our Spring Term News

ST PAUL’S NEWS
Issue 01 I Autumn Term 2015 I St Paul’s School, Lonsdale Road, London, SW13 9JT I www.stpaulsschool.org.uk
DRAMA
Productions
03
ECONOMICS
Trip to China
04
Welcome to the first edition of
the St Paul’s and Colet Court
newspaper. Its purpose is to
inform parents and boys across
the whole school community
about recent noteworthy
activities and achievements.
These are celebrated in sectional
assemblies within both schools,
and usually find their way onto
the website, but we have not
previously drawn them together
into a single publication
for distribution across the
whole School.
Welcome
St Paul’s School & Colet Court
The launch of this newspaper
coincides with the launch of our
new website, which is noticeably
different from the previous
version. For example, it is easier
to navigate, contains some fresh
images and enables admissions
candidates to apply on-line.
It also merges the two separate
websites of St Paul’s and Colet
Court into a single entity.
The message within both
of these initiatives is that
we are bringing Colet Court
and St Paul’s closer together.
The schools are already close in
many ways – we share the same
site, the same governing body
and the same support staff – yet,
in the future, both will benefit
SPORT
Rowing
from even closer cooperation
in academic, pastoral and
extra-curricular matters.
The activities documented
in this first edition exemplify
the extraordinary breadth and
quality of Coletine and Pauline
life. Not many prep schools
could equal Colet Court’s
achievements already this
year of having pupils who
have won bronze in the English
Primary Schools’ Chess
Association National Final,
silver at the 2015 European
Gymnastics Championships
and gold at The Queen’s
Club Junior Championships.
The breadth of Pauline
achievement is striking.
St Paul’s was the leading British
school in the Biology Olympiad,
winning 30 medals, 17 of them
gold. In the Royal Society of
Chemistry’s Olympiad, we
obtained 21 gold, 35 silver and
24 bronze, and secured a gold
medal in the Romanian Master
of Mathematics competition.
Our team won the advanced
category in the CanSat
competition, a European
Space Agency competition
for engineers. St Paul’s won
06
three trophies in the National
Rackets Finals at The Queen’s
Club for the first time. Our
rowers topped the medal chart
at the National Schools’ Regatta,
and then won the prestigious
Princess Elizabeth Challenge
Cup at Henley. Meanwhile, the
senior rugby squad toured Japan
and Hong Kong for the first time
and the 1st XV won the Veterrimi
trophy, a bi-annual competition
between the oldest rugby playing
schools in Britain.
In addition to these
accomplishments, St Paul’s
enjoyed another strong year in
public examinations. 42.1% of all
A Levels were at A* and 81.4% at
A*A. 82.3% of all GCSE grades
were at A* and 97.9% at A*A.
Now that all of the class of 2014
have taken up their places at
university, 56 are at Oxbridge
and 27 at Ivy League or
equivalent US Universities.
These are just the highlights.
Both schools are busy and
bustling every day. My thanks
to everyone who creates these
manifold and varied opportunities.
Professor Mark Bailey
HIGH MASTER
RUGBY
Victory is ours...
St Paul’s bring home
the ‘Veterrimi IV’cup
On a mild, sunny early November
weekend the St Paul’s rugby
1st XV squad performed
exceptionally well to win the
third staging of the Oldest Four
or ‘Veterrimi IV’ tournament.
During this spectacular weekend
of rugby, St Paul’s dominated the
tournament, beginning with a
23-5 win over Cheltenham and
a 15-5 win over Sherborne on the
Saturday. This was followed by
a commanding final game on
Sunday securing a win over
Durham with a 22-5 victory.
Originating in 2010, this was the
third Oldest Four competition.
The tournament, as the name
suggests, is between four of the
oldest rugby playing schools in
the country. This was the second
time that St Paul’s played in the
tournament and was the first
win for the School.
James Blurton, Head of Rugby,
said “We are very proud to be
one of the oldest rugby playing
schools and delighted to win the
competition this year. The 1st
XV have worked very hard and
this has been the highlight of
a very successful season.”
The victorious St Paul’s team
were handed the AJ Dingle Cup
by Gloucester and England star,
Jonny May. The AJ Dingle Trophy
is named in honour of Arthur
James Dingle who was an Oxford
Blue and played on the wing,
winning three caps for England,
before tragically losing his life
on a battlefield in 1915.
ACADEMIC
Symposium
03
POLITICS
Parliament visit
07
MUSIC
Navy Blues Quartet play
at Barnes Fashion Show
The Lower Eighth Saxophone
Quartet, known as the ‘Navy
Blues’ Quartet on account of
them all wearing blue suits,
performed a lively music set
in front of a packed St Mary’s
Church as part of the Barnes
Charity Fashion show on 14
and 15 October.
The Quartet, which is coached
by saxophone teacher Katie
Brown and which has been
playing together for a number
of years, opened the show with
a series of short items to get the
audience in the mood for the
catwalk extravaganza that
was to follow.
This was a fantastic opportunity
for some of the best musicians
at St Paul’s to take their
music-making out into the
wider community and the
Quartet seemed to be a big
hit with the local residents
on both nights.
SPORT
St Paul’s Aquatics –2015 the
golden year (so far!)
The Summer and Autumn
terms so far have proven
very successful for St Paul’s
aquatics. Water polo and
swimming disciplines have
been brought closer together
with the appointment of two
new Coaches, Roxana Roman
(Head of Elite Swimming) and
Ashley Dixon (Head of Aquatics).
