No. 17 • Spring 2013

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Strength and breadth

Dear ReadersSet between the excitement and splendour of Christmas celebrations and the industry and focus of the Summer examinations season, I sometimes think (mistakenly) that the Spring term’s most notable features are the variations in weather and the unrelenting momentum of the school year as it flies by. This year I have decided to spend some time reflecting on quite what a remarkable term this has been and the strength and breadth of talent in the school which enables our students to compete at the highest levels nationally across a range of disciplines.

January started busily enough with a History Trip to The National Archives and Parliament and also a talk entitled “Eye Deep in Hell-Trench Warfare on the Western Front” was given by Andy Robertshaw, who recently advised on the film “Warhorse”.

A trip for Music Scholars to the Barbican Concert Hall to hear the London Symphony Orchestra play a composition by OC Raymond Yiu was prevented by snowy weather, although we were able to hear the

performance live on Radio 3. The World Quiz is a much loved annual event for Y11-13 - which this year, again broke participation records, with students from 46 different nations working in integrated teams to meet the intellectual challenges devised by Duncan Perkins. The final 2 teams played off in the Chapel using the latest in technology.

Kent College was visited by a group from Sweden, including government officials, to learn about our 1:1 Apple educational programme. During the term we were also visited by educationalists from Shanghai and Japan. The Liberal Studies Programme continued with an exploration of political correctness and the future of museums.

A full sporting programme featuring the major sports of boys’ hockey and girls’ netball, as well as successful fixtures in basketball and football was complemented by sports scholarship talks from a rugby psychologist and a county cricket coach. Kent College hosted a number of county competitions, including the Frank Mason Tournament. Several teams have won through to county finals and the first XI and the girls’ U14 hockey teams both competed in the regional finals. The KC rowing quad took part in the Head of the River race in Maidstone. Over 180 boats entered and KC came second in their class.

February brought a short notice inspection of boarding at the Nursery Infant & Junior school - which again the college passed with flying colours. Who could forget the transformation of the junior school hall to an elegant catwalk where the children showed such enthusiasm as models. There was a Business Studies trip to Madrid and a French Exchange to Pau to ski in the Pyrenees and to picnic on the beach at Biarritz. The Duke of Edinburgh Award candidates spent a less glamorous few days in Snowdonia. The German exchange students visited us ahead of the return trip during the Easter break.

Then there was International Arts Week - when normal lessons were suspended for the lower school and the students took part in activities ranging from Bollywood dancing and African drumming to Mexican and Japanese cultural experiences, Caribbean poetry and American cheerleading. All of this was fuelled by lunch menus which visited a different continent each day. The evenings were just as busy with a Variety Show which really lived up to its name; followed by inter-house competitions; the battling intellects

and persuasive arguments of the Public Speaking Competition; the contrast in the House Music Festival between exquisite solo and chamber performances to the more flamboyant rock numbers and sometimes outrageous massed house choirs complete with props, makeup and costumes; the House Drama Competition alternately presented with the Film entries from Year 9 made for another memorable evening of fun combined with moving performances.

Everybody was grateful for the short break of half term before launching into another busy, four week period leading up to the Easter vacation. The musicians had already been busy locally with concerts attached to mealtimes - with lunch and tea time performances. Both the Kent College Choristers and Sedecim had got through to the national finals of the Barnardo’s Choir of the Year Competition held at the Barbican Concert Hall. The Choristers were awarded Choir of the Year and Sedecim also came second in their class. The Choristers will now sing at the Albert Hall in June. This was only two days after the junior school cross country team took another national title at the IAPS championships - what success for a small school!

LAMDA (drama) teaching was introduced to KC in September and students have already taken their first exams. It was great to see so many taking part in the Thanet Festival and doing so well.

I am so proud to be part of a school which aspires and achieves at such high levels across so many areas. We enjoyed a week of events around World Book Day - and the students heard teachers read from their favourite books. The next week featured a range of activities to support Comic Relief including a Dance Show and a staff vs students hockey match. The term ended with the excellent exam performances from our drama students and the exciting Crowther Music Competition. The Easter break will again be busy with trips including the Geography field trip to New Zealand.

Kent College was well represented at the National Cross Country Championships in snowy Sunderland. Anna Weston (Y10) ran in the girls’ U15 race and Donald Carter OC took part in the senior men’s race. Rebecca Weston OC led the way, winning Bronze in the women’s U20 race - her first medal at national level.

CONTENTSFrom the Head Master’s desk 1Sports News 3Kent College, Dubai 5Reaching Out 6Science & Engineering 6Nursery, Infant & Juniors 7Old Canterburians 9OC News 10In Memoriam 11Performing Arts 12Charities Activities 13Global Reach 14Exchanges 15Arts Week 17Film Day 19House Music 20Drama Competition 20Competitive Houses 22Kent College Rowing 23Blean Wood Conservation 23

From theHead Master’s Desk

Matt Townsend OC has won a gold medal for the University of Birmingham Rowing Club stroking the Men’s Novice Coxed IV, at the British Universities and Colleges Sport (BUCS) Head of River race on the River Witham in Boston, Lincs. The following day he stroked the Men’s Intermediate VIII to bronze in their race. He has just been selected to row in the Men’s Senior VIII in the Tideway Head of River later this month.

OC Alistair Connolly was at the BAFTAs for his role in the production of the nominated film The Voorman Problem.Katherine Letley and Will Robey (both Y12) represented Kent College at The Dicey Conference – an annual two day educational conference at Trinity College, Oxford which generates debate among some of the country’s brightest sixth formers on a topic of moral and social significance. This year the topic was: How should the welfare state be adapted to meet the needs of the twenty first century?

Tomas (Y10 ) & Ellie (Y9) Thurston competed in the Anglo-Scottish National Cup, Ski Race in France in January. They achieved some excellent results: Tomas’ best results for the combined Giant Slalom Races; UK Ranked 38/90+ Boys and Ranked 20th/50+ in his age group U16. Ellie’s best results for the combined Giant Slalom Races; UK Ranked 34/56+ Girls and Ranked 18th/30+ in her age group U14 and Luca Wild (Y12) was invited to play for the U18 National Hockey Team of Germany.

Congratulations to Claudia Sanchez Jimenez (Y13), who has been offered

a place to study Archaeology and Anthropology at St Hugh’s College, Oxford. Jack Balsdon (Y13) has been offered a Sports Scholarship at Durham University and Hugo Lamper (Y11) has been awarded a scholarship by the International Baccalaureate Organisation for the IB World Student Conference entitled Economics: Creating a Sustainable Future to be held at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada in July.

Kent College was very well represented at the Thanet Festival of Speech and Drama in March. Our students competed in two categories. In the open monologue category, Tobias Corteen-Coleman (Y11) and Helen Sotillo (Y12) were victorious, winning the category with a fantastic score of 92 out of 100, and William Robey (Y12) came third with 90. Fantastic scores all in the “outstanding” classification. In the Shakespeare monologue category we were also highly successful with Harvey Almond taking third place, and William Robey and Helen Sotillo joint second.

Double Congratulations to Olivia Acock (Y10) who came second place in her age category in both the contemporary and Shakespeare monologues with a fantastic score of 90 and 87 respectively.The adjudicators commented that all our students were extremely professional and very talented.

Jack Balsdon, Barnaby Lamper, Claudia Sanchez Jimenez and Hannah Stone (all Y13) were runners-up in the National Science + Engineering Competition 2013. Following presentations to celebrity judges including Ben Miller

and Brian Cox as well as Nobel Prize winners, Professor Ada Yonath and Sir Tim Hunt at the ‘Big Bang’ event at the ExCel Arena in London. Their project ‘Jeans Blue’ demonstrated how natural indigo pigment from woad plants could be extracted on a commercial scale to replace the unsustainable practices of synthetic indigo dyes used in jeans manufacture by many large companies. The glamorous awards ceremony was presented by TV scientists Liz Bonnin and Greg Foot.

