Issue 49 Spring 2014

HigHligHtsst AlBANs sCHOOl

Woollams Team AwardThe hard-working team at Woollams has an extra spring in the step, after winning a coveted award from the Institute of Groundsmanship. Following extensive evaluation, reports and a visit to the site, the groundstaff were finalists at the ceremony at the Ricoh Stadium on 5th December. They were pitched against Hampton School for the School, College, University or Sports Club Grounds Team of the Year.

‘We have been runners-up before, ‘ said Ian Smith, the School’s Sports Turf Consultant, ‘so this year we really wanted to win it.’ The award recognises the work of a team of ground staff working at an educational establishment. The Woollams groundsmen look after the sports facilities for the School and the OAs, covering a huge amount of ground with a tight-knit team.

‘It’s real tribute to the team,’ said Head Groundsman Steve Ascott. ‘They have all worked so hard, and thoroughly deserve this recognition.’

Earlier in the term, Woollams had been a key venue on the itinerary of the Institute of Sri Lankan Sports Turf Development. They visited to learn how the team manages such a large facility of varied pitches a n d t o h a v e demonstrations of different types of machinery.

A NOsE FOR lOVEFull of colour, action and romance, Cyrano de Bergerac took to the stage for five performances at the end of November. Lavishly costumed and beautifully lit, the production followed the heart wrenching story of the long-nosed master of words and his selfless love. Joe Eastham gave a bravura central performance, seldom off the stage, but he was surrounded by many sharply-judged performances of key characters as well as slick ensemble work from the cast, who play everything from nuns to soldiers, with a few peasants in between. In all, a cast and crew of 35 students transformed the hall into 17th century France, making full use of the space – including Cyrano abseiling from the balcony to make a grand entrance. Glyn Maxwell’s adaptation of the classic story has wit, deriving its humour from sharp dialogue and a satiric exploration of the follies of love. At the same time, it explores the nature of trust and long-lasting fidelity, leading to its poignant climax. Glyn Maxwell had earlier attended some of the rehearsals, and came to watch the production. He was delighted, praising the way that the cast handled the verse of his poetic script.

Mr Danny Swanson and Miss Rebecca Baxter co-directed the show, while Mr Mick Stout and Mr Phil Craig wrote and recorded original music. Mr James Lockhart and Mr Guy Lewis oversaw the complex technical side of the production, aided by a team of dedicated and skilful pupils.

Although Joe

Eastham was

exceptional in the

title role, Cyrano

was very much

an ensemble

production

Filming Science

Spanish StepsDuke of Edinburgh’s Award successes

Fourteen intrepid Sixth formers completed their expedition for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Gold Award in the Picos de Europa mountains in northern Spain. Conditions in October were not always ideal, with high winds a particular challenge. However, the expedition route included remote pasture and the famous Cares Gorge, where warm weather sustained morale despite some heavy showers.

The challenges of the Award ultimately lead to success and recognition. Fourteen students and OAs visited St James’ Palace to receive their Gold Awards, while no fewer than 37 pupils have successfully completed their Silver Awards and gained their certificates and badges.

Linking Then and TodayExtending History

Alex Rutherford OA, while studying History at Warwick University, has specialised in civil rights. Drawing on his experiences on secondment at the University of South Carolina, he addressed the History and Politics Society about civil rights in the USA in the 1940s and 1950s. Alex explained the reasons for acceleration in the pace of and pressure for change in the American South after WW2,identifying key individuals and considering the significance of pivotal moments such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott. There were perceptive questions from an engaged audience of historians and an interview with members of the Gateway Chronicle editorial team, who grilled him with what he said were some of the most challenging questions about civil rights he had ever been asked.

Dr David Laven from Nottingham University also v i s i t e d t h e School to share h i s t h e o r i e s o n C a v o u r , Garibaldi and the process of 19th Century Italian

unification. Dr Laven’s revisionist approach was evident from the outset as he challenged some of the more traditional interpretations of the two

Garibaldi or Che

Guevara?

