Speech Day at Christ's Hospital
Christ’s Hospital was honoured to receive The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor, Alderman David Wootton and the Sheriffs of the City of London, to Speech Day on Friday, 11th May.
The weather was kind allowing the traditions of the day to go ahead smoothly. The 820 pupils marched past the Mayoral party and local dignitaries to the accompaniment of the School’s famous Band, who are now rehearsing for their next major event at Lord’s for the 1st Test on Saturday, 19th May. Two junior pupils presented posies to the ladies of the Majoral Party.
The Senior Grecian (Head Pupil), Jacob Tremlett, gave the traditional oration to which the Lord Mayor warmly responded. Jacob spoke particularly of the unique diversity of CH pupils whose lives have enriched his education. He also gave thanks to teachers and those in particular who have helped him during his journey and for the benevolence of the Foundation and its supporters, many of whom were represented on Speech Day.
Academic prizes were given to pupils for excellence in particular subjects. Awards and trophies given by Livery Companies and other generous supporters were presented for special achievements and breadth of education. View the full list here. A full range of photographs will be available soon in the website Photo Gallery.
CCF Annual Mess Dinner
The School’s Combined Cadet Force (CCF) celebrated a year of achievements at its Annual Mess Dinner on Saturday, 5th May.
The cadets were treated to a four-course meal following the protocol of a Military Officers’ mess. They were joined by a number of Old Blues currently serving in the Armed Forces.
Speaking after dinner, the Officer Commanding, Major Matt Commander, thanked the student Non-Commissioned Officers for their hard work in planning and organising the activities this academic year.
The CCF is flourishing at CH, with cadet numbers at record levels across all three services. Cadets enjoy a varied and challenging training programme in military skills, leadership and adventure training.
Old Blue – Joe Launchbury chosen to represent England
England Rugby Head Coach Stuart Lancaster has named a 42-man squad for next month’s five-match tour of South Africa.
Drawn mostly from the Senior and Saxons Elite Player Squads, nine Aviva Premiership clubs are represented for the three-Test series, with the party captained by Player of the Season, Harlequins’ Chris Robshaw.
Twenty-nine of the squad have been capped at full international level, a further eight have played for the Saxons, while there are four members of last season’s Under 20 IRB Junior World Championship squad – Saracens’ Owen Farrell (Land Rover Discovery of the Season), London Wasps Christian Wade, the second highest try scorer in the Aviva Premiership (nine), London Irish back Jonathan Joseph and London Wasps lock Joe Launchbury.
New Entrants Day
The New Entrants Day was a great success with the new parents and pupils on Sunday 6th May. Following the address from the Headmaster and the Head of the Second form, Mrs McCulloch, the new entrants were accompanied to a warm reception in their Boarding Houses where they met the House team and were introduced to their third form 'Nursemaids' who will guide them through their first three weeks of term when they start at CH in September.
Below is one of two winning poems 'The first three weeks at CH' which was written and read at New Entrants Day by Eden Stoppard a current 2nd former.
Autumns Coming
Anxious feelings tumble down like
Brown leaves
Swirling round my new Dr. Martins
I'm excited though
The whirring of the sewing machine
as it places my identity on lots of
new clothes
my sports kit looks especially cool
my suitcase closes with a thud
I stand at the door feeling my heart beating rapidly
my breathing quickens
my brother casually hugs me and stomps off upstairs
I climb into the car and try not to look back
tears sparkle at the edges of my eyes
I try to amuse myself by reading a book
my stomach churns with nervousness
We drive up to the school
I'm amazed by its size even though I’ve been here before
despite my anxiety I’m keen for my parents to go
because I want to go upstairs
but they insist on helping lug everything to my room
they eventually leave
I have to bite my lip to stop myself crying
The first three weeks are a blur
everyone makes friends quickly
and it doesn’t take long to
get used to the uniform
because everyone’s wearing the same thing
On the morning of leave weekend
there's frost on the cars and windows
Winters coming
CCF Easter Camp at RAF Henlow
Between the 11th and the 18th April 2012, 5 CCF (RAF) cadets attended an Easter Camp at RAF Henlow along with around 40 other CCF (RAF) cadets from three schools. During the time on camp the cadets flew Grob Tutor aircraft and went gliding in Grob Vigiliant gliders. Cadets also went on various excursions including visiting the Imperial War Museum RAF Duxford and The National Code and Cipher Centre at Bletchley Park. Cadets also managed to go rock climbing, experienced driving 4 x 4 vehicles, took part in various sporting and recreational events including a football tournament and 10-pin-bowling. The week culminated in a 'NITE-EX' leadership task, a drill competition, and a final night disco.
Cadet Lance Corporal Tomas Higginson said, "The camp was excellent, we got a chance to go flying, gliding, rock climbing and many other things too. It was hard work to wake up early, keep our uniform looking good and improve our drill but it was a really enjoyable week."
Flight Lieutenant David Mulae, Officer Commanding Christ's Hospital RAF Section, said, "RAF sponsored camps are an excellent opportunity for Air Cadets to experience living on an RAF base and take part in multiple opportunities. Cadets get to meet, and work together with, pupils from other schools and make firm friendships in a very short space of time. The staff on camp work hard to make sure the pupils do as many structured activities as possible and this camp was no exception with a weekly programme bursting at the seams with fun, challenging and well organised activities. Easter and summer military camps are yet one more example of the wide variety of opportunities available to all pupils at Christ's Hospital School."
Currently all pupils LE (Year 9) and above are eligible to join the CCF and are able to take part in many exciting, and highly subsidised, activities all year round.
CH Hockey Players Visit Olympic Park
On Thursday, 3rd May, CH hockey players visited the Olympic Park to see two men's hockey matches in the Pre-Olympic Event, The Visa International Tournament. They watched the World Number One team from Australia go down to the world Number Two team, Germany, followed by Team GB playing and beating India.
Hazel Rowland-Jones, Assistant Director of Sport said, "There was a great atmosphere particularly in the second match, when the crowd became very involved in supporting the home team and I am sure that this will lead to a resurgence in hockey once the games have finished. The blue with pink water-based pitch was easy on the eye and the girls were in awe of the pace the game was played at and the high level skill of all the players. It was a also great opportunity for the girls to see the facilities for the Olympic events in July."
Senior Pupils' Geography Fieldwork in Snowdonia
CH Geographers spent four days in Snowdonia in April to complete fieldwork for the IB coursework, AS examinations and A2 fieldwork examination. An account of their trip, braving quite challenging weather conditions, has been written by Kath Walking and Kelly Smith, Deps (Lower Sixth Form pupils).
“Having arrived at the centre in Betws-y-Coed, we were given an overview of the tasks we would carry out during the following two days. On the first day, we set up various experiments along the Afon Conwy to determine the change in the river from its upper course to its middle course. We recorded measurements for factors such as velocity, hydraulic radius and channel depth. Although the Welsh weather proved testing, we remained focused upon our task and enjoyed the experience. Following our evening meal, we combined each group’s results so as to show whether our previous hypotheses were correct. With the IB students being the main focus with their coursework approaching, it provided excellent revision for the AS pupils too with their looming exams.
“The following morning, we woke to snow and the AS pupils anticipated their trip up Nant Ffrancon Valley, Cwm Idwal National Nature Reserve. Once snowballs had been thrown, the AS group were ready to begin their excursion. As we fought against the wind and snow on the way up, the experience was incredible, and the view of the U- shaped valley from further down (out of the blizzard) was beautiful. We returned to the centre to change and dry off before entering Betws-y-Coed village for a Human Geography study on Tourism. The use of surveys enabled groups to investigate the reasons for visiting the village and we made our own brief videos encapsulating different characters and families and their explanations for visiting. For many, this visit also entailed a visit to the cafe and a mug of hot chocolate. That evening we revised our physical glacial landforms and slept after some games and mugs of tea.
The IB students also enjoyed a day in Llandudno, where they looked at disparities. They braved the very windy conditions to complete several surveys and observations before retreating for a warm cup of tea. The views across the town were beautiful. On the way back, the IB Deps attempted to visit a local wind farm to discuss energy issues, however the heavy snow blocked the road. Overall the Field trip in Wales proved highly beneficial and fun for all involved.”
Versailles and Paris Visit
French A2 Grecians and IB Deps enjoyed a three-day visit to Paris and Versailles at the end of the Easter holiday. As well as seeing the usual sights, they were able to follow up some of their particular exam-based interests, including visits to the Musée de l’Armée, and to the 'original' Odéon cinema to see Les adieux à la reine, a film which proved a good introduction to the morning spent at Versailles.
For some the highlight of the stay was the superb performance of Ionesco’s Les chaises at the legendary Théâtre de la Huchette in the Latin Quarter, for others the visit to the equally Parisian artists' community at 59 rue de Rivoli. We are grateful to several bodies, in particular to the Cyril Randolph Trust, whose financial assistance enabled as many as possible of our senior French students to have this opportunity.
Girls Collect National Fives Titles
Christ’s Hospital’s girls claimed several titles at the National Fives Championships as Mr Ed Hatton, Master i/c Fives, reports:
"The U13s were the stars – they played group matches against U14s before playing off for the U13 trophies. Molly Todd ruthlessly dispatched three U14 girls before claiming the title of National U13 Singles Champion, Tamsin Denny and Phoebe Thornhill won through as U13 National Doubles Champions.
"The competition was stiff at U14 & U16 level. Louise Mathias narrowly lost a group game against the eventual winner 10-12. She then lost a hard fought semi-final against a girl about twice her size, but ended up as U16 Singles plate winner. Similarly Mary Ward and Olivia Crossman lost a doubles knockout round narrowly, but went on to win the U14 Doubles plate."
BBC Radio 2 'Sunday Half Hour' Recording
BBC Radio 2 recorded the CH Schola Cantorum, Chapel Choir and the whole school in Chapel on Friday, 27th April for two 'Sunday Half Hour' programmes for broadcast on 15th July and 2nd September. Music included hymns and anthems, two of which have links to CH: 'How Shall I Sing that Majesty' to tune Coe Fen, was composed by a former Director of Music, Ken Naylor (who taught at CH from 1980-1986) and 'Lord of the Dance' – a 19th Century Shaker tune was adapted by Sydney Carter, Old Blue. Andrew Cleary, Director of Music, said, "We were delighted to welcome Radio 2 to the School, not only use our magnificent facilities but also to provide a memorable and fun experience for members of the choir and the wider school community."
Report on Hockey Tour
During the Easter holidays, hockey players went on a five-day tour in Valkenburg, Holland. The format of the tour consisted mainly of a coaching session by professional coaching staff supplied by MasterClass, followed by a cultural event, ending with a full competitive match.