This follows the departure of
Stefan Bill last autumn who
began the process of taking the
St Paul’s squad to the next level.
There were three notable
successes recently. Sam
Beverley (Fifth Form) proved to
be one of the best swimmers in
St Paul’s history with his 100 m
butterfly success at the London
regionals. His winning time of
1.01.64 ranks him second in
Great Britain in his age group
and he was selected for the
England Talent Phase 1 London
Region Event by ASA swimming.
Sam also competed for the U14
water polo team this summer,
which have become the best St
Paul’s team for quite some time
by having an unbeaten run in the
English Schools’ Championships
right up to the semi-final stage.
As U15s this Autumn term,
the team have again qualified
in the championship tier of
the competition. A superb
achievement, especially given
half the team are first eight
rowers or A/B team rugby
players! The U16 water polo
team of 2014-15 were runner-up
in the English Schools’ Plate
competition, again, the best
result for that age group in
recent history.
The Aquatics squad took a break
from domestic competition this
Autumn Remedy to embark
on a trip to California. A senior
(varsity) team comprised of Sixth
Form and Eighth Form students
and a junior (junior varsity)
squad of Fourth and Fifth
Formers, travelled to play
against high schools from the
Bay Area. The trip included a
visit to Stanford’s famous Avery
Aquatic Center where they were
given a short tour and Q&A
session with Jon Barnea, the
Stanford Water Polo Assistant
Coach. The boys watched a
top level university polo match
between Stanford and University
of the Pacific at Stockton and
were given the opportunity to
train at the Olympic Club in San
Francisco and at the incredible
Koret Center, University of
San Francisco.
learned much from the experience.
Three fixtures were
played against local
US high schools.
Our juniors were
victorious, making
the local press.
The real highlight of the tour was
a Masterclass session with the
ex-Head Coach of Stanford
University, Dante Dettamanti.
He is clearly a sharp tactician
and it is no wonder that he
coached many players to Varsity
and Olympic success. The boys
warmed to his approach and
Act of
Remembrance
02
At 11am on Wednesday 11
November, St Paul’s School fell
silent to honour and remember
those who gave their lives for
their country. the processional party
proceeded to the Cenotaph
where they laid wreaths in
memory of all Old Paulines
who lost their lives in wartime.
This simple ceremony was
inaugurated last year, and
involves the whole school of
staff and pupils congregating
in Founder’s Court.
George Pedlow played The
Last Post after which Ben
Walker recited Ypres, a poem
by Laurence Binyon, OP
(1869-1943).
A reflective reading was offered
by the Chaplain before a twominute silence was observed.
As the choir sang The Kontakion
Andrew Garrow, one of the few
Old Paulines currently on active
service laid the wreath for the
Old Pauline Club.
DRAMA
Out of the Blue
On the 14 – 16 October, the Milton Studio played host to a highly
original and innovative piece of drama: the world’s first stage
adaptation of Simon Armitage’s thirteen part poem, Out of the Blue.
Written five years after the 9.11 attacks on America, Armitage’s text
reimagines the events from the point of view of a trader working in
the North Tower of the World Trade Center.
ACADEMIC
High Master’s Prize
and Symposium
On Monday 12 October, three
boys from St Paul’s – alongside
two girls from St Paul’s Girls
School – presented in the
Samuel Pepys Theatre a topic
they had independently chosen
and rehearsed over the summer.
These presentations marked
the end of the High Master’s
Prize competition at St Paul’s,
capping off a season of activities
and events that celebrate the
best of Pauline scholarship.
The High Master’s Prize is
awarded at ‘Apposition’ each year
to four Upper Eighth Form boys
who have produced a significant
piece of academic work over
the summer, unbridled by the
constraints of the syllabus.
The concept is simple: all
boys in the Lower Eighth are
encouraged to think of a topic
that inspires and intrigues them;
to investigate that topic with
verve, zest and independence
of mind over the summer, free
from the hoops and toils of
public examination; and finally
to produce a piece of original
work in their own subject area.
This could be a traditional essay,
a piece of design, a computer
programme – whatever results
from their toil over the summer.
The boys are invited to take part
on a purely voluntary basis, and
prizes are awarded to those who
display both excellence in their
discipline and significant
independent research. However,
the essence of the Prize is not
the awards to a few, but the
chance for all who take part
to exhibit the scholarship,
determination and individuality,
prized by universities, that
should be a hallmark of Pauline
intellectual life. We were
delighted, therefore, that this
year, 99 boys – a record –
submitted such pieces to
be considered for the Prize.
The list of submissions was
a testament to Paulines’
remarkable breadth and diversity
of academic interest. From the
science of love, to the importance
of the Battle of Marathon, from
game theory to the making
of jewellery, from T.S. Eliot
to Pentaquarks, via Voltaire’s
Candide and two explorations of
multiverse theory – the range of
submissions was highly eclectic.
Of these varied entries, four
were chosen as winners of
the High Master’s Prize, and
four further boys were highly
commended. Winners included
Michael Sackur on third-wave
feminist literature, Darius
Zarrabian on the evolutionary
roots of DNA, Harveer Mahajan
on the efficient market
hypothesis, and Imran Mannan
on the origins of human life
in America.
The list of
submissions was
a testament to
Paulines’ remarkable
breadth and diversity
of academic interest.
