THE MAGAZINE OF BOOTHAM SCHOOL AND THE BOOTHAM OLD SCHOLARS’ ASSOCIATION

MAGAZINE 2019

HeadmasterDeputy HeadmasterHead, Bootham Junior SchoolPresident of Bootham Old Scholars’ Association

Chris JefferyMartyn BeerHelen ToddPeter Warn

Volume 42 / Issue 1 / December 2019

THE MAGAZINE OF BOOTHAM SCHOOL AND

THE BOOTHAM OLD SCHOLARS’ ASSOCIATION

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04 - 21 - 04 - 07 - 08 - 09 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21

22 - 23

24 - 31 - 24 - 26 - 28 - 29 - 30 - 31

32 - 37 - 32 - 33 - 34 - 35 - 36 - 37

38 - 43 - 38 - 39 - 43

45 - 61 - 44 - 46 - 47 - 48 - 49 - 50 - 51 - 52 - 53 - 54 - 56 - 57 - 58 - 59 - 60 - 61

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The Headmaster

Bootham Features - A Year at Bootham: Head Reeves’ Speech 2019 - Interview with Ruth Crabtree - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Grace Whorley - The Fish You Don’t Eat: Abi Hayward - Natural History Society Field Trip 2019 - A Year at Bootham Junior School - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Maddie Pope - Are you resting at the moment?: Frances Marshall

Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019

Student Work - Southall Archaeological Awards - DT work - Art - New Work

Leavers 2019 - Photograph - College Leavers’ Results - Leavers’ destinations - Staff Leavers

School Record - New staff and students - Sport

Old Scholars - Across the months - Something to celebrate: David Hughes - Ken Wood - Stephen Richardson - John Dowell - Old Scholars remembered - Deaths since 2018 - Ypres, Belgium, France: Andrew Robinson - Reunions

Proud of Bootham?

School Reunions 2020

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The Headmaster

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Chris JefferyHEADMASTER

Chris Jeffery with Old Scholar, Ben Leftwich

I knew there was something fundamentally different about Bootham a few moments after I picked up a letter from Jonathan Taylor from my in-tray in the early weeks of 2015. It announced to all HMC Heads that he was retiring the following summer and that his job was up for grabs. I was used to receiving such letters, but reading this one as I walked back from my PA’s office to my own I was so struck by the unexpected language he used to describe the school, and so intrigued by the unusual sentiments expressed – he called working at Bootham, for example, a ‘radical delight’– that even before I had sat down at my desk I found my hand reaching out for the phone to ring for more details.

My appreciation of just what it was he was referring to has, of course, deepened and broadened over subsequent years. In fact I’ve discovered that Bootham doesn’t just educate you or employ, it invites you into a relationship. One consequence of spending any period of time in a close relationship (or when you get used to a place or when a place absorbs you as Bootham inevitably does if you surrender to it) is that you almost inevitably risk beginning to lose sight of the very many small things that make it different; the things that make it truly remarkable.

In response to this, as I completed my third year as Head, my talk at the 2019 Parents’ Day explored many and varied examples of ‘The Bootham Difference’. I hope that this magazine, lovingly and tenaciously put together by Elaine Phillips – to whom many and grateful thanks – further exemplifies that difference in the many aspects covered in the pages that follow. In doing so, we would in particular acknowledge the community’s sadness at the very untimely and distressing passing of our colleague and friend Richard Burton, and the many ways in which his life spoke of and exhibited that Bootham Difference so clearly.

That difference is why I and my colleagues come to work every day. It’s what our old scholars – young and less young – talk about when they come back to see us. It’s what parents say, with increasing frequency, is the main reason they send their children to us. And it is what we are going to continue to try to foster, day-in-and-day-out, over the years ahead. For that’s who we are.

A YEAR AT

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Ian Small 1943 – 2019

WITH GEORGIA HAYNES & ROB DAVIDSON

G: There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots, the other, wings. These were the words of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, and we can say with confidence that Bootham has not only provided us with strong roots, and memories that we will forever hold dear, but also the wings to flourish. As we have reflected on our time here, we have come to realise that we will always feel welcome in this community, and even when faced with new and exciting opportunities, this is not something we will lose sight of.R: Some members of staff are also leaving this year. After 6 years at Bootham, Kirsten Cooper is leaving her role as Head of Physics. Between leading fantastic physics trips and running philosophical or fitness-filled activities, she’s left quite the impression on both the physics department and the whole school. Her enthusiasm for science and the environment is truly infectious, and closely rivalled by her love for streaming TV- if she couldn’t convince her Upper Seniors to take up A-level physics she’d certainly succeed in getting them to catch up on Game of Thrones. We thank Kirsten for her wit and knowledge, and we wish her the best of luck in future adventures.G: Simon Benson, who has headed up the Bootham drama department for 10 years, is now leaving his role to become a peripatetic LAMDA teacher here, and we’d like to take this time to thank him for his work as head of drama. Having directed 12 school productions, and given countless evenings up for GCSE and A-level performances too, Simon really has contributed so much to the school. I’m sure many of his students are particularly grateful for the selection of pizzas he provided during rehearsals, which was often a great incentive to learn their lines. Gillian England is leaving too, having taught Latin and Classics here for several years. She has brought life and excitement to such ancient storytelling and notably helped ISSP students so much with their GCSE Latin. We’re also saying goodbye to Alison Spalding, our chemistry technician, whose ability to make experiments totally safe is impressive, given the Lower Schoolrooms’ excessive addiction to Bunsen Burners.