Hazel Rowland-Jones, Assistant Director of Sport at CH said, "The matches were close, Dutch Hockey is extremely strong and in spite of the Under 15s being one of the strongest within Sussex, they were up against some very talented young players. The seniors’ games, however, were very well matched, extremely challenging and there were some amazing performances. This was such a good tour with excellent organisation from MasterClass Tours. It was friendly, fun as well as competitive and the players certainly all benefitted from the experience."
MasterClass Honours went to Daisy Treloar the U15s Goal Keeper and Ahzlina Leaton for the U17s – both of whom were highlighted by the professional coaches (who also supported and mentored the girls in their competitive matches) as players who deserved to be recognised for their contribution.
|
OPPOSITION |
Under 17 |
Under 15 |
|
HC Kerkrade |
Lost 2 - 3 |
Lost 1 – 5 (this team was stronger than the senior XI) |
|
Tegelen HC |
|
Lost 1 - 4 |
|
HC Blerick |
Won 2 - 1 |
|
|
Heerlan HC |
Won 6 - 0 |
|
|
Tournament |
|
Who were top of the group but drew 1-1 in the final and lost on penalty strokes |
OLYMPIC swimmers, Duncan Goodhew and Mark Foster
OLYMPIC swimmers, Duncan Goodhew and Mark Foster and BBC Breakfast sports reporter, Mike Bushell, joined Christ’s Hospital pupils on Wednesday 28th March for a Swimathon promotion which was broadcast on the BBC Breakfast show over the Easter weekend.
The swimmers joined pupils to recreate some of the swimming events of the 1900s, including the plunge, the underwater swim and the obstacle, which have since been dropped from the Olympics.
"Ben Way, who organised the Swimathon said Christ’s Hospital have been one of the biggest school supporters of the Sport Relief Swimathon over the last few years, considering there are 644 pools around the country taking part, to be one of the biggest school pools involved is a huge achievement."
New National Fives Champion at Christ’s Hospital
We are delighted to report that Abdul Ahmed (Mid B LE) gained the National U14 Singles title at the National Schools’ Fives Championships held at St Paul’s School, 30th March to 2nd April.
Abdul won a very tough 3 game final against a Winchester opponent after battling through several close and determined previous rounds. James Kennedy (Ma A, LE) then went on with Abdul to win the Doubles Plate.
Master i/c Fives, Mr Ed Hatton, said: "We have only ever won this trophy once about 10 years ago, so this is a great achievement.
"Our U16s also did well, although two were a year young so have a bit of experience still to gather. At U18 level, Bart Callaghan and Andea Gemade lost a close Doubles Plate Final, but all acquitted themselves well – there were some excellent players in the competition."
See further match reports on the Rugby Fives Association website
Hard Work Pays Off for Hockey Girls
Girls' sport is thriving at CH! Some of our top sporting stars have seen some amazing achievements recently. To reward, develop and unite them even more, 34 girls ranging from UF (Year 10) – Deps (Lower Sixth) will be touring Valkenburg in Holland from Monday 9th April for five days.
Master Class Tours is leading the tour which includes two master class coaching sessions, two matches and a tournament at the end of the visit. The afternoons will be spent visiting some of the cultural sights in and around the area, plus participating in some activities including Laser Tag in caves and outdoor Tobogganing.
Behind the scenes the girls have been busy to supplement the costs of sports clothing to complement the tour by raising funds through cake sales, hot dog stalls, in-house tuck shop to name a few. Louise Mathias, the under 15s captain, took time out over the Christmas break to visit her primary school, Conifers in Midhurst, to sell her goodies. This resulted in arranging for the CH touring squad to give some of their Year 6 pupils a coached hockey session and a tour of Christ's Hospital in return for a donation to the tour funds. This was a very successful occasion enjoyed by all pupils (pictured).
Other offers were from Tap Water who has kindly donated a set of water bottles for the senior team.
Steeplechase 2012 at Christ’s Hospital
CH’s annual steeplechase took place on Thursday 29th March when 623 pupils ran courses of varying distances to compete for individual and team prizes. There were some exciting races throughout the day, one of the highlights being the junior girls where the top 3 girls (pictured) all completed the 2.6km course in under 10 and a half minutes.
Mr Baker (Head of cross-country at CH) said ‘’ It has been a fantastic day, with some dominant performances from a number of athletes that have trained hard throughout the season. It is no coincidence that the majority of individual medals were awarded to athletes who train on a regular basis, either within the schools afternoon programme or at clubs.’’ He added ‘’It was also pleasing to see so many runners compete and the vast majority of pupils were able to earn points for their House by completing the course within the set time.’’
After the event, presentations were made by Head Master, John Franklin and Director of Sport, David Messenger. Mr Messenger thanked all the staff and the participants involved.
For a full list of results:
Individual Medal and team awards
'Diamond Heist' Demonstrates Barnes B Leadership Skills
On Monday, 12th March eight members of Barnes B GE (Year 11) travelled with Housemistress Mrs Helen Wilson to Wellington College, where they had been selected to lead a course on the importance of diverse personalities in successful teamwork.
The team - Alex Fryday, Gaby Preutz, Georgina Davis, Grace Nicolle, Holly Hustad, Kedi Turk, Tabi Webb and Zainab Oshodi – created a Diamond Heist challenge for the Leadership Festival. Georgina explained, "Our plan was to split the other schools into groups according to their personalities. We then devised four mental tasks which they had to complete to gain the keys needed for the practical challenge of stealing the gemstone." The girls concluded with a PowerPoint presentation to explain how different personalities can impact the outcome of a mission and are necessary in group situations.
Their workshop was a great success and the Barnes B team then went on to demonstrate and develop their leadership skills in tasks set by other schools.
Field Day Opportunities Flood to Christ's Hospital
Never more does CH prosper than on its Field Days: actors performing on stage in a festival in Chichester at the Minerva Theatre, Year 8s off to Fishbourne Roman Palace, Year 9s learning First Aid, Duke of Edinburgh trips to Sumners Pond and Leith Hill, Army to Crowborough Army Base, Navy to Whale Island and RAF to Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Explorer Scouts sailing in Ardingly and all the Community Action groups deployed in their helpful enterprises in and around Horsham.
Meanwhile, at home, an exciting day unfolded on site for other senior pupils. A distinguished array of former pupils and friends came to the Lecture Theatre and classrooms in its impressive New Science School to address the pupils on fascinating careers they had had since leaving school. Ten of these had themselves gone out into the world from CH. Some 200 students of all interests were inspired to think of their own futures by:
- Thom Haig: "Motion Graphic Design - Work in What I Love"
- Alice Medley: "A Career in Accountancy" Tom Richardson: "A Life in Clinical Drugs Trials"
- Christina Smith: "Training to be a Commercial Pilot"
- Dominic Carolan: "A Life as an Entrepreneur"
- Richard Stringfellow: "A Life in Design Engineering"
- Hugo Deadman: "A Life Working with Politicians and as a Speechwriter"
- Charlie Morgan: "A Life Overseas in the Diplomatic Corps, after a Few Years in the Royal Marines"
- Jackie Rolf: "A Life in Banking and International Finance"
- Adrian Biddell and Alex Kader: "Lives in Art Valuation and Auctioneering" (Paintings and Sculpture)
- Jamie Coomarasamy: "A Life in Broadcast News"
- Paul Hailey: "A Life in Commodities Trading"
- Jane Davies Evans: "A Life as a Barrister in International Arbitration"
A group of Forest School's gifted and talented pupils were also pleased to join their neighbours for the morning. CH sixth-former Keira Koroma said she was dazzled by the quality of the speakers and the exciting lives they had led since leaving school. Henry, an Art History student emerged from the talk given by Sotheby’s Old Blues Alex Kader and Adrian Biddell, and said it was quite simply "perfect". Leah Yohans, about to take her GCSEs, looked forward to two more years of such inspirational examples and advice on her Sixth Form.
The CCF RAF section, pupils from LE and above, along with 3 members of staff (David Mulae, Ben Vessey and Jon Salisbury) visited Tangmere Museum on Thursday 22nd March during Field Day. The day was fantastic, it started with a presentation about the history of Tangmere, its role in the 2ww/Battle of Britain/Invasion of Europe, and its functions since the war.
We then looked around the museum, toured the hangars and some of the cadets got to fly several of the simulators, including a Lightning Simulator which is pretty unique.
The trip is an example of the wide range of activities pupils can take part in when they join the CCF.
Your Life You Choose
On Field Day on 22nd March, 100 second formers had the opportunity to take part in Your Life You Choose - a crime diversion project run by the Magistrates’ Association. Organised by Local Magistrate Carole Hayward (who is married to an Old Blue!) the day included workshops with:
- Magistrates – a mock trial which taught the pupils about different sorts of trials and courts, use of evidence and sentencing
- Victim Support – looking at how to react to situations and how witnesses/victims are supported. There is no such thing as an innocent bystander
- Police and an ASBO team – covering what is antisocial behaviour, what happens when you get arrested?
- Directions Project, a workshop run by two ex-prisoners – providing an inside view about prison life. Paul and Rich spoke frankly about mistakes they had and how it had affected their life.
Responses from the pupils:
"I think both of you are so courageous and brave for coming to speak to us. When you did you risked being judged and immediately stereotyped but I didn’t judge you and I don’t think anyone else did."
"It was a real eye opener and made me think a lot. It made me realise the value of education. Now I will try my hardest and make the most of my time here."
Geography Fieldwork Project In Chichester
On Thursday 22nd March, the third form (Year 8) took part in a half day fieldwork trip to Chichester to discover if the town has become a 'clone town'. The pupils visited different areas of the city and completed maps to show the shop types, interviewed shoppers to discover why they were visiting and drew sketches to show the environmental quality of the area. The weather was fantastic, giving the pupils a great opportunity to get out and about and put their new found investigation skills to the test! The day out was enjoyed by all and has helped the pupils to put their previous work on globalisation into perspective in their local environment, while cementing the fieldwork skills they will need should they take Geography at GCSE.
Christ's Hospital Pupils Join International Debate
Ten Christ's Hospital students were amongst 800 young people from across the world who gathered to debate pressing global problems this weekend (24/25th March). Representing the views of Ecuador and Kenya in a simulation of the United Nations lasting three days, CH students discussed international issues ranging from nuclear proliferation to economic development.
Katie Macleod Hall (GE ThA) and Lara Hogan (GE LHA) performed particularly well, having their resolutions on Human Rights and Terrorism and on the implementation of the UN Convention on Corruption passed with large majorities.
Held at Haileybury College, Hertford, the trip was generously sponsored by the Society of Amicable Blues.