Following this, on Tuesday
29 September the School
held its ‘in-school’ Symposium.
Forty-five of our entrants put
themselves forward to speak in
a series of locations across the
School. Classes from every year
group were invited to attend,
and by the end of the day over
one thousand visits had been
made, meaning the average
Pauline attended more than one
set of talks. The day finished
with 300 boys gathering in
the Wathen Hall to hear a
With special permission from Armitage himself, Mr. Christian
Anthony’s adaptation saw a cast of nine Sixth Form boys present
a highly physical, truly collaborative, rendering of this harrowing
poem: the actors, barefoot on the grey, rubble-strewn stage,
created everything from subway carriages to ash clouds with a
polish and rapidity of ideas that left the audience stunned; the
tone gradually shifted from the playful exuberance of the opening
street dance routine to the skilful recreation of Ground Zero in
the play’s final image.
The sections of the poem were intercut with ingenious use of news
footage from the day itself, to which actors lip-synced in awful
recreation of the unfolding horror. The entire cast and crew should
be praised for a unique piece of drama which will haunt the packed
houses that saw it for some time to come.
presentation on the economics
of the French Revolution by Toby
Nicholson, a reading of a piece
of creative writing by Seb
Benzecry and a talk by Ben
Walker on which of Disney’s
Seven Dwarves would have
the longest life expectancy.
This celebration of scholarship
was not confined to current
pupils of St Paul’s and, to that
end, we held our ‘external’
Symposium on 12 October,
with parents, staff, OPs
and Governors in attendance.
Our audience enjoyed five talks
of outstanding quality and
breadth; Ben, Michael and Imran
all took part, alongside two
pupils from St Paul’s Girls’
School. Georgia Sandars spoke
about baboon aggression and
its relationship to feeding times
and Eleanor Gibbon presented
on her experience of building
a microbial fuel cell.
The High Master’s Prize – and
its previous incarnation, the
Summer Essay – has now been
running for four years, and with
so many boys choosing to
participate this year it continues
to go from strength to strength.
Scholarship is at the heart of a
Pauline education, and the High
Master’s Prize provides a vehicle
for boys to roam far and wide
in their academic interests,
unconstrained by the sometimes
narrow boundaries of the exam
syllabus. The Symposia sessions
revealed the striking and deeply
impressive intellectual agility
and ambition of which they
remain highly capable.
DRAMA
Upcoming shows
HENRY V
Samuel Pepys Theatre
3-5 Dec 2015
THE SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
Samuel Pepys Theatre
17-19 Mar 2016
The winning essays of the High Master’s Prize can be found online at:
www.stpaulsschool.org.uk/st-pauls/news/academic-news/the-high-masters-prize.
03
ECONOMICS
Business in China
The Economics Department’s
annual trip.
Fifteen Upper Eighth boys and
three staff visited Hong Kong,
Beijing and Shanghai for ten
days over the October Remedy.
The trip explored business and
politics in action and included a
visit to Deutsche Bank, a tour of
the Hong Kong Stock Exchange
and an architectural tour, from
Patrick Cranley, Founder of
Shanghai Historical Society.
The boys also had time to take
in some recreational activities,
walking on the Great Wall of
China, taking a bicycle tour
round Tiananmen Square and
a tour in the Forbidden City.
The ten day trip was to make
Paulines aware of the incredible
changes happening in China
and to open their eyes to the
opportunities and, indeed,
threats which these changes
present to them. The trip not
only enhanced the students’
academic understanding of
economic and political theory,
but also offered the chance
to meet business leaders,
be exposed to future career
options and benefit from
these extraordinary experiences,
allowing personal insight into
the country which has had the
largest economy in the world
for eighteen of the past
twenty centuries. SCIENCE
Scanning Electron
Microscope
St Paul’s scanning electron
microscope (SEM) has been
making waves both in education
and in research. With several
outreach events under their belt,
members of the SEM user group
have been taking the microscope
to various events, and boys have
been attending and presenting at
science conferences, with many
positive outcomes.
This term, the School was invited
by the Natural History Museum to
demonstrate the use of electron
microscopy at the high-profile
event, Science Uncovered, with
Oliver Glover-Wilson, James
Wazskiewicz and Darius Zarrabian
slotting into their roles as ‘resident
researchers’ with ease.
04
James and Oliver subsequently
travelled to Loughborough for
the Midlands Microanalysis
User Group (MMUG) meeting, a
research colloquium event hosted
by the Loughborough Department
of Materials. Both boys gave a
fantastic talk and attracted much
praise from the audience.
The organiser reported that, not
only did St Paul’s have ‘the first
brand new table-top SEM with
x-ray facilities in the world’, but
that this was, as far as he knew,
the first microscopy research talk
given by school students he had
ever come across.
SPORT
Rackets
St Paul’s rounded off a stunning
year of success on the circuit,
winning three out of a possible
eight Rackets trophies on offer
at The Queen’s Club.
five game semi, he pulled an
extraordinary 3-2 win out of the
bag. The final was just a shadow
of the previous day’s remarkable
game for Alex as he cruised to
a 3-0 win in a rapid half hour
to become the National
U16 Champion. In the singles Alex Engstrom
was 2nd seed and Nico Hughes
3rd, which meant they had to
play each other in the semifinal, and although Alex was two
games down against Nico in this
The National Doubles events
were a festive of fantastic
proportion where Alex and Nico,
as top seeds, destroyed the
entire field to win the event
at a canter to lift the U16
St Paul’s win three National
titles at Queen’s.
