wartime memories; the memory of water; how to improve one’s memory and synesthesia.

Projects submitted included: a restored World War I army boot with a handmade poppy; a pinafore dress made of recycled material printed with wartime scenes; a video documentary and music composition on the effects of PTSD; the diary of a teenager being bullied at school; a sculpture of a head made from old cogs, scrap metal and a bicycle chain; plus many, many more!

Every single project was individually marked this term by the Third Form tutors. The Headmaster and the Deputy Head, Academic then judged the projects and chose overall prizewinners. A full list of the prizewinners can be found on the College website (under News Archive, February 2014, Memory and Conflict). The projects were displayed in an Open Exhibition, curated by the College Art Department, for parents and pupils to view.

Sarah Proudlove, Head of Third Form, commented, “Here at Cheltenham College we strongly believe in the importance of independent learning and this project is designed to help pupils

develop that skill. We want to give our pupils an opportunity to go beyond the mainstream curriculum and to challenge themselves, to think creatively and to have the freedom to express themselves in whatever medium they choose. Last year I didn’t think we could improve on the standard of the projects but I have been proved wrong. The pupils really engaged with the thought-provoking theme and I have been absolutely stunned by the quality of the work produced. I am very proud of our talented pupils for their work and I hope that the vast array of prizes we have awarded and the beautiful exhibition, kindly curated by the College Art Department, is just reward for their efforts.”

Main prizewinners Overall winner – a handmade book entitled ‘Memory’ containing popups with tips on how to improve your memory, by Tiffany Wong (Ch).

Runners up ‘A Conflict of Interest’ by Euan Bourhill (S)

‘All Around the Bowl’ by Freddie White (BH)

‘PTSD: a documentary and music composition’ by Oliver Ferris (NH)

‘War Diaries’ by Pablo Espona Barbara (L)

‘Make Do and Mend: a wartime pinafore dress’ by Laura Morris (W)

13

“We want to give our pupils an opportunity to

go beyond the mainstream curriculum and to

challenge themselves…”


Professor Anthony graylingProfessor Anthony grayling, Master of New College of the Humanities in London and ex-Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College talked to the Sixth Form in January about the importance of the humanities both for a rounded and enlightened education and for the employment opportunities which they offer.

He introduced all the great arts disciplines beginning with History and moving on to encompass English, Philosophy, Theology and Classics. In a tour de force of philosophical insight, familiarity with a huge corpus of writing and deep historical referencing, Professor Grayling stressed the supreme importance of reading to being educated.

In answer to a wide-ranging set of questions from the floor he dealt with atheism, preferring to regard himself as a freethinker rather than simply being non-religious, his College’s plans to add both Geography and Mathematics to its curriculum and the place of work experience and shadow placements in their broader educational settings.

Debating Victory for CollegeSmiles all round as College win the Davies and Partners’ Gloucester Schools’ Debating Competition 2014.

On Monday 10 February, College were delighted to host the final of the Davies and Partners’ Gloucester Schools’ Debating Competition 2014.

Speaking against the motion, ‘A United Kingdom in the 21st Century is an irrelevance,’ Katie Stanton (5th, A) and Chris Bowring (U6, S) took on a team from Sir Thomas Rich’s School. While in the other semi-final Cheltenham Ladies’ College took on a stand-in team from College in the form of Sophie Caws (L6, Q) and Glenn Edwards, (U6, S).

As first speaker of the Opposition, Katie put up an eloquent and erudite defence of the Union, while Chris rebutted the Propositions’ line of argument with incisive intellectual rigour.

In two debates featuring some very high-level performances, including excellent challenges and strong rebuttal, the adjudicators from Davies and Partners declared the decision had been a close call. However, in a scoring system in which all teams are judged on their own merits, College clinched the victory with their strong and relevant line of argument.

A hearty congratulations to Katie and Chris on a great victory!

languages from ScratchThe Modern Languages Department ran a “Languages Taster Evening” giving pupils the chance to explore Russian, Chinese, Arabic and Modern Greek.