During the Summer the following students have been given placements in the House of Commons: Nathaniel Shaughnessy and Sebastian Blummers (both Y12) will each undertake work experience in the office of Mike Weatherley, Conservative MP for Hove. Rosie Maguire (Y11) will work in the office of Natascha Engel, Labour MP for North East Derbyshire, and Eva Harris (Y11) will work in the office of Roger Williams, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon and Radnorshire. Many thanks to Mr Simon Sorokos for making these arrangements.

I think the strength and breadth of talent is evident in this small school which does so well in district, county, regional and national competitions. I trust you will enjoy finding out more about the many exciting activities of the term in this edition of the Kent College Times.

Dr David LamperHead Master

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This short term has been packed with excitement, fixtures and tournaments. 58 school netball matches have been played along with a host of tournaments; cross country has continued from last term and the U.13 girls played in the East of England Hockey finals. Students and staff have been extremely busy.

The Under 12 netball team has been one of the most successful throughout the school, being undefeated in school fixtures and scoring over 103 goals! The wonderful addition to this success is that every girl in the year group has played a number of fixtures. Likewise the U.13s have been very successful winning 9 out of their 10 school fixtures. Perhaps a highlight of the season was wins against Junior Kings for the U.13 a, b and c teams. In the county netball tournament both teams were unlucky to go out at the quarter final stage but out of 56 schools competing this was an honourable finish position. Both the Year 7 and 8 teams won the District netball tournament and the Year 9 and 10s came runners up. The 1st V11 enjoyed a competitive season with matches every Wednesday afternoon. There were some excellent and competitive

wins against Simon Langton Girls’ and St. Edmund’s. Three senior pupils were awarded colours in recognition of their commitment to netball throughout their years at Kent College, Charlotte Hearnden, Annabel Carter and Chloe Moxam.

The hockey season continued with the U.13 girls competing in the East of England Regional Finals in Bedford. The team, competently captained by Hannah Griggs, performed extremely well to win their group. Unfortunately the momentum could not be maintained and the team finished 8th out of 16 competing regional teams.

Cross Country began with the County Schools event in Danson Park. A large number of KC athletes qualified to take part. Some of our junior runners gave outstanding performances with Charlotte Young finishing in 16th place, Holly Fielder in 33rd place and Frank Radcliffe Adams coming in 59th place in their respective age groups. In the senior races, Rosie Maguire finished in 20th, Anna Weston in 8th and Amy Old taking the bronze medal. As a result of their performances in this event Anna and Amy ran in the English Schools Cross Country finishing 30th and 176th respectively. A highly commendable result out of over 300 runners. In early March, Kent College fielded 4 teams to run in the Tonbridge cross country relays. In the Open girls event, KC finished in 1st and 2nd place with Rosie Maguire running the 3rd fastest lap time of the day, while Holly Fielder finished 3rd in the league standings. The junior boys took 1st place also to make

the day a huge success. Deserving of special mention is Luke Vincent who ran in both the junior and senior boys’ competitions, and not forgetting Jack Norman who was the youngest in the squad running against year 10 boys. Nearing the end of term the year 7 and 8 teams competed in the Duke of York’s inaugural cross country event. Again there were podium places for both boys and girls with Emilie Knights Toomer and Jonas Zahn winning the Year 8 races. In the year 7 race, Kent College took home both silver and bronze with excellent running from Anousca de Moubray and Arabella Saliba-Williams.

Next term looks to be equally busy for girls’ sport with a number of athletics and tennis fixtures. The season kick starts with pre-season tennis training on the 11th April and we look forward to seeing as many players present as possible.

Sports News

Senior sports presentation evening with Katherine Grainger, Olympic Gold medalist and CBE.

This annual event was held at the end of term with Katherine Grainger the speaker. More than 90 people attended an excellent dinner before presentations were made in various sports.

After the presentations Katherine Grainger spoke in the chapel to a group of about 200 people. Her inspiring talk was a real success with the highlight being her gold medal. Her talk demonstrated her personal qualities and she captivated the audience with her many stories. Overall, it was an excellent evening and one that was enjoyed by all.

National Prep School Champions, South East Champions and County Champions, just three of the major events that our junior athletes have won this year. The boys under eleven team travelled to Malvern College for the annual national championship knowing the event would be very competitive and that they all needed to run well to have any chance of success. After giving their all on a testing long and very hilly course there was a two hour wait for the presentation where they would find out their position.

It was with great pride that the six boys went on to the stage to receive the cup for the winning small school. It was soon time for the overall result and again we were announced as champions with Millfield and Cheam Schools taking second and third place. This was a tremendous achievement but thoroughly deserved, as the standards all the children have achieved in their running this year have been amazing.

National Cross-Country Champions boys punch above their weight

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There were a number of highlights during the Spring term.

Kent College has a good reputation for its hockey. This year was no exception. The 1st XI had a busy season and performed well at various times over the course of the term. The highlights were the performance in the county cup when they beat Eltham College 4-0 in the semi-final. This overturned a 5-3 defeat in the normal school match. The match included two spectacular goals from Harry Roberts and Josh Wilson- Holliday. This victory assured the squad of qualification for the Southern heats and although it was disappointing not to qualify further the team showed excellent determination to beat Sir William Borlase and achieve a draw against Kingston Grammar School. Earlier in the season the team had performed well in the Frank Mason tournament before narrowly going out to

Simon Langton in the semifinal. Overall it was a successful tournament with the quality of hockey being excellent.

In addition, an extended Senior squad attended pre-season training. This was a trip to Repton School where the seniors played matches against their under16 and under 18 teams. After a tough fitness regime instigated by Mr.Browne, the team won one and lost one . The squad also stayed at the new home of football at St.George’s Park in Burton and this was a great experience as the boys enjoyed a full tour of the new facilities.

Finally, special mention must go to our three senior leavers. Jack Balsdon has been Captain and has been dedicated in his commitment to Kent College hockey. He has also played a big part in Canterbury men’s team success in the national league this year. Philip Roe and Josh Wilson-Holliday will also be leaving and they

must be thanked for their commitment over the last 7 years. Furthermore , Luca Wild has had an excellent season and he is to be congratulated on his selection for the German Under 18 team playing England in Valencia at Easter.

The Junior hockey teams have also been successful. Nearly 80 matches have been played despite the poor weather. Highlights have been the Under 16 victory over Cranbrook to reach the semi-final of the county cup and the Under 13 achievement of reaching the final of the Barrow Hills tournament. Also, the Under 15 and Under 12 teams have achieved good playing records with the under 12 team remaining unbeaten throughout the season.

This means that Kent College has the potential to excel in its hockey in the future.

Boys’ sport Spring term 2013.

Digging Deep

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Press Release: Dubai - Monday, March 25th, 2013: Meydan and Mir Hashem Khoory LLC (MHK), have announced today an agreement to amplify Meydan’s facilities by introducing strategic education projects, including a new Kent College Canterbury campus.

The partnership comes as Meydan and MHK work in tandem to fulfil a strategic directive by H.H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, to offer UAE citizens and residents the highest standards of education. LOacl press releases reported that “Kent College Canterbury is an exceptional educational institution.” The school’s facilities in Meydan will be designated as an official Kent College campus and not a franchise, and will be managed and operated directly by Kent College. The project has an estimated total budget of AED 150 million or £27m, will be built on 400,000 sq. ft. of land, with construction expected to start in the third quarter of 2013, and finish by June 2015. The college is expected to start enrolling students in February 2015 for the 2015 - 2016 academic year.

The announcement, made at a press conference at the Meydan Ballroom in the Meydan Hotel, comes as Meydan looks to round off its hospitality and horse-racing offerings with healthcare and education facilities to become an integrated community offering multi-purpose amenities.

“Meydan is planned to deliver an integrated cityscape offering upscale residential communities mixed with amenities, business spaces and commercial opportunities that

complement its world-class thoroughbred racing and its five-star hospitality. By partnering with MHK, Meydan is delivering on its promise to create a variety of excellent offerings in education and other sectors. We aim to extend Meydan’s rigorous standards to a number of premium offerings across a number of sectors,” said Mohammad A.Nasser Al Khayat, Head of Commercial and Freezone at Meydan.