Championship. This was
followed one hour later
with Matteo Perper and Ivo
Macdonald cruising to same
result in the U15 event to
become champions which
gave St Paul’s both junior
doubles titles, an extraordinary
feat against all the big
boarding schools.
This has been a superb year
that clearly demonstrates
St Paul’s position as a leading
force in Schoolboy Rackets.
ST PAUL’S PARENTS
SPS Parents’ Group looks back
over the Autumn Activities
The Parents' Group are pleased to report they were
able to buy a clock for the MUGA, a camcorder for the
Art Department, three hard fibre glass cello cases for
the Music Department, two new indoor cricket mats,
20 subcoats for the Rugby Department and four benches
for the school grounds from surplus funds in the Parents’
Group account at the end of Summer Term 2015.
We are looking forward to the Christmas Festival
on Thursday 10 December which is always a happy
event and gets everyone in the festive mood! A huge
thank you to the enthusiastic group of parents who
successfully decorated the school in late November and
to the Club Reps who have organised some great events
this term and are busy planning more for next term.
This term started with a very successful New Parents’
Supper for those who were able to beat the truly awful
traffic conditions and there was also record breaking
attendance at the New Parents’ Coffee Morning which
was great to see.
Recapping on SPARTA events – the Ai Weiwei Lecture
was a sell-out, the Milton Gallery Photography
Exhibition Private View by Old Pauline, Tom Bradley,
saw a wonderful turnout of new parents, and the trip
to the National Gallery to see the Goya Exhibition
was heavily oversubscribed. Next term there will be
a Wathen Hall lecture on Wednesday 10 February
by Sculptor Mark Quinn, a Pauline Parent.
We would like to welcome all the new Fourth Form
Club Reps and the two Year Co-ordinators who have
been appointed and have attended their first St Paul’s
Parents’ Group Committee meeting.
Graham Seel, Head of History, gave a fascinating
talk ‘The Artist and the King’ in November which
was well received by parents.
The next St Paul’s Parents’ Group event for the
whole school will be a panel evening entitled ‘Pauline
Perspectives.’ Held on Thursday 24 February 2016, this
interactive talk will be in the Samuel Pepys Theatre from
7.30-9.30pm. Tickets will be available at the beginning
of January. The event will consist of five invited guests
from the Pauline Community to talk on a subject of their
choice for 15 minutes and to answer questions. Drinks
and canapés will be served.
Rachel Hampson
& Claire Shaw
A big thank you to the parents who volunteer their time
to run SPARTA. If you have any ideas for future lectures
or exhibitions or would like to volunteer to help, please
contact Carie Frigo ([email protected])
We look forward to
seeing you at one
of our many future
events and wish
you a very Happy
Christmas!
ART
CHARITY
Theatrical Creations
St Paul’s to swim
from Barnes to
San Francisco!
The next Milton Gallery
exhibition ‘Theatrical
Creations’ will be viewing
from the 19 November –
11 December. This spectacular visual show
features props from all sorts
of theatre shows, operas, art
installations and TV shows, with
descriptions of how they are
designed and created.
Most of the creations are
by professional prop makers
working in London theatres and
opera houses. However, we are
delighted to be showcasing the
work of two of our current and
very talented Paulines, Ben Yass
and Alex Forey, alongside them.
This show is designed to be fun
for everyone; however, it may be
especially interesting to those
involved with Drama, Art and
Design and Engineering.
For further information about
the show please email
[email protected]
On Monday 30 November,
a 200 strong Swimming team,
comprised of staff and students
from both Colet Court and St
Paul’s, alongside the Barnes
Swimming Club (BSC), will take
up a challenge to swim from
Barnes (London, UK) to San
Francisco (California, US) –
8,608,381 metres. The swim has
been masterminded by St Paul’s
Head of Elite Swimming, Roxana
Roman and the former Head of
Aquatics for St Paul’s, Stefan Bill.
Roxana is also the Head Coach
of BSC, who train 30+ hours
each week in the St Paul’s
School pool under one of
the School’s Community
Partnership programmes.
Stefan, who now heads up
a swimming squad in San
Francisco, CA, will have his
team swim half the distance
from San Francisco and we will
hypothetically meet somewhere
in the Atlantic Ocean just off
North East Canada.
The swim is in aid of the
Children’s Ark Project in Rwanda,
which aims to build the first
community (Montessori)
nursery in Kigali, Rwanda,
and flagship early learning in
this beautiful country, scarred
by genocide.
Early Child Development is
known to be the most effective
way to help children out of
poverty. The nursery will offer
75 places for local children
age 3-6 years, where they will
be cared for, educated, fed
and offered medical care.
To reach the goal each person
within the team will swim
2.2kms (88 lengths of a 25m
pool) a day for 10 days. You can sponsor the St Paul’s team through their Just Giving Page at:
www.justgiving.com/Roxana-Roman
05
ROWING
St Paul’s School Boat Club...
Catch us if you can
During the half-term Remedy,
14 St Paul’s School rowers
and two Coaches travelled
to New England to compete
in two regattas, the Head of
the Charles and the Head of the
Schuylkill. These two regattas
are the largest time trials, or
head races, in North America.