Proud Sponsor of Medals at Horsham RFU Minis Festival
CH enjoyed a glorious spring day at the Horsham Rugby Club Minis Festival 2012 on Sunday, 25th March as proud sponsors of the medals which were awarded by Joe Launchbury, former pupil, most recently named in England's Six Nations rugby squad.
The Director of Sport at Christ's Hospital, David Messenger said "This is an excellent festival, it was great to see so many youngsters enjoying the game in a positive and friendly atmosphere. Many parents and young players came to see us on our stand to find out more about Christ's Hospital. Sport is an important part of school life at CH and rugby in particular, many of our pupils have gone on to represent county and national teams. We are keen to encourage this sport and were delighted to support the Horsham RFU Club". He added "As a school we hope to engage more with the local community, we have excellent resources in terms of facilities and coaching staff, I am keen to develop our outreach project to share this expertise with local primary schools and clubs".
Visit the Horsham RFU website for more information.
Visiting Lecturer Dr Tom Asbridge Debates the First Crusade
On Friday 23rd March CH was delighted to welcome Dr Tom Asbridge of Queen Mary, University of London, to lecture on the First Crusade. Dr Asbridge’s book, The First Crusade – A New History, was published to critical acclaim in 2004, and is now regarded as the standard work on the subject, while his most recent book, The War for the Holy Land, was published in 2010 and has been universally well received. His recent three-part documentary for BBC2 also received rave reviews.
Our Deps and Grecians were therefore extremely fortunate that he was able to find time in his schedule to come down to CH, and the seminar that he ran was of enormous value as they prepare for their exams, offering them the most recent scholarship on the subject and generating much debate. The evening eventually had to be brought to an end after over two hours, though there is no doubt his audience would have remained riveted for very much longer!
Spital Sermon
This year's Spital Sermon in London took place on Thursday, 8th March and was attended by the Senior Choir (Schola), the Senior Grecian and Second Monitor.
Spital derives from the word hospital, specifically the one named St Mary Spital which was founded in 1197 but dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. The principal object of Spital Sermons was to attract donations to charities, especially to the Royal Hospitals. The history of the Spital Sermon predates the foundation of Christ's Hospital but it was at a Spital Sermon in 1553 that the pupils of Christ's Hospital were first seen in public dressed in the bluecoat uniform. The Spital Sermon connections between the City and CH strengthened over time with the development of the Easter Anthem, composed by masters and sung by CH pupils from about 1625 until the 1850's when the custom died out. This very long standing tradition was soon absorbed into the School's Easter celebrations, with attendance by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, to hear reports on the progress of the Royal Hospitals.
The Spital Sermon takes place annually attended by the Lord Mayor and Aldermen, with the Treasurers, Clerks, Head and Governors of both Christ's Hospital and King Edward's School, Witley. The preacher, chosen by the Lord Mayor, chooses the topic for the sermon and the reading by the senior pupil of one school is based on that with the other school providing the choir.
Christ’s Hospital Year 5 Rugby and Netball Tournament
An excellent day of fun and fast flowing rugby began with CH Director of Rugby Andrew Turner talking to the boys about a number of basic principles on how to score in Rugby. Andy approached the session from a 'games for understanding' principle which went down really well with the boys. The boys from six local prep schools then went outside to try and put the principles into action with help from their school staff and some of the CH rugby coaching staff. The afternoon culminated in a fiercely contested 'Super 9's' competition. With a lot of talent on display the quality of rugby was high.
- The Final of the Bowl competition saw Haslemere Prep draw 10:10 with Copthorne School
- Oakwood School beat St Bede's 10:5 in the Final of the Plate competition
- The Cup Final was a very intense affair with Amesbury School coming out 10:0 winners over Danesfield.
Director of Rugby Andy Turner is quoted as saying, "It was great to see so many enthusiastic and talented young players really focus and take on board the principles of the game." He added, "The tournament towards the end of the day allowed the boys to put into practice the concepts learnt earlier, I was very impressed with the standard of play." Director of Sport Dave Messenger, who presented the awards said, "There were a number of great team and individual performances, with Charlie Briers from Amesbury School catching the eye." Charlie was awarded player of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the netball girls participated in a fun afternoon of skills and competition. Led by former Sussex County Captain and Under 16 Coach, Helen Windwood, basic ball handling and movement drills were interspersed with exciting small sided competitive drills. The shooting competition was particularly hard fought with all players experiencing shooting under pressure.
Hazel Rowland-Jones, Assistant Director of Sport and Head of Girls' Games at Christ's Hospital said, "The skill level of the girls is very high, their understanding of footwork and their competitive instinct is very heartening. It is lovely to see the schools mixing well together."
The tournament turned out to be a very close affair with end-to-end play in all matches. It took the last shot of the day to decide the eventual winners with Copthorne A winning against Oakwood School by just one goal. Overall player of the event was awarded to Elise from Copthorne A who demonstrated diligence and a high standard of play throughout the afternoon’s activities.
Helen Windwood commented, "The standard of play in the matches is excellent; it is encouraging to see such a good understanding of the game at such a young age. I have thoroughly enjoyed this afternoon, the work rate of all the girls is superb."
Music Shield for Composer Myrddin
Fourteen-year-old Myrddin Rees Davies (UF) was presented with the Ron Joice Dual Entry Shield after competing in the final of the Young Musician of Havering on 10th March at the Romford Citadel. Myrddin, who comes from Romford, won the award for a combination of his performance of Hunters Moon by Gilbert Vinter on the French horn and his composition piece Serialist, composed during GCSE music lessons at Christ's Hospital.
To reach the final Myrddin participated in masterclasses at Havering Music School run by Mr Phil Thorne, with Adam Wright, a trumpet player from the London Chamber Orchestra and Mr Steven Chadwick, a local composer. Myrddin has taken up both French horn and piano since coming to Christ's Hospital as well as continuing to play his first love, the tenor horn, which he plays in the Christ's Hospital Band.
During the Easter holidays Myrddin will be attending a week-long residential course with the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain followed by two concerts: at Weston Super Mare Winter Gardens on Friday, 6th April and at the Cadogan Hall in London on Saturday, 7th April.
U12 VII Win Hampshire Collegiate Tournament
On Saturday 3rd March the U12 squad travelled to the New Forest for the Hampshire Collegiate VII's and gradually warmed to the task of the abbreviated game.
In the pool stages they had good wins over Pilgrims School 19-0, Hampshire Collegiate 31-0, St John's College, Southsea 21-0 and Lord Wandsworth 19-0.
In the semi-final they defeated Twyford Preparatory School 28-0 before confronting the formidable Robert Clack School from Dagenham. A terrific first half saw them romp to 28-0 lead from which the opposition were never able to recover. The second half saw the opposition score first, but with the full use of the squad Christ's Hospital ran out easy victors 49-7. Director of Rugby Andy Turner said, "The boys played some very good sevens during the day and did well to beat some very strong prep schools and senior schools." He added, "They have improved significantly during the season, due to their hard work and endeavour, it is amazing to think that many of these boys had not played rugby before starting at CH in September."
Christ's Hospital Hosts Sussex Cross-country Championships
Over 550 young runners enjoyed perfect conditions at CH on Thursday 15th March competing for individual and team medals at the Sussex County Years 7/8 Cross-country Championships.
There were many excellent performances in bright sunshine and the event was attended by over 35 Sussex schools. Two pupils from CH both achieved county titles by winning gold medals.
Event organiser and teacher at CH Richard Baker said‘’ It was tremendous to see so many young runners competing; participation levels were higher this year with nearly 150 runners in each of the four races’’
He added ‘’ We have hosted this event for a number of years and it was pleasing to see for the first time some of our own pupils achieve county titles. Rosie Vallance and Remus Goldsmith both won gold medals with impressive performances and well deserved victories’’.
Double Delight for Junior Rugby Teams at County Cup Finals
It was an historic day at Worthing Rugby Club on Wednesday, 14th March for the Christ's Hospital u12 and u14 rugby players; with both teams winning their respective finals.
The u12's won a hard fought game 14-7 against a talented Brighton College Prep team. The u14's secured the double sweeping aside Eastbourne College 22-10.
U14 coach Richard Baker said: "It makes me immensely proud to be associated with such a talented group of players. They showed exceptional pace, power and game sense especially in the first half. There were many outstanding individual performances, but today belongings to the collective and the best team on the day secured a comfortable victory."
The u14 team had already beaten both Brighton College (Q-F) and Hurstpierpoint College (S-F) to reach the final, in what was easily the toughest side of draw.
The u12's coach Thomas Stokes said after their narrow victory: "In many facets of the game Brighton College were dominant, as their obvious greater experience showed. CH showed an excellent attitude and determination to secure a very close victory. As a year group I feel sure they will go from strength to strength, as they gain more experience to match their obvious talent."
Finally, the coaches would like to say a huge thank you for the excellent support received from many of the parents who came to support on the day.
Model United Nations team placed 2nd in National Tournament
The Model United Nations team won second place participating in its first nationwide MUN Tournament this weekend (10/11 March). Beating thirty five other schools from across the country, the Christ’s Hospital team of Finn McMahon, Charles James-Cheesman and Johanna Harley were presented with a Silver Outstanding Delegation Award at the closing ceremony.
Debating the topic "Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport", the competition was held on international soil at the UN’s International Maritime Organisation in London.
Individual prizes were also won by Finn McMahon, recognised with a Best Delegate Award, and Charles James-Cheesman, who won an Honourable Mention Award.
Dr Alistair Goddard, Master in Charge of MUN at CH, commented: "It's terrific that all the hard work the MUN team has put in this year has been recognised at a national level".
Lecture on Population Change For IB Students
On Tuesday 13th March the IB Deputy Grecians (Yr 12) studying Geography attended the second annual London Lecture by the University of Oxford. 'The 21st Century - the last century of youth?' was presented by Professor Sarah Harper, professor of Gerontology at Oxford University, and Director of the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, a research centre concerned with the implications of future population change.
Questions addressed included: Why are these population changes occurring?; How far will they go?; Can and should they be halted?; What are the economic implications for societies which are no longer driven by the arrival of large young birth cohorts, and how will our national and international institutions adjust?
Miss Waller, Head of Geography, said: "The lecture was very much enjoyed by all, and has opened the minds of our students with regards to the issues discussed within the IB topics that they have studied here at CH."
Rock Challenge
On Monday 5th March at The Hawth Theatre in Crawley, CH entered the world of "Rock Challenge" for the first time.
80 students from years UF to Second Form performed to 1000 people in a dance entitled "The History of Christ's Hospital School". A stunning dance that told the story of the School from the signing of the Charter to the entrance of the girls. We witnessed a busy Tudor market place with the street urchin being convinced that education was his future. We were shown the persecution and burning of some of the founders of the School. An interpretation of London street violence then led us into the "bonkers" world of CH and the entrance of the marching girls.