“MHK has been in operation in Dubai since 1963, and said Mr. Shoaib Mir Hashem Khoory, Managing Director, MHK. “We are very proud to have partnered with Meydan to create exciting new projects in education that will serve a new generation.

The Kent College (Meydan) campus will offer classes from KG 1 to 12th Grade, with pupils in grade 6 and above benefitting from finishing classes and a very strong emphasis on equestrian training due to the close proximity to the Meydan equine complex.. Other facilities will include football and rugby fields, tennis courts, cricket grounds, and infrastructure for track and race events.

The school will offer a high quality British education to over 2,000 students from the UAE, GCC and all over the world.

“Kent College has always enjoyed a reputation as a friendly and welcoming school, and also has recently been awarded the distinction of being recognised as one of the top ten schools in the UK. The school is very anxious to maintain and strengthen this commitment to excellence through a clearly articulated Mission Statement and a widely circulated set of aims and values,” said Dr David Lamper, Head Master. “We believe in creating responsible, well-rounded and capable individuals, and pay particular attention to balancing a very high quality British syllabus with co-curricular and extra-curricular elements such as manners, ethics and sports.

Kent College in Dubai will maintain a very close relationship with the one in the UK. Any Dubai student, at any point in time, may request a transfer to Kent College in the UK, provided that seats are available there,” he added.

Kent College, Dubai

Meydan, situated 14 kilometres from Dubai’s main business district, has been recognised as the world’s most luxurious integrated racing, business and lifestyle hub. Meydan is now following through with plans to create an interconnected cityscape offering areas of expertise and facilities such as education and healthcare.

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Reaching OutEconomic ActivityTarget 2.0 , an annual competition run by the Bank of England in conjunction with The Times, was a great opportunity for Kent College Economics students to experience the life of a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

The team consisted of Joshua Wilson Holiday, Napat Rungsrithananon, Echo Li, and Ayla Ghaffarzadehgan. Meetings were held every Tuesday after school in order to discuss the students’ analysis of different macroeconomic data sets. They divided the data into four sections: money and financial markets, demand and output, the labour market, and costs and prices, and tracked data over several months.

Each team member analysed and investigated one section, becoming an

expert in one field, in order to interpret the likely affects trends may have on future inflationary pressures. Following more research and analysis the team came to the conclusion that the present base rate should be kept on hold at 0.5%. We were pleased to say the Monetary Policy Committee followed our advice and did the same the very next week. After presenting our decision, with data charts and evidence collected from

different news resources, in front of an audience including two external judges. The judges, former Kent College teacher Stuart Williams and Professor Tony Thirlwell of UKC commented positively on our knowledge and insight.

The challenge of monetary policy, along with the opportunity to work as a team, made this experience a great opportunity for all.

The Year 13 Young Engineers’ project, called ‘Jeans Blue’, was presented by the team (Jack Balsdon, Barnaby Lamper, Claudia Sanchez and Hannah Stone). They investigated the best way to scale up to industrial level the eco-friendly craft method of extracting Indigo dye from Woad plants. The team presented the project initially at the University of Kent last May, and then at the regional Big Bang fair in Crawley last July which they won, gaining a place in the National Finals held at the Big Bang fair. The team performed exceptionally well in front of several eminent judging panels. They were

selected to present their project to celebrity judges included Dick Strawbridge and Kate Bellingham. The project created a real buzz of excitement throughout the fair, and at the award ceremony they were awarded the runner-up prize for the prestigious title of Young Engineer of the Year.

We are all extremely proud of the team’s achievement, the result of dedication, hard work and enthusiasm.

Mrs Alice Haines, Mr David Montague and Mrs Rachel Rutland.

To mark Science week this year Junior Science organised a trip to the Big Bang Science Fair; a national festival held every two years in the Excel centre in London. There were shows to entertain and inspire; we all attended the Brainiac Live show this time. Also present were national finalists for the National Science and Engineering competition displaying their work. There were stalls run by companies and universities to promote their area of science and inspire scientists of the future.

Pupils reported, “Following an extremely successful trip to the Big Bang in 2011, students from Years 7-9 once again

visited the ExCel to observe the exciting scientific stalls that were on offer there. The exhibition halls were packed with fun, hands on activities, and we had the opportunity to learn so much, from how to genetically modify a tomato, to how much energy is produced from dancing, and we even received some valuable careers advice for the future.

We also saw the KC Young Engineers Team who were presenting their project there. The whole day was such an inspiring experience, enjoyed by all”

We look forward to going again in 2015.

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Guys and Dolls

Nursery Infant & JuniorsTuesday 19th March Trip meeting to outline the itinerary and build the excitement/anticipation for the children. Mrs. Jenner has done all the organization and Carol in the office has all the passports (apart from the staff!)

Wednesday 20th MarchDay for packing, will it really be as cold as the weather forecast suggests or will Paris in springtime be a truly memorable experience?

Thursday 21st March, Departure day. Mr Carter sets his alarm for 6.30 and is there waiting for Mrs. Jenner who also arrives very early for the 7.15 departure. Twenty-one children with parents all arrive on time with only one wearing a beret and onions round the neck! Mr. Buckley ensures the luggage is packed, nurse Jenner takes the medication and Mr. Carter does his usual talk explaining that air traffic control has given us a take off slot and that we will be cruising at a height of three feet six inches to the tunnel. Seat belts must be worn in case we hit turbulence!

At the tunnel we meet our first group challenge. ID tags must be worn, we have to go to the toilet and we must always be in a group of at least three. Teachers observe all of this whilst purchasing coffee and breakfast from a leather settee provided by a coffee chain with assets registers abroad! Back to the coach and we are boarded by a security guard who is checking for explosives, we were clear which would not have been the case if he were checking for sweets! Mr. Carter asks him for a photo to tweet but is told if he takes a picture, he will be arrested!

After a brief journey under the Channel the next stop is in France and a visit to the trenches. Our guide has an early History challenge with Mr. Carter whose First World War knowledge is based on episodes of Blackadder! Before we know it, we are looking for who is the first to spot the Eiffel Tower and then the coach has been round the Champs Elysées before unloading us to climb the Arc de Triumph. A Meal on the Champs Elysées followed by a coach journey to our hotel, just a stone’s throw from the River Seine, before a good night’s sleep for all.

Friday 22nd MarchAn early start saw us arrive at breakfast in good heart and in no time we were on the coach and fighting our way through the Paris

traffic on the way to the Musée d’Orsay. The first section was the Monet floor before heading downstairs to the Van Gogh room. This was an amazing experience for the children who had painted many of the pictures in their art lessons without realising that they will be seeing the originals. Next stop was to board the Bateau Mouche and cruise along the Seine in the Parisian sunshine; we even braved the open top deck whilst our guide waxed lyrically about Parisian history with tales of greed and revolution! From here it was a quick step to Sacré Coeur and a visit to the artists square where they observed the artists in action. Evening meal was taken in a restaurant in the square before we made the journey to the Pompidou Centre where we enjoyed a view over the city by night before seeing some modern art. Andy Warhol provided an interesting contrast to Van Gogh! A late return to the hotel meant that we had enjoyed a thirteen-hour day!

Saturday 23rd MarchIn spite of the busy schedule the children were up bright and early and ready for breakfast to ensure that we got to Disneyland Paris in time for it to open. Our first opportunity to queue came on gaining entry into the park! This did not however lessen our enthusiasm and it was a fast trot all the way to Thunder Mountain. There then a followed lot of screaming and even Mr. Buckley was smiling after the ride! Off to see Buzz Lightyear who to our surprise spoke fluent French! After

some gentle space travel with Buzz it was off to the Caribbean to experience a pirates life for me! A quick lunch later and it was time for some more mountains, this time a Space Mountain! Whilst your author would have preferred a longer gap between lunch and space travel it did not seem to affect the children at all! Emboldened by this it was followed by Indiana Jones or It’s a Small World! As it was now getting dark it seemed the perfect time to visit the Haunted Manor before a quick visit to the shops and a very enjoyable firework display.