They are attended by clubs,
universities and schools from
all over the US, as well as a
significant British contingent.
During their stay in Boston the
boys were hosted by Harvard
University, which gave them a
great chance to look around this
prestigious US College, as well
as enjoying the experience
of boating from Harvard’s
boathouse. The St Paul’s boys
saw a familiar face, when they
met up with Old Pauline and
former Boat Club Captain,
Arthur Doyle, who is now
studying at Harvard and was
racing in Harvard’s top VIII.
Sunday, the day of the race
was a typical New England one,
bright, sunny and extremely
chilly with a biting wind. St
Paul’s School had both an VIII
and a IV competing and both
were working hard as they
rowed past Harvard. The
four, our second crew, raced
exceptionally well to finish in the
top 35 out of the 85 entries in
Youth Fours. The VIII had a
tough race and while St Paul’s
proved to be the fastest school
crew in the event, both the boys
and Bobby Thatcher, the Coach,
were very disappointed to finish
just outside of the medals (the
three crews that finished ahead
were club crews which can draw
on a range of high schools to
make up their boats).
The very next day, training
began with renewed intensity.
The boys (and Coaches) took on
the legendary Harvard Stadium
run. Cheered on by the parents
and chased by their Coaches,
the boys raced around, with
three boys managing to complete
the challenge in under twenty
minutes.
After a suitable recovery, the
boys moved on to Princeton,
where they were hosted by
Princeton University, rowing
on the same lake which the
US national team uses for
training. Finally they moved
to their last US destination,
Philadelphia, where the
University of Pennsylvania were
the hosts. In Philadelphia the
race was the Head of the
Schuylkill and the boys were
racing in a top IV and an VIII.
The week of training and the
stadium run had clearly paid
dividends. The boys won their
race in the Four, and placed an
excellent Sixth in the High School
VIII. The four were delighted to
have their prizes for the Head of
the Schuylkill presented by Sir
Steven Redgrave.
This was a rewarding and
successful trip. Thanks to
all those who helped and
supported throughout.
ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
Colet Day
On Thursday 8 October School
ceased for the afternoon as boys
and staff attended the annual
John Colet Day service in
St Paul’s Cathedral.
Following months of preparation
and rehearsals by St Paul’s School,
Colet Court and St Paul’s Girls’
School, this uplifting event served
as a reminder of the legacy left by
our founder John Colet, former
Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral.
06
The service was led by the
Cathedral’s Treasurer, the
Reverend Canon Philippa
Boardman, MBE. Readings and
prayers were said by boys and girls
from all three schools, alongside
the Chaplain of St Paul’s School.
The choir, numbering 120 from
all the schools and conducted
by Mark Wilderspin, sang
Rachmaninov’s Ave Maria and
I Was Glad by Parry. Four hymns
sung by the congregation filled
the great nave of the cathedral and
culminated in a rousing rendition
of Jerusalem.
It was a fitting and very enjoyable
afternoon to honour our great
founder.
CONCERT
Bryant Tan (1992 -2014)
memorial concert
POLITICS
St Paul’s boys
question Politicians
On 17 November 12 boys visited
the Houses of Parliament
and enjoyed the chance to
participate in a Q&A session with
London Mayor candidate and
Richmond MP, Zac Goldsmith.
Some of the questions certainly
kept the MP on his toes, but
the boys had a thoroughly
enjoyable time.
The next Politics trip will see
24 Paulines join 2000 fellow
students at a conference in
Westminster Central Hall where
they will listen to a impressive
line up of politicians and get
the chance to ask questions.
It is a busy term too for
politicians visiting the School
to speak to the Polecon Society.
Douglas Carswell UKIP MP, who
made an appearance at the
start of term encouraged
the boys to think about the
possibilities for more direct
democracy in the UK and the
future of UKIP post the EU
referendum.
Old Pauline, Ed Vaizey MP,
Minister for Culture,
Communications and Creative
Industries, is coming back to
St Paul’s School to speak to
the boys on 3 December.
A concert in memory of Old
Pauline, Bryant Tan, will be held
in the Wathen Hall on Saturday
5th March at 7pm. The concert,
organised by St Paul’s School
Music Department and Bryant’s
friends is a tribute to an
exceptional young man.
Awarded Academic and Music
Scholarships to St Paul’s School,
Bryant’s violin playing was
enjoyed at school concerts for
many years at both Colet Court
and St Paul’s. Bryant was an
inspiration to all who knew him.
He sadly passed away in a
mountaineering accident, two
weeks after graduating with
a Bachelor’s (with distinction)
and Master’s Degree in
Electrical Engineering from
Stanford University.
Performers at the concert will
include choral and instrumental
groups from both St Paul’s and
Colet Court, as well as Bryant’s
fellow musicians from his years
at St Paul’s.
Proceeds from the concert
will go towards the renaming
of the new Physics Laboratory
P1, in Bryant’s honour.
For further information about
the concert please contact
the Music Department
on 020 8746 5338.
To book your tickets please go to www.ticketsource.co.uk/date/212460
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COLET COURT NEWS
DRAMA
Oliver!
SCIENCE
NASA Trip
09
10
TRIPS
Kew
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COLET COURT
A note from
Colet Court’s
Headmaster,
Tim Meunier
The publication of the first edition of this
termly newsletter provides me with an
opportunity to reflect on what makes Colet
Court such a special place. Its location and
site, with so much open space close to the
heart of a global, multicultural and vibrant
city, is remarkable – and probably unique.
challenge bright, receptive minds and to
push the boundaries of education further
than one might believe possible for children
so young. We do not shy away from
complexity and we enjoy exploring the
network of connections between different
areas of learning.