The crowd were stunned and there was rapturous applause. The lead judge commented that for a first performance at Rock Challenge it was a really amazing effort. At the awards ceremony we picked up the performance skills award and were placed in the top 4.
A significant achievement given 3 factors, firstly this was a student led initiative, with minimal creative staff input, secondly the competition from the other schools all do Dance and drama for GCSE and finally all the work has been carried out by our students in their spare time.
The performance was choreographed entirely by Gillian Kintu (UF) who was recognised and awarded on the night with the Student Leadership award. All the set, the soundtrack, the lighting, the make-up, the costumes, the sewing, the painting were completed by the students independently.
Sincere thanks to all those students who took part, what will we do next year?
Geographers Visit Olympics Site
On Wednesday 7th March, the AS Level Deps (Lower Sixth) went on a day trip to London for a Geography field trip to complete some work on urban regeneration. They spent the day visiting several sites, including Canary Wharf, the EXCEL centre, Stratford and the 2012 Olympics site. In spite of the wet weather, everybody had a great time and it was an opportunity to see the work completed in class come to life.
Windlesham Sevens Win
Christ's Hospital had another impressive display winning their 2nd Sevens Tournament in under a week. After a slow start the team progressed well throughout the group stages but saved their best rugby for the knock out stages.
Director of Sport Dave Messenger said "I was most impressed with how the team developed as a unit during the competition, especially in regards to their defensive tactics. The team performed very much like the weather on the day, they started dull and dreary but finished bright and breezy".
He added, "The competition today included many top quality Prep School and Senior School Teams. The boys can be very proud of their achievement; they were a credit to Christ's Hospital both on and off the field of play. Hopefully the boys will have gained confidence from this tournament win as they move on to the forthcoming sevens competitions at Berkhamsted and Rosslyn Park".
The 3rd form squad consisted of Hareef Asunramu (player of the tournament) Henry Watts, Henry Gregson, Sam Winsbury, Sol Deller, George Boyle, Osaze Moshinghi-Lawrence, Ola Siwoku, Temidire George and Sedinam Amedewonu.
CH Results as follows:
Swanbourne – won 19-14
Brighton College Prep School – won 36-0
Angmering – won 21-0
Worth – won 35-0
Quarter-Final : Holmewood – won 40-0
Semi-Final : Highfield – 33-17
Final : Yardley Court – 42-7
Miles for Miles
Grecians East house has been hard at work running round the mile to raise money for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity to show their gratitude to the Royal Marsden Hospital, where one member of the house, Miles McCulloch, has been receiving treatment for lymphoma since Christmas Eve.
From the end of half term until 20th March - the day of the school steeplechase - members of the house have decided to run 'Miles for Miles' - an extended sponsored run designed to raise money for this very worthwhile cause. Pupils, ranging from the serious athletes to the 'wheezer-geezers' have been accumulating miles and the final total will include the four miles of the steeplechase, to be run on 20th March.
Pupils, house staff, and even the houseparents' children have been clocking up the miles. Stephen Walsh, Grecians East housemaster, said: "We are hoping to raise a good sum to say a big THANK YOU to the Royal Marsden for the excellent care and support Miles has been receiving since he went into hospital. Currently the prognosis is good and all being well he should emerge at the end of his chemotherapy just as we reach the end of our road."
The fundraising drive has been backed by the whole house. Meanwhile Old Blues, parents, friends and supporters have been posting donations on the Grecians East 'Miles for Miles' page at www.justgiving.com/grecianseast - so much so that half way through the event the total has already reached over £3000. This includes a remarkable £593 collected from the audience at the Band Concert in Big School on 4th March.
Workshops for Children
On Thursday, 23rd February, one of the first warm and sunny days of the year, over 60 nine and ten year olds from 15 schools across the region visited Christ’s Hospital as part of the school’s workshop programme for Year 5 children.
Maths and Music were the subjects explored as the children worked in separate groups throughout the day ready for a presentation later that afternoon.
As well as watching Band Parade and lunching in Dining Hall, the children were able to let off steam in the sunshine before getting back to work to demonstrate the mathematical structure of music in their presentation to parents and teachers.
James Watts, from Hever (CofE) Primary School, commented “Judging from the children’s conversation on the way back to school, they learned a great deal. The children will be writing articles about their visit for our school paper”.
The next workshops for Year 5 children will be Physics and Music on 15th June 2012. Please contact Christ’s Hospital on 01403 211293.
Drama Students in National Theatre Project
Christ’s Hospital School proudly presents Victim, Sidekick, Boyfriend, Me by Hilary Bell.
On Friday 24th and Saturday 25th February UF GCSE Drama students were involved in performances of a new play ‘Victim Sidekick, Boyfriend, Me’ formed the schools entry into the prestigious National Theatre Connections Project. The company has now been selected to then transfer the production to The Minerva Theatre, Chichester on Thursday 22nd March.
Connections is produced by the National Theatre and supported by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Accenture and Arts Council England. Each year new plays are commissioned for and about young people from some of the best contemporary playwrights, for performance by schools and youth theatres from all over the UK and Ireland, making connections one of the largest celebrations of youth theatre.
Christ’s Hospital School will play their part in Connections with their production of ‘Victim, Sidekick, Boyfriend, Me’ by Hilary Bell.
A Girl commits a crime without punishment or remorse. Her Sidekick is ordered to serve a prison sentence. The Victim’s Boyfriend offers his unconditional forgiveness. However, nothing is simple in Hilary Bell’s play about guilt and retribution.
The students chose this piece to perform because they liked the mix of the emotionally driven story and the opportunity for really interesting comedic ensemble work with cameo roles which have real depth to them while also being comedic in nature. One cast member called the piece “Just the right mix of dark and light with interesting real characters all the way through the story.” Another said “I love the way that event the fringe characters are busy in the whole play with lots of scenes as a whole cast!”
Director David Saunders reflected on the rehearsal process so far saying “This has certainly been one of the most collaborative pieces we have produced at Christ’s Hospital School with the students contributing at every step from first rehearsal to last not only as performers but Assistant Directors, costume designers and Stage Managers and loads of other roles, which is what the Connections Project is all about, engaging young people in the thrill of making theatre that is important to them!”
To book for the productions transfer to The Minerva Theatre, Chichester look online at www.cft.org.uk/connections-2012 where you can choose and purchase tickets direct.
For further information contact David Saunders, Acting Director of Drama & Theatre Studies on dps@christs-hospital.org.uk or call the Drama & Theatre Studies Department on 01403 247435 of for more information about National Theatre Connections visit www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/connections.
Mathematics Challenge at Lancing College
Justin Wong, Atu Turay, Hareef Asunramu and Albert Burgess represented Christ's Hospital in the regional final of the United Kingdom Mathematics Trust Team Maths Challenge on Wednesday 29th February.
The event was hosted by Lancing College and lasted over 4 rounds from 10am to 3.30pm. The pupils worked together to solve problems without calculators, competing with 20 other schools. Rounds ranged from a 'crossnumber' pairs challenge, to a full blown relay race running up and down a sports hall with the 'baton' being the solution to a series of maths problems.
The Christ's Hospital team performed well against some tough opposition, coming 7th out of 20, and a fun day was had by all.
Sussex Sevens Victory
The sevens season began on Thursday, 1st March as Christ’s Hospital hosted the u13 Sussex county tournament.
14 schools were represented from across the county and the tournament was held in fantastic conditions. Christ’s Hospital are notoriously strong at this age group and powered through their group beating Beacon, Lancing College and St Phillip Howard school. This set up a difficult semi-final match against Brighton College who had beaten CH at the same stage last year. Brighton played some excellent sevens but were unable to match the pace of Christ’s Hospital who made the game safe early in the second half with a couple of very quick tries from Hareef Asunramu and Osaze Moshinghi-Lawrence. In the final CH were up against a very big Sackville side, who had physically dominated all the teams they had played during the afternoon. CH matched Sackville’s physicality with some excellent tackling and used the ball intelligently to run out comfortable winners in the end.
CH u13 sevens coach Richard Baker said, "This was an excellent first tournament but the boys are fully aware there will be bigger challenges ahead at Windelsham, Berkhamsted and the Rosslyn Park at the end of March." He added, "At times we used the play well but the boys still have much to learn especially in defence if they are going to compete against the top schools in the country. I was pleased with the way the team progressed throughout the afternoon; with such pace and skill they could surprise some of the bigger schools later this month."
The u13’s next tournament is at Windlesham house school on Tuesday 6th March, starting at 10am – all support welcome!!
Christ’s Hospital Develops Links with Crawley Athletics
On Sunday 19th February seven Christ’s Hospital athletes competed with their club team mates in Crawley athletics vests in the final sports hall event at Tanbridge school.
Both the boys and girls teams were successful winning both events and the overall title for the season.
CH pupils put in some excellent performances, with many winning some or all of their events. Many congratulations to Crawley and the pupils who came back early from half term to compete –
Shekinah George-Lawal – LE
Hareef Asunramu, Temi George, Dani Heath, Melika Choude – 3rd form
Arron Shaw and Jonathan LaTouche – 2nd form
The results from the final sportshall event are on the Sussex Website - www.sussexathletics.org.uk
The full report can be viewed on the following link:
http://www.crawleyac.org.uk/index.php/news/937-sussex-sportshall-league
x-country success for Rosie competing for Crawley AC in the Sussex x-c league
Rosie Vallance (2nd form Col A) achieved a gold medal as part of the u13 girls Crawley team who won the district club championships on Saturday 18th February. Rosie has trained hard throughout the season and has competed extremely well for Crawley; especially when you consider she is a year young.
http://www.crawleyac.org.uk/index.php/news/935-sussex-xc-league-4-lancing-saturday-18-february-2012
Over 20 athletes continue to train hard on a Monday night at Crawley AC and it is hoped that many will be able to compete well for both school and club in the summer term.
Mr Baker (Master i/c athletics) said "The welcome we have received at Crawley AC from both athletes and coaches has been fantastic. The benefit CH pupils are achieving from training throughout the winter will only become apparent when the summer term arrives” He added “ It is our aim to give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to participate at school and club. The link with Crawley is important to ensure the development of our elite athletes and in turn hopefully we can help Crawley AC become an even stronger club, with a larger pool of young talented athletes."