It was a tired but very happy group that returned to the hotel late on a Saturday night!

Sunday 24th MarchAnother early start with pre-breakfast packing before getting on the coach for a last time to venture into the now empty Paris streets and arriving at a busy Notre Dame Cathedral. The ceremonial banging on the door to signal the priests’ arrival on Palm Sunday was a real spectacle and all enjoyed the procession that followed. It was then a short journey to our final activity, to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower! The teachers were determined to show their fitness by insisting the entire group used the steps to the second level. We all made it! It was then but a short lift ride to the top, a ride that was enjoyed by most if not all! At the top we discovered that it does move and that it is very high but it is also a superb view of Paris. A group photo proved we all made it!

Sunday evening saw a group of very tired but very happy children and their teachers arrive back in Canterbury with many wonderful memories of their Parisian experience.

Paris in the Springtime

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Even an overcast October morning could not dampen our excitement and enthusiasm as we got ready to board the coach for the Warner Studios in Watford, north London. All of us had favourite things about the Harry Potter story that we were looking forward to seeing, whether it was Hagrid’s hut, the golden snitch, or Dumbledore’s wand – and the visit did not disappoint! We were able to walk up Diagon Alley, try out the magic invisible map of Hogwarts, peep into Dumbledore’s study and Hagrid’s hut, and even see ourselves flying on a broomstick! Just when we felt we had seen everything, we could then go in the Weasley’s Ford Anglia, sit on Hagrid’s motorbike, and even knock on the Potter’s cottage door! Refreshed by a mug of butterbeer (and yes, it really is that good!) We went on to spend a fascinating time looking at the robotics and clever technology behind many of the creatures in the films, before emerging to look over the enormous model of Hogwarts Castle that was used for the distance and overflying shots – watching the model turn from daylight into a twinkling night-time setting was magical. Finally we

emerged into a treasure trove that was the shop – packed to the ceiling with anything and everything Harry Potter! Most of us bought the famous mystery Jelly Beans, or a cuddly toy, but Mr Fell definitely had the purchase of the day with his wizard’s robes!Eleanor Humphreys - Houseparent

Pupils say:Harry Potter Studios was really fun. I bought a pack of chocolate that popped in your mouth. The last room was full of little boxes with all the wands in them. I liked the one where we saw the model. The castle model was my favourite room. Angela Budha Magar Year 5

We went to Harry Potter world and it was awesome! My favourite bit was seeing the models, and the wands and the great hall. I got to push the great doors open because it was my birthday-that was a great experience that I will never forget. One bit we all liked was having a butterbeer yum! Yum! One of my friends gave an Every Flavour Bean and it was chilli and I was bursting to have a drink of water! All in all I loved it and my brother William was so jealous! George Leatherby Year 5

The Harry Potter trip was great. We went to the museum first, we went shopping and I bought a Wii game and a chocolate stick for my brother and my sister. Then we went to the tour it was amazing all was like in the films it looked like real. I took some pictures and when we finished we went to a café and Mrs Humphreys bought us a hot dog and a drink – it was great! The best trip ever! Aleix Tapias Year 6

My favourite bit of Harry Potter studios was when we stamped our Harry Potter passports. There were cauldrons that magically stirred potions. The food was great – I bought a bar of chocolate. We also saw a film of how they did the films. It was the best day ever. Cristhian Grist Year 3

The funniest bit was when I got a moustache from the butter beer – it tasted delicious!Jean Foley Year 5

My favourite thing in Harry Potter World was going round the place and looking at architect models of the film and how they made the creatures in it. When we were looking round we would collect stamps when we saw something in a little booklet. When we had had a long look around and started heading to the exit we got beer…but it was not the beer I thought, it was butter beer, oh well! It was good fun, anyway! Sydney Smart Year 6

Junior Boarders and the magic of Harry Potter Studios

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Old Canterburians

Ptolemy Dean

Raymond Yiu (at the Barbican )

Ptolemy Dean has been appointed as the next Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey.

Ptolemy was a student at Kent College from 1978 until 1985 when he went on to study architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College, London and at the University of Edinburgh. Since then he has established a significant reputation as an architect, who has worked extensively on churches and historic buildings. The Abbey has a thousand year history as the nation’s coronation church and royal mausoleum, and Ptolemy is its 19th surveyor of the fabric, a role which in the past has been filled by Sir Christopher Wren, Sir George Gilbert Scott and Sir Edwin Lutyens.Speaking of the appointment, the Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr John Hall, said, “We are delighted to have secured Ptolemy Dean as our new Surveyor of the Fabric. He brings with him enormous enthusiasm for the Abbey and a formidable reputation

as an architect of much experience and great quality”.Ptolemy said, “It is a terrific privilege to be appointed to Surveyor of the Fabric at Westminster Abbey. The Abbey finds itself at the heart of national life at Westminster, but must also serve as a place of prayer and retreat. The opportunities for the Abbey church to continue to serve a monastic tradition of welcome and hospitality, while conserving its priceless fabric, are architectural challenges that could have a transforming effect.”It was fitting that Ptolemy should be the guest speaker on Speech Day2006, presenting prizes to another generation of KC students, in addition to awarding the Dean Cup, originally given by his father, His Honour Judge Joseph Dean. To the sixth former who had made the greatest contribution to the arts. Ptolemy’s sister, Tacita, who is also an Old Canterburian and a member of the Royal Academy, was awarded the Order of the British Empire in the New Year’s honour list. Dr G.D.Colson

On 18th January 2013 the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Long Yu, gave the world premiere of “The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured” composed by Raymond Yiu at the Barbican Hall.

Raymond was a student at Kent College during the 1990s, before going on to study at Imperial College, London. As a composer he is mostly self-taught, starting piano lessons at the age of 4, writing

music as a teenager and composing while he was an undergraduate.

His music has captured the imagination of performers and audiences with its intricacy, quirkiness, sense of exploration and unpredictability.

We look forward to Raymond returning to his alma mater to speak to the Sixth Form.

February saw the annual informal drinks get together at the Glassblower pub in London this was attended by OCs from the age of 22 to 82 plus Alan Frost and Paul Sorensen representing the staff contingent.

It was a very convivial affair and such events are recommended to OCs who work in the City as a nice way to catch up with old school mates.

London Drinks Reunion

Austen House as we know it today was officially opened in September 1991. Austen had the nickname “The Palace” because of its innovation of en suite rooms something it would take many years to achieve in other boarding houses. It quickly became full, at one time boarding 48 girls. The happy atmosphere established then is still alive today. The current Housemistress, Helen Valentine (Goddard to those who were at KC until two years ago) decided that as 2012 was the 21st birthday year of Austen it would be fun to organise a party for ‘Old Girls’ to celebrate the event. With the help of an earlier

Housemistress, Jean Gray, a party was organised for December 2012 for any of the former boarders who could be found and who could attend. This was a mammoth task in itself but in the end almost sixty attended, including one other previous Housemistress, Jenni van Deelen, some of the tutors and about 40 ‘girls’, some with their partners. Fifteen flew to the UK specially for the event. The evening was a mixture of catching up with old friends and finding out about all the changes that have happened in the school.

Several guests arriving in the afternoon, were given afternoon tea in Austen, followed by a tour of the school for those who wished to see how it had changed over the years. The evening commenced at 6pm with champagne in the Staff Common Room, a gourmet three-course meal in the dining room, and finally a live band in the Old Library and dancing till midnight.

Finally, a note from Maria Tkachenko (2002 - 2008):

‘As I walked through the doors of Austen House it felt strangely like coming home. Seeing 21 years worth of Austen Alumni made me realise that even if we were there at different times, we all had several things in common – life-long friendships that were built inside these walls, fond memories and a story or two about the ‘naughty’ girls and their rebellions-gone-wrong. Anyone who wants to keep in touch should visit the newly established Austen House page in Facebook!