The fact that it exists on the same campus
as St Paul’s and is part of a larger whole
brings very significant benefits that go
beyond the sharing of facilities such as the
playing fields, Sports Hall, Concert Hall and
Engineering & Technology workshops. It is
the flow and exchange of ideas and
expertise between the two schools that
helps to keep Colet Court at the cutting
edge of education. The quality of teaching
staff that we have and that we can attract
is extraordinary. Coletines are fortunate to
be taught by experts with a breadth and
depth of knowledge that allows them to
But above all, I believe the qualities that
make Colet Court such a special place are
its spirit, its soul and the strength of its
community. These are difficult things to
quantify but they manifest themselves in
happy, smiling faces and in a sense of
belonging and pride.
It is, of course, the people in our
community who make up the School.
We are blessed with bright, talented pupils
who are all very different but who share an
eagerness to learn and a genuine thirst for
knowledge. The teaching staff and the
support staff mix together, support each
other and enjoy one another’s company.
And from our parents, the third side of this
triangle of relationships, we have the most
remarkable degree of interest, support
and enthusiasm.
The events that are organised by the
Parents’ Association really help to bind our
community together and are some of the
most joyous occasions of the school
calendar. The recent Bursary Blizzard Bash
at Bodo’s Schloss was a great excuse for a
party – and extremely enjoyable! The
Christmas Fayre and Colet’s Got Talent are
other events that for me epitomise the
spirit and family atmosphere of the School.
And let’s not forget Quiz Night at which the
teachers pit their wits against the
considerable talent of our parent body –
and usually come out with a fairly
respectable result!
So Colet Court is indeed a special place,
characterised most importantly by the
quality and strength of the relationships
within its community – boys, parents and
staff. But it also strives to be an outwardfacing community, looking to build links
with its local community and to keep its
feet on the ground.
It is also always looking to develop and
improve – to remain dynamic, innovative
and forward-looking. Our vision for the
future is of a school that builds on the
successes of the past, adapts to the
needs of the future, and remains true
to a set of shared values that underpin
all that we do.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Coletines achieving beyond the curriculum
Chess
During the summer the Colet
Court U9 A chess team played
the English Primary Schools’
Chess Association National Final
at the Holiday Inn, Birmingham.
The team comprised of
Christopher Tombolis, Thomas
Wong, Henry Huang, Krish Patel,
Altan Mardin and Mani Collins.
Despite an unexpected
disruption, with a bout of illness
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hitting the team in the lead up
to the event, the team made it
to the final and performed
competently.
After two days of tense matches,
in the sweltering heat, on two
of the hottest days of the year,
the focused team managed to
work their way through the
competition to get to the final
round. The final was tough but
the boys held their position and
managed to pick up third place.
This was the first time that
Colet Court has qualified
for this very competitive
tournament in 11 years so to
come third in the whole country
is a exceptional achievement of
which everyone is very proud.
Acrobatic Gymnastics
Tennis
Aidan Lim, Fifth Year, excelled in
acrobatic gymnastics bringing
home a silver medal from the
2015 European Age Group
Championships, which took place
over two days in Riesa, Germany.
Aidan competed in the 12-18
group as part of the British
Squad performing both dynamic
and balance routines.
Leo Walton, Second Year, achieved
great success being the youngest
player to win The Queen’s Club
Junior Championships (U10-Boys)
this year. As well as his gold medal,
Leo won tickets to the ATP World
Tour Finals at the 02 Arena in
November and received many
compliments for his sportsmanship
on the court!
DRAMA
Oliver!
The boys rose to
the challenge in
mounting a superb
production enjoyed
by all.
This term, Colet Court welcomed a new Director of Drama,
Jonathan Boustead, who joined us from the Chichester Festival
Theatre, where he was Senior Youth Theatre Leader. Jonathan’s
first production at Colet Court, proved to be a great success, with
sterling performances all round.
Oliver! performed in collaboration with St Paul’s Girls’ School,
played with a cast of doubled principals, each whom brought their
own ‘twist’ to the roles, ably supported by the 56 strong company
and backstage volunteers. Choreographed by Iona Holland from
Chichester Festival Theatre, the boys were certainly pushed, and
rose to the challenge in mounting a superb production enjoyed by
all. Bumble and Corney (Oscar Harrison and Joshua Marks) formed
a hilarious double act, and Michael Bryceson and Posy Earle’s
deliciously dark Mr and Mrs Sowerberry brought a terrific slice of
humour to the first half, topped off with Noah Claypole who was
excellently portrayed by Giancarlo Ramirez.
From beginning to end the effort, commitment and talent brought
by each cast member has resulted in a hugely enjoyable production
with a whole host of colourful characters that will not be forgotten
any time soon. Particularly memorable was the ensemble work of
our pickpockets, ably led by the equally gifted, yet utterly unique
Fagins (Joshua Gregory and Richard Griffiths). The Artful Dodgers
were also not to be missed, with George Davies and Andrew
Spielmann embodying the quirky feel of their patch-worked togs,
charming a bewildered Oliver (played by Elwyn Jones and Toby
Thorogood) into their fantastic rendition of Consider Yourself.