The evening showcased languages that most of the pupils had never studied before, in particular those with unfamiliar scripts. As well as being an enjoyable and challenging evening, it was a useful introduction to some of the less commonly taught languages for any pupils who may be considering taking up a language ab-initio at university.

15

Tuk Tuk TravelsOn Friday 7 March, Nick Gough came to talk to Upper College about Tuk-Tuk Travels.

Tuk-Tuk Travels is a program set up by Nick Gough and fellow teacher Richard Sears to promote education around the world. In 2013 they travelled to over 30 countries in a Tuk-Tuk visiting schools and bringing education and the opportunities it offers to some of the most deprived children in the world. Along the way they also broke the record for the longest Tuk-Tuk journey ever!

Nick and Richard left their jobs to campaign for something they believed in. Proving that anyone with enough determination, even in a Tuk-Tuk, can make a difference.

Peter williams Major General Peter Williams visited College to take part in the Upper College Lecture series. General Williams described his experiences of working in Berlin during the 1970s and 1980s where he was, in effect, working as a military spy.

Everyone was hugely engaged throughout his talk and particularly enjoyed viewing photographs and extracts from General Williams’ 125-page Stasi file. The lecture was the sixth so far this academic year; the series affording students the opportunities to learn about topics outside their chosen subjects.

Literary Quiz The first literary quiz, of what is hoped will be an annual event, was held in the Chatfeild-Roberts Library on the evening of World Book Day, Thursday 6 March. Two teams of four Third Form pupils, one from Newick House and the second from Westal, battled it out with questions from a variety of books, old and new.

Based on University Challenge, starters for 10, bonus questions and picture rounds to identify characters, book titles and authors were all part

of the quiz. The boys from Newick House came out in front with impressive knowledge of authors as diverse as J. R. R. Tolkien and Charlie Higson. A late surge from Westal, was not quite enough to pass the boys, so Newick House emerged triumphant.

The trophy and prizes were presented to the teams by Mr John Chatfeild-Roberts, whose father the library was renamed after following the refurbishment in 2011.

Some Like it Hot Our planet is a fragile place and the change in the composition of the air that surrounds is something that will concern us all.

With a nod to childhood heroes, John Jones, Head of Chemistry delivered a fascinating Lower College Lecture that developed our understanding of the structure of Earth’s atmosphere and it’s role in maintaining an environment that has a stable temperature, enabling the development and sustaining of life. He considered the nature of the scientific model and it’s application to the atmosphere, and looked at the work done by climate scientists since the Victorian era to collect data about the rise of greenhouse gases.

Antonia Stuckey (5th, Q) commented, “The talk ‘Some Like it Hot’, was an extremely interesting insight into the controversial topic of global warming and the chemistry behind it. The subjects covered varied from the causes of global warming to calculating the effect that ice and clouds can have on the heating effect. This extremely complex issue

was explored thoroughly. Mr Jones encouraged us all to take a look at the world around us and to ensure we look after it as best we can.”

Teams: Newick HouseOliver Ferris (Capt) Matthew Burke Henry Dowding Kathapob Ittipakorn

WestalGeorgina Oates (Capt)Tusmo IsmailAmber BeachusGrace Wackett

Dates of Summer Term 2014Start of Term: 20.00 Tuesday 22 April

Exeat: 12.10 Saturday 3 May – 21.00 Monday 5 May

Half Term: 16.30 Saturday 24 May – 21.00 Monday 2 June

End of Term: 12.30 Saturday 28 June

Note from the EditorAs always, I would like to thank all members of the Common Room and College pupils for their contributions, Andy Banks (Photography) and the Young Journalist group for their assistance, led by Jane Brodigan.

Andrew Hussey, Editor

T: 01242 265 600 E: [email protected] www.cheltenhamcollege.org

The Library… unlockedSophie Henderson (L6, W) and Gabi Lushington (L6, A) sneak into the library to whisper all their unanswered questions about the library to Mrs Doyle…..shhhh!

Q: What does it take to be a librarian?