Kent College has a very rich history which has been carefully documented through photographs magazines and other artefacts over the years. Sadly, for most of their time they have been stored away in the loft of the school gathering dust, but thanks to modern technology the archives are about to get a face lift which will make them much more readily accessible. The first few photos have been scanned and are here to be seen. Viewing them on a computer brings out the best of results as the quality is not diminished as you zoom in. The full collection of magazines will also be available digitally and contain an intimate view of day to day life at Kent College over the last one hundred and twenty eight years. If you have any other photos that should be added to the archives please do contact me directly. These archives will be available through the Old Canterburians’ page on the school web site www.kentcollege.com

Archives to be available digitally

Other OC News

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Austen House’s 21st Birthday

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In MemoriamCapt Andrew Wyndham Lewis ( Bursar 1997 - 2008)

Colleagues and Old Canterburians were greatly saddened to hear of the death of John Jones after a long illness. Educated at Kirkley High School, Lowestoft and Durham University where he read French and Spanish, John worked for Brook Marine Ltd., Lowestoft, as an interpreter and translator before joining the modern language staff at Kent College in 1983.

John taught French and Spanish throughout the School before taking early retirement in 2006. He then devoted his time to studying for his MA degree in Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Kent and making extensive visits to India and South East Asia.

John was a gifted teacher especially in the Sixth Form where he inspired generations of students, setting himself the highest standards and expecting the same from them, as is evident from the moving tribute paid to him by one of his former students, Craig Allison.

“Mr Jones taught me French and Spanish from 1993 to 1997 through my GCSEs and A levels and it was through his inspirational teaching that I gained the A grades required which led me to be accepted to read Spanish and Politics at the Universilty of Edinburgh. It was his abililty to inspire, through his passion for the arts and in the case of literature (in particular the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Moliere) as well as the way that he made the most humdrum grammar lessons on the subjunctive sound engaging, that made him such a great teacher.

“We typically had small classes of five pupils or less and my memories of Mr Jones consist mainly of him arriving to lessons with his enormous bunch of keys in hand and the daily amusing conversation we would have regarding the make of his floral tie (I seem to remember Liberty being

a favourite), the cut of his wonderful array of suits (Kenzo), the texture of his trousers (velvet and moleskin) and his wonderful weekend adventures at the opera or the theatre.

“Mostly, what stands out was his abililty to mix good humour and conviviality with a rigorous and old school approach to getting things right and not just ‘getting by’. “I feel priviledged that I was lucky enough to be taught by Mr Jones and I wish I had the opportunity to express to him face to face the significance that his teaching has had on my life and career.”

It is with sadness that we report that Andy Wyndham Lewis passed away on 17th March this year. Andy was Bursar at Kent College from 1997 through to

his retirement in 2008. He died at home with his wife, Jill, and two sons, David and Matthew, having recently been diagnosed with cancer. He joined the school having served as Bursar at Pembroke College, Oxford University, and after a former career in the Royal Navy attaining the rank of Captain. There is no question in my mind that Andy enjoyed everything that life at KC threw at him, every opportunity and every challenge. This was in no small part due to a loyal and hard working staff for whom he had a great regard; he always hoped he served them as well as they supported both him and the School.

His son David writes: Kent College was very much the focus of our family for the eleven and a half years Andy was employed there. The school saw my brother and I through to university and my marriage after a return to KC as a Tutor. For Andy, as with all of our family, KC was the background to the forging

of many strong and lasting friendships amongst pupils, staff and governors alike. We were delighted that such a strong representation from the School, including each of the three Headmasters he worked alongside during his time at KC, was able to attend his funeral and we would like to thank everyone at the School for their kind regards.

The school sends its deepest condolences to the Wyndham Lewis family and Andy is fondly remembered by all that worked with him from both the academic and support staff. Under his leadership many major projects were undertaken not least the development of the Norfolk Building and the total refurbishment of Guilford House in the early 2000’s.

Mr. John Jones (Head of Spanish 1983 - 2006)

Kent College Choirs have achieved record-breaking success in a prestigious national choir competition put on by the leading children’s charity, Barnardos. From several hundred entries, Kent College was one of just two schools to have choirs selected for both senior and junior categories in the National Finals.

Sedecim were one of only six senior choirs and Kent College Choristers were one of eighteen junior choirs. Performing at London’s Barbican Concert Hall, Kent

College Choristers sang ‘How can I keep from singing’ by Robert Lowry and ‘Cockles And Mussels’ ‘ Irish traditional, arranged by Roderick Spencer. Sedecim sang ‘The Hills’ by John Ireland and ‘Two Irish Folksongs’ again arranged by Roderick Spencer. After a long day of competition, followed by a full evening concert to a sell-out audience, Kent College Choristers were declared NATIONAL CHAMPIONS in the Junior section and Sedecim won 2nd PRIZE in the Seniors.

The Choristers have now been invited to sing at Barnardo’s Young Supporters’ Concert on 29 June 2013 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Douglas Coombes MBE, composer, conductor and judge, has offered to write a song for the winning choir. Sedecim will go on to sing at Westminster Cathedral in December.

Choir Goes from Strength to Strength

It has been another busy and highly successful term in the drama department with various activities taking place both in and out of school. Year eleven and twelve have been to see some excellent theatre in London at the Barbican and the Roundhouse by world renowned theatre company Complicité and innovative director Robert LePage.

All the LAMDA students took their examination on the Monday of that week - each performing two solo monologues for an external examiner and we have just this week found out that our students did exceptionally well - all passing with merits and distinctions - amazing results and well done to Harvey Almond for being top of the group with 90 out of 100!

We also have had students competing in the Thanet Festival of Speech and Drama with even more excellent results.

Olivia Acock came second in her age category for both the contemporary and Shakespeare speeches. Tobi Corteen-Coleman and Helen Sotillo were joint winners for the ‘Outstanding contribution to Speech and Drama cup’ - a fantastic achievement for our first entry to the competition.

On top of all this, over 30 pupils form years 7, 8 and 10 have been busily rehearsing for the exciting promenade performance of ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ which will be performed around the grounds of the school in the final week of term.

Performing Arts

Drama Department

Don’t miss out on your tickets for the exciting promenade production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ performed around the grounds of the school. Monday 1st, through to Wednesday 3rd July at 7pm. Be sure to look out for ticket information in the coming weeks

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Capt Andrew Wyndham Lewis ( Bursar 1997 - 2008)

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In MemoriamCharities Activities

Red Nose Day-onesie size fits all

Since the untimely death of pupil Jamie de Min 10 years ago from cancer, Kent College has dedicated the Sponsored Walk each year to raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust - a charity that did a great deal for Jamie and continues to work with teenagers and their families facing treatment.

Over the years the school has raised over £15,000 for the charity and Kim de Min (Jamie’s mother) recently came into school to receive a cheque for the £2,500 - the results of the 2012 walk.

‘The extraordinary feat of fund raising which the walk represents shows a wonderful commitment to funding vital work over a period of time.’ said Dr. Glass, the School Chaplain

Teenage Cancer Trust

An extremely busy of fund raising events during the week leading up to Red Nose Day completed a very hectic and successful term of fund raising for Charities across the whole school.

In the week leading up to Red Nose Day there was a Dance Show, busking to the lunchtime queue, a bake sale, a pancake sale, a non-uniform day and a staff vs. school hockey match. Earlier in the term there was a Variety Show and various collections during Arts Week. Charities that have been supported this term include Comic Relief, Porchlight, YDC (Cameroon), MRDF and Pilgrims Hospices.

To date pupils and staff from across the school have raised something in the region of £12,000 for charity this academic year.

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Charities Activities Global Reach

A huge thank you to the whole Kent College community for pulling together over the last term to collect and pack items for the container to Tanzania! Since the end of term, parents, friends, staff and students have been packing all the incredibly generous donations brought into school.

On Monday 25th March, in freezing cold but, fortunately, dry weather conditions, over 400 boxes and pieces of equipment of donated surplus educational materials from the Senior School, and items donated by parents and students were loaded onto the container, ready for its voyage to Dar es Salaam, due to dock around 5th May. From there it will travel by road to Klerruu Secondary School, Iringa.