A spectacular collaboration by Colet Court’s Music and Drama
Departments, and a terrific way to see in the new academic year.
Top hats off to all involved!
CHARITY
Help the Voiceless
Over half term, Stefano Frigo, Third Year, visited
Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and spent a few
hours with the Head of Fundraising, Natalie
Wood. Natalie gave an overview of the charity,
showed him the grounds, which are very
large, and took him into the fundraising office. He left inspired and determined to make a
contribution, coming up with the concept
‘Help the Voiceless’ to give directly to
charities that work with vulnerable animals. He has set a goal for this year to collect £4,000,
which represents 10% of a day’s cost of running
the Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, and in doing
so hopes to raise awareness of the high costs of
keeping this longstanding charity in operation.
If you would like to support this cause please give to www.justgiving.com/helpthevoiceless
09
NASA TRIP
Rockets, Everglade adventures
and endangered species
Forty Coletines flew to Miami
during Remedy to experience
an exhilarating tour of the NASA
Space Camp. After a long flight
and drive, the boys arrived at
their first hotel next to the sea
on Cocoa Beach.
The three adventurous days of
Space Camp took place at the
Astronaut Hall of Fame and
at the Kennedy Space Center.
The camp included engineering
challenges, walking on a zero
gravity wall, a dizzy ride in a
multi-axis trainer, lunch with
an astronaut and a simulation
of a shuttle take off. The
boys also visited the Apollo
experience and saw the
Saturn rocket and lunar
landing module.
After each busy day at camp, the
boys were able to relax by the
pool or on the basketball and
volley ball courts beside the sea.
After three amazing days, the
group moved on to Orlando.
The boys experienced indoor
sky-diving at the iFly Center and
then visited the Orlando Space
Museum where they enjoyed
the interactive exhibits, as well
as seeing turtles, alligators,
snakes and other animals.
A day at the Universal Studio’s
Island of Adventure was
thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.
After flying through Hogwarts,
the boys spent the day exploring
the park. The boys then dined
at the largest Hard Rock Cafe
in the world.
Three adventurous
days of Space Camp,
shuttle take off,
a zero gravity wall,
a ride in a multi-axis
trainer and lunch
with an astronaut.
The trip ended with an Airboat
ride in the Everglades. Some
lucky boys saw alligators, deer
and endangered species of birds
of prey alongside other bird life.
Holding a three year old alligator
was something the boys will
remember. A group of very tired
but happy boys arrived back at
Heathrow, with memories that
will last for a lifetime.
Colet Court live on air
Colet Court Radio’s pilot episode last academic
year was followed by a second, Bonfire Night
edition broadcast on Wednesday 4 November
2015. The boys have now started to take over
the station and write, record and edit material
themselves.
‘sang for his supper’, playing a very jazzy version
of ‘This Old Man’ on the piano in exchange for a
fancy dinner. The joke competition winner was
announced as being Noah Whale and a new poetry
competition launched. The prize goes to the
author of the best firework-related poem.
This term, the leading figures have been Zack
Colton, James Gravestock-Snee, Joseph Schull,
Ian Direnzo, Oliver Onillon and Ted Holden, with
help from Felix Waller, Aaron Reyes-Bordado,
Senan Bottomley and Cameron Sah-Briginshaw.
There was also a preview of the Senior Production
Oliver! with a sonic scrapbook of cast interviews
and singing. Our home-grown stand-up comedian,
Daniel Harden, gave us an Indoor Weather Report
and we heard about life ‘Outside the Gates’ from
our most proficient gymnast, Aidan Lim.
This episode included fireworks advice from Mr
Flute, a review of Coletine and National sport with
a little American Football thrown in. Cameron Soo
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You can listen to all Colet Court Radio episodes
by following the link on the Intranet.
CHARITY
Mufti Day
SPARTA Termly Art Notice
Kindly produced by designer Anojie Amerasinghe.
On Thursday 15 October Colet
Court boys left their uniforms at
home for a Mufti Day which
helped to raise £1058.95
towards Colet Court’s chosen
charity, Greenmead Primary
School. This local charity
provides education for pupils
who have physical disabilities
and associated learning
difficulties.
‘and it is with great pride that
I can say that they did this with
aplomb and more!’. ‘My buddy
was really good at explaining
everything,’ said First Year
Matthew about his buddy
Lucas, while another, Philip,
reported: ‘Noah helped me:
when I fell he helped me up.’
She explains: ‘Just over a year
ago, our 18 youngest new boys
(Lower Firsts) were given a
buddy two years older within
their house on joining the
School, as a source of help and
advice. As we had hoped, the
buddy pairings endured well
beyond the initial settling in
period, with boys from both age
groups saying they really liked
the system, and we’ve now
expanded it. This year’s new
First Years have been given
a buddy in the Third Year –
meaning that all boys in the
Junior part of the school have
a buddy two years apart in age.
As these boys move up the
School, the buddy system
will move up with them.’
The Coletines have a target of
£5,000 to raise for Greenmead
Primary School and they are well
on the way to reaching this goal!
KEW GARDENS
Budding friendships
blossom at Kew
Learning to survive
in the rainforest,
going on a scavenger
hunt and enjoying
a sky-high stroll
among the tree tops.