Team of the Moment
CH travelled away to Hurstpierpoint in the semi-final of the county cup, running out narrow winners 14-12 in a tight and hard fought contest. CH enjoyed some early pressure which they were unable to capitalise on and it was Huirstpierpoint who scored the first try out wide, which was expertly converted from the touchline. CH had its best period of play just before half time. An intelligent grubber kick through by fly half Lewis Sampson, led to Abdul Ahmed stealing the ball on the floor and running in for a try. Shortly after Elliot Nelson-Addy showed great power off the base of the scrum, getting beyond the Hurst defence, after a quick ruck the ball was passed through a number of pairs of hands before outside centre Abdul Ahmed completed his brace; carrying the ball in his now familiar style. Another crucial conversion was successful by Lewis Sampson. For much of the second half Hurstpierpoint dominated possession and territory but the CH defence held firm for nearly 20 minutes until eventually being breached, the try was given but the conversion was missed. It was a tense final 5 minutes but CH showed great determination to hold on and run out narrow winners.
Richard Baker (u14 coach) said "The boys played with great spirit, commitment and passion throughout and fully deserved their success. It was a great team effort and the whole squad played their part in an excellent game of rugby". He added "The celebrations at the end showed how much it meant to the boys and to win against a strong side like Hurstpierpoint away from home is a fantastic achievement"
Christ’s Hospital will be playing Eastbourne College at Worthing RFC on Wednesday 14th March – All Support welcome!
Vocal Masterclass
On Sunday 26th February seven of CH's senior vocal pupils participated in a masterclass with Guildhall professor Susan Waters. The audience was treated to an array of music from Mozart to Sondheim and a variety of conventional and less-conventional coaching techniques, perhaps most memorably seeing one candiate asked to sing whilst on hands and knees!
High Scoring First Round of British Biology Olympiad
Christ’s Hospital pupils gained excellent results from the First Round of the British Biology Olympiad achieving one bronze and two silver medals and some high scores. This means the pupils are one step further to gaining the chance to represent the UK in the International Biology Olympiad in Singapore later this year.
David Mulae, Biology teacher, said "The British Biology Olympiad is a prestigious national competition that is designed to challenge our most talented students. This is a competition I enjoyed taking part in when I was an A Level student and I still have my medal. I am glad our students also have this opportunity and hope that they will feel the same way about it in the future."
The British Biology Olympiad is run by the Society of Biology and is open to all post-16 students in the UK.
Old Blue wins Bafta Award
Old Blue, David Vickery (Lamb A 88-95) has hit the headlines by winning a BAFTA Film Award for his special visual effects work on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two. David and his team were responsible for 400 shots of the newly designed digital Hogwarts – created by the team to replace the 25-foot model of the magical school used in all previous films.
CH Welcomes Professor of Medieval History at Cambridge
On Friday 3rd February the Grecian (Upper Sixth) and IB medieval historians were delighted to welcome Professor Rosamond McKitterick to Christ's Hospital. Professor McKitterick is the Professor of Medieval History at Cambridge, and one of Europe's leading authorities on the Merovingian and Carolingian periods. Her most recent major work - a biography of Charlemagne - was published in 2009 to universal acclaim, and the following year she was awarded the highly prestigious Heineken Prize for her outstanding contribution to the understanding of early European history.
In the afternoon Professor McKitterick held a seminar session examining the role of religion in Carolingian warfare, challenging not only our students'
understanding of the period, but pressing them to substantiate their views with hard evidence and raising fundamental questions about the nature of the historical record. In the evening she delivered a fascinating paper on the politics of papal burial in the middle ages, which served to broaden our historical understanding and explore the relationship between the temporal and the spiritual in medieval Rome.
West’s Gift Annual Chess Competition
On Sunday 5th February the first round of the annual West’s Gift Chess Competition, which begun just over 10 years ago, took place in dining hall. The competition is open to all pupils from all year groups within the school. Oskar Schortz (pictured on the right) first won this competition when we was on the 2nd Form, since then he has trained with the England team and represented England against Wales and was part of the 2008 England squad that went to Poland.
Bluecoat Concert
Not to be put off by a recent fall of snow and plummeting temperatures, over 100 young musicians from CH braved the weather to travel up to London to St John’s Smith Square for this year’s annual Bluecoat Concert. The concert featured a range of ensembles performing a largely classical programme but with lighter touches too. Some really beautiful performances were given by a Piano Quartet, Saxophone Quintet, Brass Ensemble, Senior Jazz Ensemble, String Quartet, Chamber Orchestra and Schola Cantorum and the concert ended with a tremendous performance by the CH Symphony Orchestra under the direction of new Director of Music, Andrew Cleary.
Andrew Cleary expressed how pleased he was with the pupils’ performances: “St John’s is a beautiful venue to perform in and all of our young musicians certainly lived up to the occasion and gave some really first class performances. It was super to have so many of them involved and to see so many parents, Old Blues and other friends of CH there to support them.”
Arctic Adventures
Dr T A Clarke battled ice and snow on Sunday 5th February, 2012 to talk to pupils at CH about his Arctic Adventures.
Christ’s Hospital was very pleased to host British Schools Exploring Society (BSES) Chief Arctic Leader Dr Trevor Clarke. Dr Clarke is a veteran of 5 arctic expeditions to Svalbard and Northern Norway and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Captain Scott's final Antarctic expedition of 1910-13, signalled the beginning of the British Schools Exploring Society which was founded by the late Surgeon Commander George Murray Levick RN, who was a member of Captain Scott's 1910-13 Antarctic expedition.
Dr Clarke displayed stunning photography as he entertained the pupils and staff with tales of the challenges faced by young explorers in their "fires" (expeditionary research groups).
“The Objective of the Society is to advance the education of young people by providing inspirational and challenging scientific expeditions to remote, wild environments and so promote the development of their confidence, teamwork, leadership and spirit of adventure and exploration.”
Dr T Clarke
Fives Success
Fives Coach Mr Edward Hatton is delighted to report Christ’s Hospital’s success in the inaugural South Eastern Regional Fives Championships at Tonbridge.
In sub-zero temperatures, all the squad to a man played with energy and invention on unfamiliar courts. Andea Gemade’s performances were outstanding, in a difficult singles final against a tough Eastbourne opponent, but Rory supported him admirably in the doubles, Bart led and inspired, Ben progressed hugely through the day, Conor held his nerve to win the plate, Michael Sessions partnered him with their usual comedic athleticism, Tomas did wonderfully to make a final a year young, and Will Norris was as energetic as ever.
Andea Gemade - U18 Singles Champion
Andea Gemade & Rory Keddie – U18 Doubles Champions
Bart Callaghan & Ben Eastwood – U18 Plate Doubles runners-up
Conor Morgan – U16 Singles Plate winner
Tomas Higginson – U16 Singles Plate runner-up
Musical Accompaniment for Barns Green Half Marathon
This year’s Barns Green Half Marathon, with an expected 2,000 runners, will pass through the magnificent grounds of Christ’s Hospital School on Sunday, 30th September to the sound of the school’s famous Band.
Now in its 30th year, the race will take place a month earlier than usual to avoid a clash with the Great South Run. The change of date means the race will take place during term time when Christ’s Hospital’s Band, whose impressive list of engagements includes Lord’s and Twickenham, will be up and running to provide a musical accompaniment.
John Franklin, Head Master, said “We are delighted that the pupils and staff at the school will get the chance to see such a wonderful local event that last year raised over £10,000 for local causes. We intend to have our famous Band of over 100 pupils playing in the Quadrangle adjacent to the runners as they pass through. This will be a great spectacle and will hopefully give all those running in the race, including some of our staff and senior pupils, an extra lift.”
For further details on how to take part in the race, please visit the Barns Green Half Marathon website
Chartwells EHO Visit
Horsham District Council has joined ten other Sussex local authorities in introducing the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) scheme, providing consumers with information about hygiene standards in food businesses at the time they were inspected.
Christ’s Hospital had a visit from the local Environmental Health Officer (EHO) to inspect our premises on 13th January 2012. A routine food hygiene inspection was carried out.
Following the inspection the local authority has to issue an Award of the National Food Hygiene Rating Scheme depending on the results of our inspection. We were very pleased to receive a food hygiene rating of 5, which is the highest scale on their ratings. We received a certificate to display in the school servery and in the kitchen so that we can make pupils, staff and visitors aware of our award. It is also going to be published for public viewing through the Food Standards Agency website on 3rd February 2012.
Horrible Histories
Junior school children from across the county visited Christ’s Hospital on Tuesday, 24th January to participate in a matinee workshop on the topic of Tudor crime and punishment.
The Birmingham Stage Company, the official Horrible Histories theatre producers, brought their famous performance workshop to Christ’s Hospital’s Theatre. The topic of ‘Tudor Crime and Punishment’ was explored with actor Neal Foster who called on members of the audience to help him bring this gruesome era of history to life!
After this blood thirsty performance, the children stayed for a very civilised tea in Christ’s Hospital’s magnificent Dining Hall!
Horrible Histories is a famous series of illustrated books which capture children’s imaginations and engage them with history.
Life in the RAF
Christ’s Hospital’s RAF section of its CCF (Combined Cadet Force) welcomed Wing Commander David Wynn, Senior Careers Liaison Officer, and Pilot Officer, Charlie Nell, aged 20, to the school on 19th January for a talk to senior pupils about ‘Life in the RAF’.
Commander Wynn, from the RAF Armed Forces Careers Office in Chatham, gave a brief account of the diversity of careers and entry points for CH pupil cadets who may be keen to take their interest in the RAF one step further. Commander Wynn was ably assisted by Charlie Nell, who spoke about his career journey in the RAF since leaving school.
David Mulae, teacher and Officer Commanding RAF Section, said “this was a most informative session which not only highlighted the breadth of excellent career opportunity but realistically pointed out the tough and competitive entry process”.
The school’s RAF CCF section currently has around 30 cadets. The connection stretches back to links with the 617 Squadron and Barnes Wallis, a former pupil (1900- 1904). Soon after World War II, Barnes Wallis was given an award by the government in recognition of his inventiveness during the war. He used it to establish the RAF Foundationers’ Trust to help children of RAF families to be educated at Christ’s Hospital.
Christ’s Hospital’s CCF unit is one of the oldest units in the country comprising 170 pupils which provides cadets with life skills such as teamwork and leadership.
Top of the bench
Four Christ’s Hospital pupils on 19th January attended the regional heats of the RSC (Royal Society of Chemistry) Top of the Bench Competition at Roedean School. This is a national competition with regional heats held all around the country. The competitors had to work as a team of four to complete a practical challenge and then a chemistry quiz.
They did really well coming 4th out of a field of 11 other strong schools attending the regional heat. The team consisted of four chemists, Hans Chan and Lydia Seeley, (aged 14), Poppy Koronka, 15, and Florence Carr-Smith, 16, (offered the Chemistry Scholarship). Florence achieved the highest mark for the practical test in the competition.
Lydia said “This was a great opportunity. It was great fun working in a different atmosphere and seeing another school, I especially enjoyed doing the practical experiment. Overall it was an interesting experience and I would love to do it again”.