Also on the container are boxes from the Junior School for Sabasaba Primary School, some items for Morogoro International School (where OC Tamsin Rampall works and is bringing a school group to visit Kent College in the summer) and quite a lot of specialist equipment for Neema Crafts, as we have given them space on the container as our contribution to their work with people with disabilities in the Iringa region.

Very excitingly, we heard earlier in March, that the British Council has awarded a Connecting Classrooms

grant between Sabasaba Primary School and Kent College Junior School, so plans are being made for 2 of their teachers to visit the Junior School in June and formalise the partnership started in October. This follows on from the 3rd grant for the Senior School partnership awarded earlier in the year.

As part of the existing British Council Connecting Classrooms funded partnership, the Senior School will be welcoming Mr Luvanga (physics) and Mr Myumbo (biology) for 1 week in May and students and staff will be able to work together with them on many different activities. Additionally, Mr Sedekia (network manager at Klerruu and national ICT trainer for the Tanzanian Ministry of Education) will also be with us for about 1 month and we hope to share many skills with him over that time both in and outside the classroom.

Plans are now underway for the Tanzania 2014 Cultural Exchange. In the interim, tentative plans are being discussed for a 3 way preliminary visit to Tanzania from the Pennington School (New Jersey, USA) and Rockhampton Grammar School (Queensland, Australia) at some time during 2013-14 and 2 or 3 students not involved in the Cultural Exchange would be able to join this group.

I continue to be very grateful for the enthusiasm and support from everyone for the Global School Partnership and humbled by the generosity of you all.

Asante sana kutoka chini ya moyo wangu!

Mrs Janet Glass

Global Schools Partnership

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Having already welcomed French exchange students during the Christmas period, it was now our turn to visit France in return, and hopefully improve our language skills.

Arising at an incredibly early hour on the penultimate Thursday of the term, the eighteen students - accompanied by Miss Devanney and Mr Bickerstaff - set off from the comforts of Kent College, ready for an adventure!

On arrival at London City Airport, we swiftly checked-in, before boarding our comfortable CityJet plane. It was only a short journey down to our destination; Pau - a small, picturesque city in deep south-western France.

Our base for the week was Lycée Immaculée, a church school of about 500 pupils. When we arrived at the school, an animated crowd consisting of our partners and their companions had gathered to greet us and we all spent lunch at school, excitedly catching up with each other whilst discussing our plans for the action-packed time ahead. Our first afternoon consisted of History-Geography (taught as a combined subject which the students learn in the English language), and that afternoon, they had prepared presentations about famous figures in history. Later that afternoon, we had two further lessons, before going home to meet our host families (Marc, my exchange, had three sisters, one brother, and very welcoming parents).

For me, Saturday consisted of some extreme sledging up in the mountains, and in the afternoon another visit to Pau, where coincidentally many of the other exchanges were. We spent the afternoon basking in the glorious sunshine, gorging on candy-floss, pastries and of course, crepes! Saturday

evening we were also all together at bowling, where (as was the case in England) the French were victorious This wasn’t the end of my action packed Saturday, however! Once bowling had finished, Gareth with Sasha, and Daniel with Cédric came back to my host familys’ house and we played darts, ate traditional French cuisine and watched Asterix & Obelix with French subtitles!

Sunday was also exhilarating!In the morning, I found myself cycling on the world’s ricketiest bike, whizzing across pot-hole inundated roads on the way to play tennis. Later, we met with Gareth (or GahrreT in my best French accent), Sasha, Daniel and Cédric again, this time for paintball (a few other friends of our exchanges came too). Of all the days on the trip, Monday was the one I think I was looking forward to the most: skiing.

All 18 of us waddled into school sporting salopettes, coats and boots and, after a long bus journey along the winding roads of the Pyrénées, we arrived at the ski resort. It was not long before we were sorted into our groups and ascended the egg-like capsules to near the summit. For the beginners (like me), we spent the morning learning basic techniques such as the snow-plough before putting our new skills into practice in the afternoon. We all had a very enjoyable time and returned that evening with no broken bones!

Tuesday saw us spend the morning in school: we endured a not so exciting IT lesson, before PE. The girls went and played volleyball, whilst the boys had a good old game of footie. It certainly was an exciting match!

In the afternoon, we were once again visiting sunny Pau. This time, we were given a tour around Pau’s grand Château,

birthplace of Henry IV of France, before further shopping in the afternoon.

Our penultimate day was spent in Biarritz with our exchanges. The first activity was a visit to a Chocolate Museum, where we learnt about the process of chocolate making before getting the opportunity to decorate our own chocolate tablets. Some were more successful than others - I myself opting for the simple but effective Jackson-Pollock technique.

Of course, we couldn’t go to Biarritz without heading to the beach, which is exactly what we did to enjoy our packed lunches. Lounging on the beautiful beach was quite a contrast to the extreme cold of just two days earlier!

Biarritz Aquarium was next on the agenda, and it was probably the best aquarium I have ever been to. Modern, stylish, with good guides and a fantastic seal enclosure; it really was a fantastic surprise and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

We arrived home mid-afternoon on Thursday, after spending the morning reflecting on such a fabulous trip and then saying our tearful goodbyes. Roll on next year!

Robbie WhittakerFrench Exchangee - Pau

French Exchange

Exchanges

USA Exchange

Spanish Trip to Madrid

We were delighted recently to receive a visit from our sister Methodist School, The Pennington, New Jersey, USA. Students and staff from the school came to Canterbury and were offered warm hospitality and a wide range of activities. The group visited Canterbury Cathedral, a wide range of sights in London (including Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London and the London Eye), Hampton Court Palace and Leeds Castle.

They also attended lessons and had time to compare their school experience in the USA with that found in the UK. We are looking to build on this relationship in the future.

From Wednesday 6th to Saturday 9th of February, the Spanish department took a trip to Madrid. Some of the highlights included our trip to the Prado museum, a tour of the city monuments, as well as the brilliant lessons we had Thursday and Friday mornings. The Prado museum is the height of Spanish classical art. It is absolutely beautiful, and our tour was lovely. Focused mainly around Goya and Velazquez, the tour highlighted the most famous and important pieces of artwork in the museum, which was all very enlightening. There were scenes of battles, kings, death, and love. Our tour of the city monuments was equally as impressive. We started just outside los Jardines del Buen Reitro (the Gardens of Good Retirement) looking at la Puerta de Alcalá. After that, we moved through the city, viewing the various fountains, two of which are used by Madrid’s two football teams for celebrations after victories, museums, and other important landmarks.

We ended in the railway station, in which it was surprising to find a tropical garden with a little turtle pond. Just outside the station, we were able to see the monument to the terrorist attacks of 2004. Our lessons each morning were also very interesting. They comprised a number of vocabulary activities, as well as some games and fun, all in Spanish, of course. The teacher was very good, and it allowed us all to gain a bit more knowledge about the language. One could not write an article about a trip

to Madrid without mentioning tapas. Thursday night, we went out to a tapas bar. Some had paella, most had some sort of tapas, and it was all very, very tasty.

Our trip ended, sadly, when we arrived at the airport on Saturday afternoon, and it was “adiós” Madrid, and “hello” England.

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WEEK11TH-15TH FEB

The Art Department has been a hive of creativity this term, with Arts Week in February, where Year 7 produced a very colourful 3D Skull inspired by Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’, during a one day workshop. Students work from Year 9 to 13 was also on display in an Art Exhibition in the Old Library, showing the huge range of diverse styles and individuality, all finished to an exceptionally high standard. The Arts Week poster competition was won by Jake Sheaves in Year 9 and the Art Exhibition poster image, was from a painting by Lucie Secka in Year 13. We look forward to the ‘A’ Level exhibition and private viewing to be held in June.