Just before Remedy, boys
from Colet Court embarked
on a huge school trip – quite
possibly the largest ever
undertaken by the School! Two
entire year groups went to Kew
Gardens to learn how to survive
in the rainforest, take part in a
scavenger hunt, enjoy a skyhigh stroll among the tree tops
– and get to know other boys
in their house.
The choice of Kew was
appropriate. Houses at Colet
Court are named after trees –
Oak, Ash and Thorn from ‘A Tree
Song’ by Rudyard Kipling, and
Beech after a fine specimen
in the garden of the first
School building.
It was an unremarkable autumn
day – cloudy, drizzly at times
and not very warm – but the
trees were just starting to
change colour, making an
atmospheric backdrop for
the trip.
Boys spent some of the morning
in their First Year to Third Year
buddy pairs on the scavenger
hunt, spotting all sorts of things
botanical and some fish too
(in the Palm House and around
the lake). There was also time
for First Years to explore the
treetop canopy up on the
circular walkway, while Third
Years headed to the Princess
of Wales Conservatory to
learn from the Kew specialists
and to develop survival skills
for the rainforest.
By midday, these activities,
and all the walking around the
gardens in between, had worked
up quite an appetite, so the
entire group (around 170 in
total) gratefully squeezed into
the school lunch tipi to eat.
Then everyone spent the
afternoon with their buddies:
back to the Princess of Wales
Conservatory once more, but
this time the Third Year boys
were the teachers and took their
buddies on an instructional tour.
There was also time to check
out the playground before
boarding the coaches back
to School.
Staff and parents accompanying
the trip were delighted that
such a large group had
represented the school so
well on an outing of this size.
‘We asked the Third Year boys
to take a real interest and
encourage their younger
buddies today,’ said Head
of Upper Juniors, Tim Young,
First Years were model pupils
when learning from older boys.
‘He’s very good at learning
and is curious about things,’
reported Alec, about his buddy
Pierce. Comments at the end
of the trip showed that buddy
pairs had been chatting about
all sorts of things during the
course of the day. ‘He knows
a lot of good jokes,’ observed
one Third Year, Suleyman, about
buddy Miles, while First Year
Cameron objected, ‘My buddy
supports Tottenham… Boo!’
The trip was arranged by
Barbara Leeney, Head of
Houses at Colet Court.
Asked what he’d enjoyed most
about the trip, Oban (Third Year)
was stuck. ‘All of it!’ he decided
in the end. No doubt the trip will
run again next year.
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COLET COURT PARENTS
Getting to know you...
By the time you read this, the
Colet Court Parents’ Association
will have “meet-and-greeted”,
wined and dined with most of
the Colet Court Community!
And with our Christmas Fayre
we hope we’ll have reached out
to all of the Colet Court parents
by the end of this term.
We were delighted to start the
academic year with an esteemed
Colet Court tradition: the New
Parents’ Supper. Each year all
current First and Lower First
Year parents are invited as
the guests of the Parents’
Association to share a buffet
supper in the new Dining Hall
after presentations from Mr
Meunier and key members of
the teaching team. This Supper
is prepared and served by the
Second Year parents, with
desserts provided by the “old”
Lower First Year parents. It’s
a super introduction to life at
Colet Court. The event was
masterminded by Megan Yu
and Stephanie Hunt, old hands
at extending the warmest of
welcomes to our new intake.
Assisted by the 2014/15 Year
Links and Reps, their hard work
resulted in a splendid spread of
dishes reflecting a wide range of
culinary traditions and the broad
spread of our pupil intake. Our
thanks go to everyone involved
in making this special evening
such a success.
We were privileged, as in
previous years, to share an
inspiring Harvest Festival
service with Mr Young followed
by cakes and biscuits baked
by First Year parents.
The new Lower First parents
transformed the school stage
into a vivid depiction of life on
the farm and the delights of
hearth and home, with Fourth
Year parents on baking duty
soon after following the
‘Senior Service’.
This year the Spring Fling
Chairmen, Stella Willis, Zehra
Imam-Sadeque and Megan Yu,
organised the Bursary Bash at
Bodo’s Schloss to kick off the
fundraising efforts for the
Bursary Fund. It was a great
night with 180 guests enjoying
the atmosphere, music and
catching up with old and new
friends. The Spring Fling team
are thrilled to announce that
over £5,000 has already been
raised towards this year’s
fundraising goal and are truly
grateful for the support of the
Colet Court community.
The Christmas Fayre is coming
up fast on Sunday 29 November!
The Sports Complex will stage
a great range of games,
challenges, stalls, raffles and
our Christmas Bazaar while
the Dining Hall will feature the
Fifth Year café and that hotly
contested competition, the
Great Colet Court Bake-Off!
The Fayre raises funds for our
local charities: Lowther School,
Castelnau Community Centre
and Parkhouse Dinners, as well
as the boys’ chosen charity,
Greenmead Primary School,
and school projects.
Next term our major event is
the Spring Fling Auction Dinner,
taking place on Monday 21
March at the Royal Garden
Hotel, Kensington. Do keep
this date free!
Alison Whale and Gucci
Merton, Co-Chairs, Colet
Court Parents’ Association
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25.06.16
CHECK OUT OUR NEW WEBSITE AT
WWW.STPAULSSCHOOL.ORG.UK
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© St Paul’s School, November 2015. St Paul’s School is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England.
Registered office at Lonsdale Road, London SW13 9JT. Registered Company Number 6141973. Registered Charity Number 1119619.