Award Winning Poet Jo Shapcott visits Christ’s Hospital
Christ’s Hospital was delighted to welcome Jo Shapcott, award winning poet, to Christ’s Hospital on Thursday 19th January, 2012.
Jo Shapcott was invited to judge the LE (Year 9) Poetry Competition and later in the day give a Poetry Reading to Deps and Grecians (Year 12 & 13) pupils.
Jo Shapcott has won a number of literary prizes including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Collection, the Forward Prize for Best Collection and the National Poetry Competition (twice). Her most recent collection, Of Mutability, was published in 2010 and won the Costa Book Award. In 2011 Jo Shapcott was named the latest recipient of the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry.
Each member of the LE was invited to write a poem about their favourite place in Christ's Hospital, the poems were then short-listed to the top six poems for Jo Shapcott to judge.
During the judging Jo Shapcott read to the audience all of the finalists’ poems giving each of the six pupils every encouragement to carry on with their writing and highlighting what she liked about each poem.
Following the announcement that Gianni Fortes was the winner of the competition he said: “I am delighted about winning the poetry competition, and was very surprised to win, as all the other candidates poems were really good. I was honoured to have been chosen by Jo Shapcott as the winner and I hope I can improve and be as good as her one day. I would not have won if it had not been for the support of my teachers who helped me as well as my friends who encouraged me. I wish poetry could be spread across communities so everyone can appreciate the benefit of poetry.
The Library
Enter the library and the world shrinks.
The outside is blind to its power.
Caged in one building knowledge unfurls.
Dancing in its halls is the music of silence.
Two hands, humble but eager,
Grasp a book, seeking words unknown in the outer world
And with swift movement turn pages,
Swarmed by curiosity and mystery.
The tired shelves, ragged with the wear of time,
Holding on their shoulders the strength of 10,000 men
Dignified and humble, stand, a waiting servant,
Fragments of fiction and history on their bare backs.
The clock chimes, reminding you of your time
Its noise subtle yet alarming
And every time you stop reading
All you hear is the inevitable tock tock tock
The air dampened by the sweat of discovery
Soothes the mind and aching soul
And as you leave this place of calm
The library dances, dances, dances on.
U14 Rugby Team Reaches County Cup Semi-Final
Christ's Hospital u14 rugby team beat Brighton College to reach the semi-final of the Sussex county cup.
The u14 rugby squad were able to overcome a committed Brighton College side 32-20 in the QF of the Sussex county cup competition. The away team started the brighter scoring 2 early tries and at half time CH were trailing 15-12. After the break Christ's Hospital began to gain momentum and dominate possession; playing some excellent rugby, scoring 4 unanswered tries and putting the game beyond Brighton College.
U14 Head coach Richard Baker said, "There were some outstanding performances today especially by Moses Gbonda, Elliot Nelson-Addy, James Kennedy, Oliver Frost, Jamie Packham, Hareef Asunramu and man of the match Abdul Ahmed."
He added, "Preparation has been difficult after the Christmas break but the whole squad showed great commitment and team work to pull through a tight encounter."
The victory puts the team through to a semi-final match away to Hurstpierpoint or Worth in a couple of weeks' time.
Jake's Tour de France for the Teenage Cancer Trust
Deputy Grecian Jake Hill (Maine B) is in training to cycle the 2161 miles of the famous Tour de France this summer. Too young at 17 to take part in the race itself, Jake decided to tackle the route independently as "there is no other bike ride so long and so tough".
Jake sent an email around Christ's Hospital asking which charity should benefit from his endeavour and over 80 percent voted for the Teenage Cancer Trust. Old Blue and friend Tim Gauntlett will be joining Jake for 1200 miles of the journey and other Old Blues and CH staff will cycle the remaining section with him. Jake says: "I am really looking forward to it. I think it is going to be painful but a great experience."
To sponsor Jake visit his Tour de France website page.
Stuart Confirms Place with Sussex Academy
Christ's Hospital's fast bowler Stuart Whittingham (Grecians West) has clinched selection for the Sussex Cricket Club Academy for next season after successfully coming through a two-month academy audition prior to Christmas.
The coveted place will give Stuart the benefit of a one-year programme covering physical, technical, mental, tactical and life skills delivered by professional coaching staff. Stuart was Player of the Season for Christ's Hospital last year and was both the leading run scorer and wicket taker with 42 wickets in the school season.
Renie is Outstanding Delegate at MUN Conference
The newly established Model United Nations team attended their first conference at Benenden School in Kent this term, where they won an award for their contribution to debate.
Eighteen Christ's Hospital students attended the conference during the winter holidays, representing China, Iran, Nigeria and Syria on eight different committees including the prestigious Security Council and Crisis Committee. Renie Anjeh (GE) was awarded an Outstanding Delegate Award at the Closing Ceremony for his participation in the Human Rights Committee and the General Assembly.
Dr Alistair Goddard, Master-in-Charge of MUN at Christ's Hospital, commented: "I was extremely impressed by the eagerness with which our students participated in the conference. Although levels of confidence and experience of public speaking differed greatly, every member of the delegation demonstrated an impressive willingness to challenge themselves. For Renie to win an Outstanding Delegate Award at his first conference was an extraordinary achievement."
Big Band Concert is a Christmas Sellout!
Jazz and Big Band music fans filled the theatre at the end of term for an evening of entertainment by the school's most accomplished young musicians and singers.
The 39 members of the band played a mixture of old favourites and new pieces and introduced a festive theme with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Here Comes Santa Claus. Inspiring performances from senior pupil vocalists included Blue Moon, The Look of Love and Orange Coloured Sky while the audience was reminded of Bobby Darin and Frank Sinatra with Mack the Knife and My Way. The band played old favourites That's Life and Amazing Grace mixed with hits by Lennon & McCartney, KC and the Sunshine Band, Barry Manilow and Bill Withers.
Bandmaster Terry Whittingham said: "We had some very fine players on the stage for this concert who gained valuable experience performing in front of a full and appreciative audience."
Six Mathematicians Gain Gold
Six Christ's Hospital students shone brightly in the Senior Maths Challenge, a national competition entered by young mathematicians at 4000 schools across the country. Fred Reckless, Evie Jamieson, James Parrott, Galen Yang, Sam Shaw and Chloe Webb all won a Gold Award.
Top-scoring Fred Reckless (Deputy Grecian) has now been put forward for the first round of the prestigious British Mathematics Olympiad in which the brightest teenage brains in the country compete. Fred believes Maths is not just a practical subject but has an individual beauty in its own right. "It’s great to have a new mathematical problem to solve and to be able to think differently about it," he said. "People are scared of Maths but it's a challenge; something to make you think."
Alan Smith, Master of the Royal Mathematical School, is delighted at the high standard achieved by students. He said, "Success in qualifying for the follow-up competitions is seen by universities as a key way of identifying the very best mathematicians."
Carol Singing and Bell Ringing at Community Lunch
The Court Room was a fine and festive setting for the Community Christmas Lunch on Thursday, 8th December. As well as a delicious turkey dinner, there was carol singing from the youngest students, under the direction of Ed Jones, Assistant Director of Music, bell ringing from the boys of Middleton A, a quiz, a raffle and of course a visit from Father Christmas!
Part of the extensive Christ's Hospital Community Action programme, the monthly Lunch Club involves 70–80 elderly people, some with disabilities, who live in Horsham and the surrounding villages. The Christmas lunch is always the highlight of the year and was again kindly sponsored by J K Leech Fuels Ltd of Coolham.
If you would be interested in joining us or indeed helping with the transport to and from the lunches, please contact Marjorie Holdsworth on 01403 247571.
Re-gilding the King
Specialist work to re-gild the famous statue of King Edward VI on the Wren Façade on the south side of Big School has recently been completed as part of a conservation project at Christ's Hospital.
The statue took four weeks to re-gild in gold leaf and is lit for effect after dusk. Analysis during the course of the works showed that the stone statue had been re-gilded four times since being carved, and experts predict that the new gold leaf should now last at least 40 years. The work was project managed by Bromley-based building surveyors and architects, Pellings LLP and completed by Paye Stonework and specialists Hirst Conservation.
In 1552 King Edward VI gave money and lands to build three Hospitals – Bridewell, St Thomas' and Christ's Hospital – and Sir Robert Clayton erected the statue of Edward VI and much of the fabric of the building in London in 1682. An oval inscription records that the statue, as well as this portion of Sir Christopher Wren's building which formed the CH passage entrance, was relocated to the Horsham site in 1902.
Pictured (L-R) After and Before
Horsham Area Schools Badminton Competition
Christ's Hospital pupils played a competitive badminton match for the first time in recent years after entering The Center Parcs National Schools Championships.
Mr Baker of the CH Sports Department said, "When Miss Henry and I started the initiative we had an instant response from over 30 pupils wanting to play and train on a Thursday afternoon in their free time. A huge thank you must go to Marianna Apicella (Dep, Col A), who was a fantastic assistant."
The standard of competition was varied with a number of nationally ranked players from Horsham Arun's Performance Centre entered alongside many players in their first event. Mr Baker added: "It was great to see our pupils competing for the first time against other schools. Hopefully the experience will encourage more pupils to play badminton."
Congratulations to the junior boys who went through to the Sussex county round. View the full list of results and a report from Horsham Leisure Link.
Santa Played in by the Band at Southwater
Father Christmas arrived at Southwater Christmas Festival this year escorted not by elves but by 27 members of the Christ's Hospital Band.
Led by Band Captain Matthew Coster (GrE), the Christ's Hospital musicians played a selection of Christmas songs to entertain the crowds as they enjoyed the market stalls and fun fair and waited to visit Santa's grotto. Bandmaster Mr Terry Whittingham said, "The Band were delighted to be asked, once again, to play at and support this local event and it was great to see such a large and highly appreciative audience."
Photographs courtesy of Dave Powell
Christ's Hospital Hosts Reaching Higher Games
The Sussex Reaching Higher Games came to Christ's Hospital this term with a range of sports events for children and young people with disabilities. 80 youngsters took part; many enjoying their first competitive experience.
32 Christ's Hospital pupils from UF to Grecians acted as officials in the seven competitive events – table tennis, trampolining, football, athletics, badminton, tennis and cricket – and as helpers in the non-competitive swimming and activity areas which siblings and other family members could also enjoy.
Ian Ford of Horsham District Council’s Leisure Link, the lead organising team, was delighted with the success of the day and with the enthusiasm and commitment of the young sports leaders from the school. Rachel O'Boyle (GE), who helped with the tennis competition, said: "Our afternoon was not only fun but the standard of tennis was amazing; there was so much talent."
Christ's Hospital hopes to welcome back the Games next year.