A: To become a librarian you previously required a post-graduate degree. However, today, an undergraduate degree is preferable with a professional course in librarianship. You need a love of literature and learning and you have to like people and be interested in them. You can top up your qualifications through proving your professional expertise.

Q: What do you like about the library?

A: I am quite pleased about what’s happening in the library! Supervised study and staff bringing in classes has increased not only the usage of the library, but also the number of books that are being read. However, during lunch and break the library seems relatively empty. This is disappointing as I enjoyed

that aspect of my job when I worked in a state school, there the library would buzz during these times with reading groups and activities.

Q: What’s your favourite display (book) in the library?

A: I think The Faber Book of Reportage which contains personal accounts of historical events is one of my favourites. The displays allow people to browse and have more of a visual experience.

Q: How many books where taken out in the autumn term?

A: 657, the majority of which were borrowed by the Third Form!

Q: How many books where taken out last year?

A: 900 books were taken out in total last year.

Q: What do the names on the tables represent?

A: They are the names of the people who sponsored a table or a chair when the library was opened. Often, they are Old Cheltonians who wanted to give something back to the school.

Q: What is the origin of the swords in the library?

A: They are from old boys who fought in World War I and World War II.

The sword under the portrait of the Queen belonged to one of the Co-Founders of College, Captain J. S. Iredell. The other is the dress sword of Field Marshall Sir John Dill who was Churchill’s representative in the United States, he was an old boy of College.

The Ghost of CollegeAs with many Victorian schools, Cheltenham College with its old buildings, high ceilings and secret passageways has some myths and tales of ghosts.

Mrs Ginette Doyle (Head Librarian) said that the lights in the library used to switch on by themselves mysteriously during the evening. The evening is a time when the library is securely locked and no one can access it. At first she thought it was a fault, but the maintenance man assured her it was not.

The Thirlestaine House maintenance man shared a story of how in the 1990s when he locked the rooms in Thirlestaine House after dark, he would hear loud noises from the rooms at the very top of the building. He also mentioned how paintings would mysteriously be knocked off the walls. He was determined that this was supernatural activity and perhaps he was proven right, as when he checked the cameras, he would just see a painting start to shake violently and fall off the wall.

We are not certain that there is a ghost of Cheltenham College but there is a definite possibility there could be a supernatural presence within our grounds.

By Kieran Reilly (L6, L)

‘All the world’s a stage’: Drama at Cheltenham College‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.’ The immortal words of Shakespeare ring true at Cheltenham College, where drama takes its rightful place amongst a host of other extracurricular activities.

One of the most common problems associated with performing on stage is an attack of nerves. Even the most distinguished performers in the world, Hugh Grant included, are known to have had stage fright, but in the long run drama actually increases self-confidence and communication skills. Performing in school plays, no matter how small the part, is key in improving self-confidence on and off the stage, particularly in the early teenage years. Here at College, younger years have the opportunity to perform in Lower College plays and House plays, which in recent years have included William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, and Katherine MacInnes’ Love and Death of Mrs Bill. A Third Form pupil said her experience in a House play was ‘challenging at first but a lot of fun. Rehearsals allowed me to talk to older pupils and those I’d never met before. My confidence definitely improved from talking to them.’

Of course, preparing for a play can come with a gruelling rehearsal schedule, which teaches self-discipline and co-operation with cast mates. In December, the Upper College presented Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors. Sixth former Miranda called the process ‘Three months’ hard work all round’, but all efforts certainly paid off.

The final production of the school year was the College Variety Show, to raise money for

College’s sister schools in Kenya and Romania. As well as being for a great cause, the show was a truly collaborative effort, and had three student directors. The audience were delighted by a true ‘variety’ of acts, from student bands to ballet solos, and gave recognition to talented students who were perhaps not as used to the limelight. After a hectic but rewarding year in the Drama Department, theatre has certainly proved its worth in the breadth of College life.

By Sophie Caws (L6, Q)

Young Journalists

Col

lege

Arc

hive

s, M

arsh

all K

eene

& C

o.

Cheltenham College, Bath Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL53 7LD

College News Summer 2014

Documents

Transcript of College News Summer 2014