Walking under

stormy skies in the

Picos de Europa

mountains

Lower Sixth Physicists have again been getting out their cameras and honing their editing skills to explain a key aspect of science on film in under two and a half minutes. No less a figure than Mike Newell OA judged which films should go forward into the School Science Film Challenge, run by the National Physical Laboratory in London.

‘Dry Ice Physics’, by James Wiltshire and George Rossouw received no fewer than three category nominations for Best Physics, Best Hands-On Film and Most Entertaining Film, while ‘Refraction’ by Joe Zacaroli and Will Barnes, won two nominations for Best Cinematography and Most Entertaining Film, and was runner up in the Best Physics category. ‘Refraction’ was awarded the top prize for Best Overall School Produced Film 2013. Clearly Brian Cox has challengers.

Writing InspirationsAuthor Visits

The craft of writing was put into focus in two events organised by the Library and the English Department during the term. First and Second formers were treated to a dramatic presentation by author Chris Bradford – looking lean and mean in shades, black T-shirt and black jeans, he dashed in to save the library from a dire calamity, hustling a startled librarian from the stage as an emergency siren sounded. As

the author of the Bodyguard sequence of books, he was demonstrating the role of the bodyguard. When planning the series, he trained to be a professional bodyguard so that he would know about the physical conditioning, observation skills, tactics and even defensive driving techniques that go with the trade. The boys listened eagerly, fascinated by his stories and his insight into the creation of his action-packed, thrilling books.

The School’s literary society, LitSoc, was given a vigorous defence of fantasy and other ‘fantastical fiction’ by James Bartholomeusz OA, who has just completed his fantasy trilogy for teenage readers, The White Fox, The Black Rose and The Grey Star. He began the trilogy while still at school and finished it while studying English at university. James linked modern trends in fantasy literature with a long

tradition of legend and the fantastic in story telling, from Beowulf,

t h r o u g h D a n t e and Shakespeare,

t o t h e m a g i c a l realism of Salman

Rushdie, thoroughly engaging his Sixth

Form audience.

figures, describing Garibaldi as ‘Che Guevara, Mick Jagger and General Patten rolled into one’. Similarly, he argued that far from being the master tactician and diplomat, Cavour was flawed and motivated by self-interest. This was another engaging and interesting lecture with some good questions at the end.

Battlefields Video Diaries

Students on the Fourth Form Battlefields trip kept video diaries while they were away, and the results were judged for the annual competition. One film stood out through its intelligent use of the camera to illustrate many of the challenges of trench warfare. This included moving through a trench to peer ‘over the top’ at Vimy, and panoramic shots of the monument at Thiepval and the battlefield at Beaumont-Hamel, looking out to the Danger Tree. The film was made by James Thornham, Will McKay, Matthew Crossley and James Nutt.

Don’t mess with

Chris Bradford

James

Bartholomeusz’s

Seven Stars Trilogy

Hawking LecturesThere were two very lively lectures in the Stephen Hawking series last term. In September, Martin Taylor used plenty of audience participation to explain that hypnosis does not actually exist and that the three factors which make people appear hypnotized are suggestion, peer pressure and obedience. He demonstrated these by making students forget their names, find their hands stuck together and see a live elephant on the stage, much to the amazement and amusement of the audience.

In November, Michael Stevens talked about the work involved in creating his popular YouTube channel ‘Vsauce’. In an entertaining talk he covered everything from why the sky is blue to how he was introduced to the world of science and curiosity - it’s all about asking ‘why?’ He views his YouTube channel as a celebration of scientists and researchers, being curious about physical phenomena and the world around us.

Vsauce creator

Michael Stevens

St Albans School is a company limited by guarantee.Registered in England No. 4400125 Charity No. 1092932 Registered Office: Abbey Gateway, St Albans, Herts. AL3 4HB