Mrs Montague(Head of Art)

Painting and collage of diver on canvas by Harry Fitzgerald - Year 12

Painting by Lucie Secka - Year 13(she also designed the Arts Week Poster above)

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‘Poppies’ painted by Elisa Chang - Year 12 and inspired by a school visit to the Turner Contemporary in Margate to see the Alex Katz exhibition

Part of a triptych painting of landmarks in Whitstable by Dan Carter in Year 12, inspired by the theme ‘Land & Sea’

3D Mexican ‘Day of the Dead’ skull, Year 7 Art Workshop

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Monday 11th February saw the first day of Arts Week and Film Day for the entire year 9 cohort.

The event is an extreme arts challenge where the year groups work in their respective houses for the whole day. The Old Library is transformed into the media centre (Film Day Headquarters) and divided into four areas with iMacs and state of art software provided for each team to edit their films later in the day.

The challenge is for each house team to plan, film and edit a music promotional video. In the morning the students organised themselves into film crews and performers. They planned and storyboarded their ideas with all performances and filming completed by lunchtime. The afternoon would see all four teams back at HQ (the old Library) for a frenetic but nevertheless productive few hours completing the editing of their music videos and production of other promotional materials.

This is the second year KC has run the event during Arts Week and on both occasions the students have risen to the challenge with impressive enthusiasm and dynamism.

The element of fun provided by the music video task belies the more difficult and complex nature of students working as teams, generating creative ideas, putting their ideas into action, rapid acquisition of the technology and finally producing a credible product all in one day. Once again KC students did not disappoint and proved themselves to be a very talented and capable group of young people. A few new and noteworthy additions this year were the help and support of KC’s very first group of year 10 IB Film Studies students who were film prefects throughout the day, providing invaluable support and advice to their year 9 charges.

The maturity and direction the film students demonstrated throughout the day provided an extra dimension of excellent peer to peer mentoring which proved extremely beneficial. The competitive edge was also slightly more enhanced due to the introduction of a point scoring system and house rankings according to their overall performance on the day and final product.

The final films were screened alongside the Drama performances on Thursday evening’s Drama and Film night providing both a complimentary and contrasting flavour of the creative endeavours by KC students during Arts Week. For such a narrow time frame all four houses turned in remarkable film productions but it was Chaucer’s witty interpretation and skillfully edited version of Teenage Dirtbag which won the day.

WEEK11TH-15TH FEB

Arts Week was once again an incredibly exciting and frenetically busy celebration of the arts. It was genuinely inspirational to see so many students across the entire Senior School engaging with such enthusiasm and enjoyment in so many activities and events. The work they produced was enormously impressive and

in particular the inter house competitions in the evenings provided us with some superb performances and tremendous teamwork. Congratulations to all students and many thanks to the members of staff

who organised and co-ordinated such a range of stimulating activities.

Mr Julian Waltho

Film Day

Following the success of last year’s first House Music Festival, this extravaganza was staged during Arts Week for the second time, with each House presenting a 15 minute concert. With every pupil in years 10 – 13 taking part, this once again met all expectations of being a lively evening of entertainment, full of fun and variety. Highlights included

Chaucer’s polished House Band performing Valerie; Hannah Parry’s virtuosic violin playing for Augustine; Marlowe’s woodwind Ensemble and Becket’s slick a cappella singing. At the end of the evening, adjudicator David Burridge awarded Augustine the prize for best House Song, following their rendition of ‘One Hundred Miles’,

and declared Becket House the overall winners this year. This was once again a splendid evening which demonstrated our whole school community coming together with real team spirit to put on a great show, and firmly establishing the House Music Festival within our annual calendar of musical events.

Drama Competition

House Music

In the House Drama competition, Beckett were the winners but all four houses performed brilliantly varied devised productions of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ - the classic Shakespeare tragedy. The performances were fantastic and showed off the great talents of our year 7 to 9 students. The cast of each play and the house captains are to be praised for the dedication, commitment, creativity and originality they exhibited.

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Competitive HousesChaucer House has had an action-packed term, with preparations for the music and drama competitions starting early on. Everyone in the house participated with enthusiasm, and despite not winning these competitions, everyone gave their all and achieved excellent performances.

House Music consisted of an ensemble playing Lily the Pink and Overture to William Tell with Rosie White and Frankie Pickworth on flute, Georgina Crowther on bassoon and Alastair Blackwood on clarinet. This was followed by the Chaucer House Band, playing Valerie by the Zutons, with lead singer Tom Ashdown, Rosie White, David Cain and Hali Brown on backing vocals, Georgina Crowther on keyboard, Alastair Blackwood on baritone, Marina Barwick and Lizzie Letley on guitar (unfortunately Lizzie was ill on the evening) and Lottie Astbury on the drums. The band had many rehearsals, some fuelled by

takeaway pizza, leading up to the event and enjoyed playing together. Our programme was completed by the house song, which this year was Ho Hey by the Lumineers.

The following night came the drama competition, which involved the junior school, and the cast had to come up with their own version of Romeo and Juliet including the Japanese dance style. As our Romeo and Juliet we had Robert Sotillo and Tara Woodley respectively. The rest of the cast included Eloise Fox, Emma Laversuch, Oliver O’Shea, Harvey Barton, Phoebe Douglas, Louise Ponting, Hugo Tatt, Ben Ness and Seb Parry. The group worked well together and gave a slick and professional performance. Tara Woodley in particular shone as our Juliet. The younger students poured heart and soul into the performance, giving up lots of time to get it just right, and did themselves proud. We did not win, but we did receive some lovely comments on the quality of the production.

On the same night as the drama competition, there was a competition for best music video, made by the Year 9

students in Arts Week. Chaucer won this competition with their music video to Teenage Dirtbag starring Clio Rudgard- Redsell and Harvey Barton. The video was extremely well-presented and a real treat to watch, and can be viewed on Youtube in all its glory.

Public speaking and debating competitions were also part of Arts Week. We came 3rd in the house debate, with Nat Shaughnessy, Bonnie Greenstreet, Will Robey and Archie Mitchinson speaking. In the public speaking competition, Roya Eslami spoke in the senior category and Clio Rudgard-Redsell and Georgia Timpson spoke in the junior category. Both teams did well, however congratulations must go to the junior team for coming highly commended by the judge.

All in all, Chaucer house has had an exceptionally good term. Everyone took part, and gave a lot to the house, either in music skills, drama, public speaking, debating or purely turning up to events to support the house.

Fran Crowther, House Captain

In what is traditionally a very busy term for students and teachers alike, the activities of Arts Week dominated the news in the House Competition. Becket enjoyed some success last year with success in the music competition and were

looking forward to trying to hold on to their crown. Preparation for the big event begun in earnest at the beginning of January with Helen Sotillo, the House Captain addressing the whole house in one of the regular house chapels and interested parties volunteering to be a part of the big night. A program of acts was put together shortly after and rehearsals began - with the performers putting in tens of hours of practice.

Becket was unable to field a contestant at the senior level in the Public Speaking competition . However in the Junior competition we were stunningly represented by Charlotte Letley and Theo Smyth. Talking about the lasting legacy of the 2012 Olympics the two put together a thoughtful argument that the games would “inspire a generation.” Competition was however extremely

fierce in this age group and unfortunately Charlotte and Theo did not manage to claim the grand prize however they should be extremely proud of their efforts.

Wednesday night saw the House Music competition - the night we had all been eagerly awaiting! Programmes printed, house song planned and rehearsed in one busy afternoon and the final rehearsals for all of our acts. All that was left was the performance and my, what a performance it was. Becket produced a series of stunning acts, topped off with an outstanding solo piece by Helen Sammut which drew particular praise from the guest judge. At the end of the evening nails were anxiously being bitten as the final results were read out, and finally the news we had been hoping for, Becket retained the crown!

Thursday evening bought us the House Drama competition as well as the Music Video competition. 10 of our most able Year 7 and 8 drama students had worked tirelessly in the weeks leading up to this competition, ably assisted by Harvey Almond, Helen Sotillo, Chloe Moxham, Will Norman and Ellie Cane. Performing an interpretation of Shakespeares play “Romeo and Juliet” the whole cast

electrified the stage with an outstanding performance. In the end it came as no surprise to anyone that Becket were yet again successful such as the manner of their victory. A huge congratulations to all involved.