First Outing to Knole Park for Junior Runners
In the picturesque setting of Knole Park, Sevenoaks, 48 Christ's Hospital runners competed in the Junior Knole Run for the very first time on Friday, 2nd December. There were some impressive individual performances and the best-placed competitors were:
Remus Goldsmith, 4th out of 279 competitors
Rosie Vallance, 14th and Dani Heath, 23rd out of 242 girls.
Of the teams, the Third Form team was best-placed, finishing 13th out of the 37 schools who competed.
Black History Fashion Show
An exciting Fashion Show was hosted in Grecians Club as a continuance of Black History Month in the UK. Planned, prepared and performed by pupils, the Show included a catwalk display of symbolic clothing from different countries and tribes in Africa, where the same traditions are celebrated in different ways.
Fashion show coordinator Nana Ohene-Djan (Grecian) explained: "Different pieces of clothing always mean something to the person wearing them: whether the person is young or old, male or female. Each piece, which is usually sewn to conform to the individual's shape, has some kind of story that explains how it was made, why it was made and which occasions it should and should not be worn to."
15 models visually told the story on the catwalk; three people designed hair and make-up and Annabelle Baldy-Gray (Grecian) provided the music.
CH Presents First Ever Lifetime Achievement Award
On 23rd November Christ's Hospital was proud to present its first ever Lifetime Achievement Award to John 'Jack' Doyle (PrepB, MdA 40-48). The Award was in recognition of Jack's lifetime achievement in the field of Electronic Engineering and his outstanding support to Christ’s Hospital.
In front of a gathering of over 60 guests, the Head Master, John Franklin, introduced the Award outlining Jack's illustrious career in the Electronic Engineering industry which spanned five decades at Hewlett Packard, with many Executive positions within HP and culminating as Executive Vice President of Business Development on his retirement in 1991. Jack's continued support of Christ's Hospital has been exceptional, with generous benefactions towards the Design and Technology Centre and the establishment of the recent Doyle Science and Technology Scholarship. Richard Carden, Chair of the School Governing Body, presented Jack with a Lifetime Achievement Medal, especially cast for the occasion, and a citation signed by HRH Duke of Gloucester. Jack responded with a moving and fascinating account of his time as a pupil at CH and how his formative years here equipped him for a successful career beyond the School gates.
This happy occasion gave staff, Old Blues and old friends an opportunity to thank and honour Jack, and it was particularly pleasing to be able to reunite Jack with his CH Presentees, past and present.
Down on the Farm
On Friday, 18th November, the LE (Year 9) geographers set off to visit Weston's Farm to gain a unique insight into a real case study. Our thanks go to Farmer David Exwood, who gave us a really interesting tour of the site, discussing in depth the inputs, processes, and outputs of the farm, as well as the challenges faced within modern farming.
Head of Geography, Miss Megan Waller, said: "The trip was enjoyed by all and will provide the students with a great example to use in their examinations."
Pictured: Two team photos
Flute Masterclass with Ian Clarke
CH flautists to work with internationally renowned flautist, Ian Clarke, for the day.
Ian Clarke will be visiting CH on Sunday 27th November to work with our flautists for the day. 39 CH flute students will take part in workshops and masterclasses throughout the day and finish off with a Concert for their parents where Ian Clarke will perform for the flautists before they all play one of Ian’s own works together.
Visit Ian Clarke's website to hear excerpts of his music.
Pupils Plant Their Poppies in a Moving Act of Remembrance
The Christ's Hospital community gathered on Sunday, 13th November, to remember the 590 former pupils (Old Blues) who lost their lives in wartime. 375 Christ's Hospital boys died in World War I, 213 lost their lives in World War II and a further two died fighting in Korea and Suez.
In his sermon in the School Chapel the Chaplain, Rev Stephen Golding, spoke of the sacrifice made by so many Old Blues and gave an example of a Christ's Hospital pupil, Peter McRae, aged 28, who was serving as a ship's doctor on HMS Maharatta in 1944. The ship was hit by a torpedo and sank. Survivors took to the sea and Peter McRae climbed onto one of the few life-boats and set about hauling others aboard. The life-boat however soon became overcrowded. There was not enough room for everyone so he put himself over the side and into the water and was never seen again.
The service was followed by a two minutes silence at 11.00 o'clock in the School quadrangle when pupils removed their poppies from their Tudor-style coats and planted them in the ground as an act of Remembrance. The green grass of the Quadrangle was left speckled with red poppies.
Living History Day
A parade of Tudor Royals welcomed 80 Year 5 pupils and their teachers to Christ’s Hospital's Living History Day on Thursday 13th October. In the atmospheric setting of Dining Hall, Cloisters and Theatre the children were soon immersed in the world of Tudor England and the doings of its scientists, astronomers, actors, dancers and cooks.
The lunchtime Banquet, in the company of Henry VIII and his royal relations, was a highlight of the day with servings of Tudor Meat Pie, Roast Roots, Poor Knights Pudding and Taffaty Tarts. Alex Bird, Head of History at Great Walstead School, said, "The Tudor Banquet really had the 'wow factor'! Our children – and staff – thoroughly enjoyed the carousel of activities throughout the morning."
Find out what the children really thought.
CH Band Makes New Friends in Lord Mayor's Parade
Thousands lined the London streets and watched the Christ's Hospital Band march in the procession for the Lord Mayor's Show on Saturday, 12th November: an event watched by millions of viewers on TV. The new Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman David Wootton, welcomed CH pupils and six thousand other participants in London’s most colourful and spectacular parade.
Band leader Terry Whittingham said, "It was a fantastic day for our 110 band members. There's no experience like it; the opportunity to play in front of thousands of people doesn't come along often." Third formers and flutists Bridget Zheng and Imogen Muir joined the annual parade for the first time. Imogen said, "It was really exciting. We made some new friends and met lots of young people in the parade." Bridget said, "I really enjoyed it, especially when people were cheering."
Since Christ's Hospital’s foundation by Edward VI in 1552, the School has maintained strong links with the City of London and is still supported by the City of London Corporation and 20 livery companies.
Fireworks Stage a Sizzling Show
There was plenty of whoosh and crackle over Big Side on Friday evening, 4th November, as the now traditional annual fireworks display provided a magnificent aerial spectacle for the warmly-wrapped CH crowds.
Nick Armaah (UF, Maine A) captured the rocket trails and fountain showers with his camera; with extra contributions from Adam Rogerson (GE, Mid B).
Expedition Leads to John Lewis!
Mhairi Potts-Wyatt (GE, Coleridge A) put her summer holidays to good use by completing her Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award Assessment and Expedition with Westminster Local Authority’s DoE Team and giving a presentation of her experiences at the Head Office of the John Lewis Partnership.
The DoE Leader for Westminster, John Nolan, invited members of a mentoring scheme run by the John Lewis Partnership to accompany the expeditions to East and West Sussex and the JLP team were so impressed by the skills and enthusiasm of the young people that they asked them to present to other JLP employees who may want to get involved with the mentoring programme.
Mhairi said: "It was great experience to present in a corporate environment and to talk about why I am doing the DoE and what I hope to achieve."
National Competition Success for Joel and Oscar
Two Christ's Hospital sixth formers have been recognised in The Times Stephen Spender Prize 2011, a national competition for Poetry in Translation. Joel Farrance (Gr E) has been awarded 2nd prize in the U18 section for his version of Robert Desnos's surrealist poem 'Comme' and Oscar Davies (Gr E) was 'highly commended' for his translation of a Victor Hugo poem called 'Open Windows'.
Both boys will attend a prizegiving ceremony in London and Joel's poem will be published in the prizewinners' pamphlet. Full details of the winners can be found on website of the Stephen Spender Trust. The Trust was established to honour Stephen Spender's achievements as poet and translator of poetry, and as champion of the rights of creative artists and writers to free expression.
Joel and Oscar's accomplishment can be counted as another success for the School's creative writing programme. Stephen Walsh of Christ's Hospital's English Department explains, "Modern Languages and English teachers collaborated to help the pupils: the French and German teachers helped the students select and produce early versions of the chosen poems, after which the students were able to discuss their versions with their English teachers.
"This is the first time CH has submitted entries in the U18 section and it is an outstanding achievement in a national competition for two out of our three entries to be recognised by some very distinguished judges."
Plans are already afoot for a wider CH Translation Project next year involving in particular the first cohort of International Baccalaureate Diploma students.
18 Choirs – 830 Singers – One Singing Competition
830 Christ’s Hospital pupils sang their hearts out in a bid to win the House Singing Competition on Friday, 14th October. Eighteen choirs performed pop songs including the 1960s hit "I can’t let Maggie Go" by Honeybus, "Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel, Robbie Williams’ "Let me entertain you" and Jessie J's "Price Tag".
Pupils began preparing for the event at the start of term with strong but friendly rivalry between the teams. Every boarding house chose a song and rehearsed twice a week while teachers also combined to form a choir, choosing "Don’t Stop Believing" by Glee. Grecian Phil Glenny composed one of the entries – a Boy Band Tribute – and said: "The competition was a great chance for everyone to sing together and have a really great time. It boosted everyone's morale". Fellow Grecian Julie Panzieri agreed: "Singing is so good for your soul. It’s really uplifting".
Guest Adjudicator, Robert Costin, Director of Music at Ardingly College announced the winners. The girls' contest was won by Coleridge B who stole the show with their performance of "Blame it on the Boogie", the boys' contest winner was Middleton B with its version of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" and the senior students' contest was won by Grecians East singing "Beyonce Mashup".
"Great Teamwork" at CCF Biennial Inspection
Christ’s Hospital Combined Cadet Force (CCF) carried out a range of exercises for the biennial inspection on Thursday 13th October. The day began with a formal inspection by Gp Capt D Robertson (RAF) in the Quad where the three sections – Royal Navy, Army and RAF – formed up under the Contingent Commander, Major Matt Commander. After lunch Gp Capt Robertson toured CCF activities including Observation, Paintball, Command Tasks, Stalk and Signals.
Christ’s Hospital CCF is one of the oldest units in the country. Major Matt Commander says that’s a great source of pride: "We have 170 students in the unit who are all volunteers and very keen, they very much enjoy CCF. It’s all about teamwork, working together and getting the most out of things in life."
After the inspection Gp Capt D Robertson (RAF) told Christ’s Hospital CCF leaders that he was very impressed with the high standard of the unit. Major Matt Commander praised the efforts of the cadets as "outstanding throughout in both attitude and effort".
Victory for U14s at the JP Morgan Rugby Sevens
On Sunday, 9th October, a squad of 13 players travelled to High Wycombe to compete against eight other teams in the JP Morgan-sponsored Sevens tournament. The Christ’s Hospital team swept all the opposition aside in their three group fixtures and the final, scoring an unbelievable 154 pts and conceding only 12!