Rugby: The climax of the season for the 1st XV came on a chilly December evening on the Old Albanians pitch at Woollams. The County U18 final featured scintillating rugby against a strong Haileybury team. Despite taking an early lead after an impressive try in the corner by Nick Stride, our players enjoyed very little possession,

as Haileybury launched a succession of impressive attacks. After the exchange of a few penalties, it was our team’s commitment and tenacity in defence which brought victory 11-3. This win concluded an excellent season during which only two matches were lost. Our 1st XV finished at the top of the All-Comers League on the schoolsrugby.com website. The 2nd XV enjoyed a similarly excellent season, with wins in ten of their thirteen fixtures, including heavy victories against Merchant Taylors’ and Watford Grammar. The 3rd XV lost only one fixture in the whole season, winning by big margins against Haberdashers’ (45-0) and Beaumont (61-0). The U15s had a strong season, reaching the fifth round of the NatWest Cup and achieving high scoring victories against Haileybury and Berkhamsted. The U14s also had a fruitful season, with a decisive 45 point victory against Richard Hale a particular highlight. The U13s and U12s were also successful, enjoying some fine wins. In September, the U16s travelled to Biarritz, and were unfortunate to lose to Hurstpierpoint and RC Moorlaas, but picked up a victory against RC Hernanes to complete an enjoyable and challenging tour.

Cross Country: After the annual training week in Pen Arthur, the teams ran in the first round of the English Schools’ Cup. The Intermediate Team won, with Ben Clark and Tom Fulton in 2nd and 3rd, and James Brennan and Jack Anderson coming in 6th and 10th. The Junior Team ran well too, finishing in third place.

In November, the School entered three teams to defend the Haskell Cup at Guildford, facing 38 teams from 12 schools. The A team of Joe Brennan, Robbie Lightowler, Dan Myers and Mark Pearce took 1st place, with the B team following in 3rd, while the C was team 5th. Robbie Lightowler set the fastest lap, recording a time that was only five seconds slower than the course record.

The Cross Country team continued its unbeaten run on November 20 with a well-deserved win in our own relay event. Twelve schools, including all of the on-form teams, were competing. After two legs we were trailing Judd and Abingdon schools by 30 seconds, but a strong run from Mark Pearce brought St Albans almost level after the third leg. On the fourth leg they pulled away from us again, but Joe Redwood took us into the lead, with Robbie Lightowler consolidating on

the last leg. He also ran the fastest time on the day. Our B team also ran well, finishing 5th out of 20 teams to win the B Team race.

T h e I n t e r m e d i a t e t e a m ran in the final of the

English Schools’ Cup o n N o v e m b e r 3 0 ,

and ended the day in 8th place out of 35 teams, after Ben

Clarke was placed 10th in a race full of top class runners.

Taekwondo: Nabeel Syed gained his 1st

D e g r e e B l a c k B e l t , t h e c u l m i n a t i o n o f

six years’ learning and dedicated practice. This qualification is also recognised internationally and he has received a certificate from Taekwondo International.

Pole Vault: George Grant competed in the Youth Development League National Final as a member of the winning team, Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers, who will be going on to compete in the European Club Final in the Czech Republic. George achieved a personal best of 3.35 metres and was very close to 3.50 metres on two of his attempts. This is a new School record.

Netball: On September 7, the annual Old Girls’ Netball Tournament took place, with teams comprising current L6 and U6 as well as former pupils. The U6 beat the L6 in the final, but it was a successful day for all. A couple of intensive pre-season training sessions allowed the new L6 to bond with the U6 and put them in great shape for their first fixture against Loreto College, which the A team won 27-4. This good start to the season continued into the next match against Haberdashers’, where both teams had convincing wins. The momentum was somewhat hampered when the A team lost 33-24 to the High School and the B team fell 20-15 to Sir John Lawes’ A Team, but was swiftly regained when the A team beat St Helen’s School 24-12. The biggest netball news this season came from the District Tournament, in which our A and B teams both competed. The B team played very well, coming fourth overall, an impressive result considering that they were competing against A teams from other schools. The A team had greater success, beating Beaumont 14-3 and Sir John Lawes 11-3, while victories of 12-1 over Loreto College and 9-2 against Roundwood Park saw them through to the semi-final, where they met Roundwood once more, beating them 15-5. Facing the High School in the final was a tough game, which went into extra time, but even after a half time lead, the girls sadly were pipped 9-8.

sPORt: 1st XV ARE COUNtY CHAMPiONs

The 1st XV in

action (above)

and Nabeel Syed,

Taekwondo black

belt (below)