Unfortunately we could not mirror this success in the Music Video competition which had seen Year 9 students participate in a film making workshop throughout the day, culminating in the production of a music video which was edited by the Year 10 IB students. However,the video was particularly entertaining!

So as we move towards the Summer term, where sport once again takes a starring role culminating in the Sports Day at the end of term, Becket students can be rightly proud of their achievements. Two major victories in house competitions demonstrates the commitment and effort that all year groups have put into the house system so far this year and coupled with the house points collected for academic efforts, see Becket place 2nd overall in the House cup at this stage.

Helen Sotillo, House Captain

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Marlowe have had an exciting term, and all house members have participated very enthusiastically in activities, particularly during Arts Week.

Arts Week began with the Variety Show on Monday,

with performances from the following Marlowe House Members: Kara Fleming, Toby Silver and his diablo, Katherine Letley and Josie Frappart, and Daniel O’Shea with his looping guitar tracks. The evening was great fun, and it was encouraging to see so many members of Marlowe House enthusiastic to take part.

The Public Speaking competition took place on the Tuesday evening, with Milly Friend, Galvin Stuart and Sebastian Blummers representing Marlowe. Milly and Galvin spoke confidently about their views on the

use of drugs in sport, and Sebastian about whether or not Britain should leave the EU. Sebastian Blummers also represented Marlowe in the Debating Competition along with Charlotte Wilson-Holliday. The team did well to get to the final, and were runners up to Augustine House.

House Music was a fantastic event which took place on the Wednesday evening in Arts Week. Large numbers of Marlowe house from the Senior school took part, joining in for the house song. Hannah Parry played an exhilarating solo on violin, Hannah and Katrina Fray played a string duet, and the band entertained us with Holiday by Greenday. The band was made up of Daniel O’Shea, Robert Rampton, Kara Fleming and Derin Aderinsola, and they also accompanied the house song, Schools Out which was a very energetic performance with Sebastian Van Eerten giving a very realistic Alice Cooper impersonation. On the Thursday evening, House Drama took place. This was a great

showcase of the talent in the Lower School, and the evening was a very enjoyable and successful event. Lauren Blades, Imogen Cage-White, Milly Friend, Tamia Griffiths, Alexei Maraldo, George Price, Galvin Stuart, Issy Van Eerten, India Watts and Jasmine Wright all put in 100%, which really paid off on the night.

Arts Week this year was an impressive showcase of talent, from students from Year Seven up to the Sixth Form and we have had a great term. A key feature of all the house events, was the support offered from Marlowe House to all the other houses when they have been performing or competing. All the hard work put into Arts Week and other events during the term was rewarded with enjoyable evenings, and as an added bonus, Marlowe won the House Cup this term.

Katherine Letley, House Captain

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House Captains’ Reports

Augustine house have been t r e m e n d o u s l y busy this term and highly successful in a number of events, including the tug of war at the very start of the term where year 11 won their event

and every other Augustine team were successfully placed. Then came the cross country; a truly energetic and competitive event which was a perfect demonstration of the vibrant and enthusiastic Augustine spirit. Every member of the house ran the race to the best of their ability, enjoying the challenge, embracing the muddy conditions in their determination to win, which we did! Individual winners were Luke Vincent (Year 9) and Holly Fielder (Year 8)- Congratulations to them, but congratulations to all for taking part because that is what won the overall event. Continuing on our winning streak, Robbie Whitakker (Year 9) and Barnaby Lamper (Year 13) performed brilliantly with a captivating and well executed

argument to win the house the public speaking competition, a great start to Arts week 2013! Representing the junior section of Augustine house, some very dedicated and talented drama students; Holly Fielder, Joseph Hearnden, Jack Valentine, Izzy Tudor, Hollie Gostelow, Sophie Ducksbury, Amelia Webb and Louie Barton, who impressed everyone with their brilliantly unique modernised version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and the tutor group 9CD took part in arts week by starring in a humorous music video to the song ‘We are never getting back together’ by Taylor Swift.

The Talent Show contributed to the excitement of Arts week. The show included 8KJ’s especially funny ‘Sangam Style’.The Music Competition showedthere is much dedication and talent within the house. Maurice Li performed a flawless rendition of ‘Blues of Marguerite’ on the saxophone, followed by a fun and enjoyable ensemble performance by Tobi Corteen-Coleman, Barnaby Lamper, Megan Brown, Maurice Li and Georgina Townsend, the song being ‘Gimme-5’. The terrific trio; Ollie

Emberson on the guitar, Tobi Corteen-Coleman on the bass and Ahesh Jimmy who played the drums noisily and with great gusto to play ‘Soap on a Rope’. The grande finale was a very scottish, loud and lively version of ‘500 miles’ by the Proclaimers, stunningly performed in kilts, no less, by every senior member of the house to win the cup for the best house song. The Maths Race was one of the final events of arts week, but a similarly successful one as the previous competitions for Augustine. Tom Neame, Louis Barton, David Adawale and Ashim Thapa (Year 7) demonstrated superb intelligence by winning the year 7 race. Robbie Whitakker, Jack Valentine, Kent Tam and Dan Marsik won the year 9 race, whilst the two Year 8 but equally intelligent and speedy competitors Holly Fielder and Amelia Waitt placed second.

Katie Mounce, House Captain

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Kent College Rowing

For the second year running, the KC coxed quad was among the 183 boats which competed on the Medway in the Maidstone Head of the River in March. Once again our rowers acquitted themselves well, coming second in their novice category with a very respectable time over the 2.6 km course.

“Canterburian” was crewed by Alistair Blackwood (Stroke), Robert Rampton, Paris Smith-Davies and Frank Tai (with Simon Moore as reserve) and coxed by University of Kent rower, Fran Stangel. All bar one of the crew only began rowing this year and have made tremendous progress to reach competition standard, particularly since several outings had to be cancelled this winter due to gusting winds down at Plucks Gutter. Special thanks must go to Fran Stangel for her excellent coxing and coaching of the quad crew and her ever buoyant attitude, even after a remarkable complete capsize in December! We are also very grateful to the students of the University Rowing Club captained by Matt Lane for their assistance throughout the year, and especially for their enthusiastic support at the Maidstone Head!

It was encouraging to see so many pupils interested in learning to row and we all look forward to seeing some less challenging weather conditions down on the river in the Summer Term.

I am delighted to report that Connor Humphreys (KC quad crew last year) has gone on to row competitively at university, winning a place in Southampton Solent’s First Eight from among 140 aspirants. Meanwhile Matt Townsend, who left KC in 2008, is now rowing for the University of Birmingham, winning a gold medal for his club at the British Universities and Colleges Head of the River at Boston, Lincs.

Mr Julian Waltho

A band of KC conservation volunteers has once again worked throughout the season in the Blean National Nature Reserve helping to maintain the special habitat of our local ancient woodlands. This year over 20 students, both day and boarding, have stacked felled logs and gathered and burnt brushwood as part of the traditional coppicing cycle which has been practised in Kent for over 1000 years. Full credit is due to this year’s volunteers who have braved particularly tough and often damp winter conditions which have

even challenged staff members’ firelighting skills at times!

Many thanks to Jason Mitchell of the RSPB, the new reserve warden, with whom we work closely.

Mr Julian Waltho

Blean Wood Conservation Volunteers

The Annual Dinner will be held on Saturday 12th October 2013. All OCs are very welcome- why not be the one from your year to get the ball rolling?

Leavers of 1943,53,63,73,83,93 and 2003 can celebrate coming back to Kent College in style.

Annual Reunion 2013

The launch of the Development Office Legacy Programme has proved popular amongst those Old Canterburians who wish to support School Development. Over ninety

past pupils and parents are now supporting the School Development Fund with their donations and legacies. The Benefactors’ Lunch will be held on the 6th July to

celebrate the first year of the Development Office. Architects for the new development are being invited to tender and will be announced later in the year.

Legacy programme