Coach Richard Baker said: "The performance of the team throughout the competition was outstanding and the whole squad demonstrated an excellent attitude and sportsmanship. We matched the physicality of our opponents, who were all club players, and we played some well structured and intelligent sevens. The team is blessed with some exciting players, with great potential."
For further news of the tournament visit the London Wasps website.
Results:
| Christ's Hospital | 44 | Chesham RFC | 0 |
| Christ's Hospital | 48 | Grove RFC | 7 |
| Christ's Hospital | 36 | Witney RFC | 5 |
Final:
| Christ's Hospital | 26 | Wallingford RFC | 0 |
After winning the event the team transferred to Adams Park to watch London Wasps and Old Blue Joe Launchbury win a tight contest against Bath in the Aviva Premiership.
Pictured: CH Captain Abdul Ahmed is congratulated by Wasps wing Richard Haughton.
Presentation to CH squad at Adams Park, London Wasps, with Wasps players Riki Flutey and Elliot Daley.
Unique History Lesson for "Evacuees" at Christ’s Hospital
World War II history came alive at Christ’s Hospital on 6th October when eighty-four Year 5 and Year 6 pupils from Gossops Green Community Primary School, Crawley, caught the train from Ifield to Christ’s Hospital pretending to be evacuees.
The children, dressed in 1940s costumes with pretend gas masks they made themselves, were met at the station by Christ’s Hospital Deputy Head, Ben Vessey, who marched them off to the School to discover what it was really like for WWII children who were separated from parents. At a mock-up evacuee clearing station they were collected by Christ’s Hospital students pretending to be their foster families for the rest of the War. They also toured the remains of a wartime air raid shelter in the Head Master’s garden.
Gossops Green Year 6 Teacher, Breda Brookson, says "The children were really excited about the visit. We wanted them to get an idea of what children actually experienced in World War II; to let them see the difference between their lives in 2011 and the lives of children in the 1940s."
Pictured: Christ’s Hospital pupils (back row) welcome young "evacuees" from Gossops Green
A Welcome to Five New Academic Heads of Department
The new Heads of Department introduce themselves:
Andrew Cleary, Director of Music, was previously Director of Music at The Portsmouth Grammar School, having taught at Dean Close School, Oundle School and Pangbourne College. Andrew was a boy chorister, read Music at the University of East Anglia and became Assistant Organist at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church prior to embarking on a full time teaching career. Andrew is President of the Music Masters & Mistresses Association, an ISI Schools Inspector, a Fellow of the RSA and a member of the Kings Theatre Trust. "It is very exciting to be taking on the role of Director of Music at this prestigious school with its fine history of music making."
María Gallego, Head of Spanish, is Spanish and was born in Madrid. After studying at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, she embarked upon a career in England at Eton College and then taught French and Spanish at Millfield school before moving to Christ's Hospital. Maria aims "to develop the Spanish Department and to make the number of students grow by making the subject practical, challenging and fun".
Claire Page, Head of PE, studied Sports Science at Chichester University before completing a PGCE in Physical Education. She has now been teaching Physical Education for seven years and says: "I have a real passion for my subject, both in the classroom and on the field. Physical Education should be available to all and I hope in my new role I can inspire more students to study a subject that gives them not just a grade but other skills needed to be successful in whatever path they chose to take."
Lucy Ransley, Head of Modern Foreign Languages, read Interpreting and Translating at the University of East Anglia. Before coming to CH, she was Head of Languages at The Warwick in Redhill and was credited with transforming the department and creating a real lust for languages among her students. Having spent the first couple of years of her career teaching French and English in Japan, Lucy is keen to introduce Japanese as part of Christ's Hospital’s co-curricular programme. She joins the Modern Foreign Languages department at an exciting time; the department now has 15 staff covering French, German, Spanish, Chinese and MFL.
Adam Reid, Head of History, studied History at Birmingham University and was commissioned into the Light Infantry, serving for five years as an infantry officer in the UK and elsewhere. He retrained as a teacher and has spent the last thirteen years at Dauntsey's School in Wiltshire, latterly as a housemaster but also as Head of History. Adam is passionate about putting young people in touch with the past outside the classroom through field trips and is also a keen sportsman who has led two major adventure training expeditions. Andrew says: "I believe strongly that young people will rise to any challenge if it is well presented."
Pictured L/R: Claire Page, Adam Reid, Andrew Cleary, Lucy Ransley, María Gallego
Cross Country Runners Through to South East Regional Final
Christ’s Hospital runners entered the ESAA Cross Country Cup for the first time this year at Ardingly College on 3rd of October. There were many pleasing individual performances but the junior boys team performed beyond all expectations finishing 2nd to an exceptionally strong team from The Judd School , Tonbridge. The performance will see the junior boys competing in the South East final in November.
CH junior boys team: Remus Goldsmith, Oliver Ball, Rashaine Weeks, Sam Winsbury, Tom Carter, Arron Shaw.
Mr Baker Head of X-Country said: "We entered the competition to try to raise the profile of X-Country among pupils at the school. The achievement of the junior boys team was outstanding and clearly demonstrates the huge amount of athletic talent and potential at the school. The long term aim is to foster and nurture this talent and we have recently forged a link with Crawley AC, which will allow our pupils to train harder during the winter and have access to club competitions."
There were also pleasing individual performances from: intermediate boy James Winsbury who finished 4th, junior boy Remus Goldsmith who finished 6th and junior girl Rosie Vallance who finished 9th.
UN Under-Secretary General launches MUN Society
Former UN Under-Secretary General Sir John Holmes recently visited Christ’s Hospital to launch the school’s new Model United Nations (MUN) Society. Sir John served as UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and UN Relief Coordinator between 2007 and 2010. He was responsible for managing the UN’s response to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies requiring international assistance.
MUN is a new addition to the co-curricular programme this year. Simulating the diplomacy of the many forums of international relations, it aims to build an understanding of current global challenges amongst the next generation of world leaders and thinkers. Participants take on the role of diplomats and political leaders, attending international conferences to debate pressing world problems.
Master-in-Charge of MUN, Dr Alistair Goddard, commented: "MUN gives students an extraordinary opportunity to experience the complexities of international policy formation at first hand. The activity has proved particularly popular amongst new International Baccalaureate students, who are asked to develop international and intercultural understanding as part of their studies."
Guests Enjoy "A Taste of Sussex"
Ashdown Partridge Pudding, Slipcote Cheese & Vegetable Crumble followed by Christ’s Hospital Apple & Quince Tart was on the menu for 160 guests who took lunch at the School on Tuesday, 27th September as part of the annual Horsham Food and Drink Festival.
The lunchtime entertainment began with a chance to hear the Band and watch the daily parade of pupils march in to Dining Hall for lunch. Then guests sat down to their meal prepared with fresh local produce by Kevin Whitlock, Executive Chef for on-site caterers, Chartwells.
Diners were entertained to a lunchtime concert by the talented young musicians of the Christ’s Hospital Ensemble. They played "The Simple Symphony" by Benjamin Britten, "Solo De Concours" for Clarinet and Piano by the French composer Andre Messager and "Beati quorum via" by Charles Villiers Stanford.
Stuart Whittingham - Cricketing Success
It has been a memorable cricketing summer for Stuart Whittingham (Grecians West) who crowned a successful season with selection for the Sussex CCC Academy. He begins training at Hove in October.
Playing for the Christ's Hospital 1st XI he was both the leading run-scorer with an average of 40 and the leading wicket-taker with 42 wickets at 11.50 apiece. In addition he made an impact for the Sussex Under 17 team which resulted in his selection in the day-night game for the Sussex Academy against Surrey in August.
An extra boost came with the news from Douglas Henderson, Schools Cricket editor of Wisden, that Stuart was the leading wicket-taker in Independent Schools cricket in the season just past, an achievement which took him by surprise. "I had no idea that this would turn out to be the case, but it has given me the incentive to achieve my aim to become a professional cricketer," Stuart said.
Dorset Field Trip to the Dunes
On September 22nd the Grecian geographers went to Studland Bay, near Swanage, Dorset to complete a psammosere succession fieldwork project that they will be able to use in their Geographical Skills examination in January.
Miss Waller, Head of Geography, reported: "The group completed several transects of the dune system, collecting data on gradient, infiltration rates, soil pH, vegetation cover, and vegetation species present. The weather was absolutely fantastic and a fun day was had by all."
Christ’s Hospital Pupils Bring Cheer to the City of London
Hundreds of delighted spectators lined the route and cheered as over 400 Christ's Hospital pupils, led by the School's famous Band, marched through the City of London for the annual St Matthew’s Day parade on Friday, 23rd September. Following a thanksgiving service at the Church of St Andrew, Holborn, they marched to the Guildhall where the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Michael Bear, took the salute.
Lauren Adeyemi, aged 16, said "I felt quite special because so many people came and watched. They stopped their cars and started taking photos". Fiona Blair, aged 15, played saxophone as the Band led the march. "It can be difficult to play the sax and march at the same time but I have been doing it for quite a while now so I’ve got used to it," Fiona said. "I felt proud to be there, it was a really uplifting feeling."
After the parade through the City the pupils received Largesse from the Lord Mayor, a monetary gift, fresh from the Royal Mint. St Matthew’s Day was, traditionally, the day on which the Governors of the School were elected. They would meet in the School’s Great Hall and then process to Christ’s Church, Newgate Street for a service.
St Matthew’s Day, 23rd September 2011
Senior pupils from Christ’s Hospital and the School’s famous band of 120 instrumentalists will march through the City of London on Friday morning in the annual St Matthew’s Day ceremony.
Order of the Day:
| 10:30 | Pupils march to St Andrew Holborn via Holborn Viaduct (where there is an excellent view from the top of the bridge). |
| 10:50 | Arrive St Andrew Holborn. |
St. Matthew's Day Service for ticket holders only.
| 12:15 | Depart St Andrew Holborn and march to Guildhall. |
| 12:45 | Arrive at Guildhall where the Lord Mayor takes the salute. |
Pictured: March Past practice in the Quad for Band and Seniors
Bart Plays at the Proms
Grecian Bart Callaghan (17) was seen on BBC TV playing double bass at the Proms in The Royal Albert Hall this summer. Earlier in the year he was invited to join the prestigious National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and he’s since toured the country with them.
Bart said: "The NYO require a minimum standard of grade 8 distinction for audition so I was absolutely delighted to get my place. During the year I have played at the greatest concert halls in the country with world class conductors and soloists."
This term, Bart’s first engagement was with the Christ’s Hospital String Ensemble, playing a selection of music by British composers, in a public concert held at the Horsham Unitarian Church on 18th September. For details of further musical events this term see our latest Performing Arts brochure.