R: It is also with great sadness that this year we said farewell to Ian Small, headmaster at Bootham from 1988-2004, who passed away in October. Under Ian’s leadership, Bootham thrived. Student numbers increased, boarding was extended to include girls, Bootham took over Ebor Prep and eventually moved the Junior School to a purpose built site in Rawcliffe. He is very fondly remembered by those who knew him, including of course many of you who knew him as headmaster, from staff to our current HMC bursary holders.

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

THERE ARE ONLY TWO LASTING

BEQUESTS WE CAN HOPE TO GIVE

OUR CHILDREN. ONE OF THESE IS

ROOTS, THE OTHER, WINGS

Bootham Features - A year at Bootham: Head Reeves Speech 2019

G: This year we have welcomed a few new members of staff to Bootham too. Along with a brilliant Res Grad team who have played an active role in activities, assisting PE sessions and helping run the boarding houses, Stephanie, the cover librarian, has successfully coped with the stampede of college students registering at the start of period 4 in the library, on a daily basis- a commendable achievement.

R: John Lee has been a welcome addition to the English department, Victoria Sellars has brought another friendly face to the PE department, and Ben Jackson has joined as the new art technician too. We were also happy to welcome Beth Steer to the school, who has made an impression not only as director of wellbeing and boarding but also with the shiniest of shoes. Jenny Adams has joined the EAL department and Liam McCreesh has joined the learning support department too. Many congratulations also to Elizabeth McCulloch who got married over the Easter holidays, straight after returning from the Normandy Landings trip with her upper-schoolroom students.

The drama department has continued to amaze, and its most recent production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe which was performed in February was fantastic. Flora Guildford’s ‘Aslan’ was a roaring success, and Mair Thompson managed to cast a spell on the audience as the White Witch. Well done to all the cast on stage who gave us two very entertaining evenings, and of course everyone backstage who kept the show running smoothly as usual. This year we’d like to thank Alex Johnson in particular, who has fulfilled his role as technological wizard in Luke’s box for so many years now- there are countless school events that would not have been so slick if not for him.

G: We have had a fantastic year of sport, with successes here at home, away and on an international level too. Football at Bootham has really kicked off, and for the first time, Bootham has created a girls football team, helped by res-grad and keen footballer Georgia Traill-Scott. Bootham hosted an under 12 and 13s tournament which gave the girls a lot of new match experience and has prepared them for more competitive games next season. At the top end of the school, the First XI, captained by Will Stevens, has had an outstanding season - finishing their final game with a 5-1 victory against Birkdale School. Other college pupils have enjoyed the convenient clash between PE sessions and the first XI games, insisting to Andy that spectating and supporting really is, a form of exercise!

R: The Under 16 basketball team won the District title – having had an unbeaten record in the competition throughout the season. A new addition to the list of Bootham’s sporting successes has come from the man, the myth, the legend Toby Price, who competed for Team GB at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in October, finishing 17th in the world, a fantastic achievement and great experience for Toby. G: Congratulations also to Nikita Tcarik, who achieved 1st and 2nd places for both single and team events in the wind tunnel discipline of the Skydiving Championships in St Petersburg recently. Lower schoolroom student Millie Haynes has qualified for the British Schools Judo Championships after winning gold at the Northern Area Regional Competition. We hope they continue to excel in their sports.

U16 Basketball team Toby Price

Millie Haynes

U12/13 Girls new Football Team

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

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R: As ever, the Art department continues to produce impressive works, and this year, we have seen a number of events hosted by students. College 2 created and hosted an exhibition of their works at Spark York, an event organised by the students themselves, with the help of resident artist, Emmy Simpson. College 1 produced a fantastic exhibition, which gave them the opportunity to showcase their work to a public audience.

G: Speaking of showcasing art, Benny Santos-Pearcy in College 2 produced a stunning documentary, along with Dami Ayo-Vaughan, a Bootham Old Scholar, looking into the youth creative scene in Lagos, Nigeria. ‘If not us’ premiered in London in December and impressively, was recently screened at Tate Britain. The images show some of the photographs the pair took whilst filming the documentary. Benny also teamed up with Alex Johnson, another college 2 member and produced an exhibition showing their own works as well as other young creatives in York. R: Aspiring engineers Kiran Scott-de-Martinville and Zach Chan have gained prestigious Arkwright scholarships, and Deneth Ramanayake is an Arkwright Associate. This is an impressive feat considering 1600 students applied from across the country and fewer than 400 receive it. As future engineering leaders perhaps they can inform the builders of the structural advantages of having a table tennis table in the upcoming college study space. Many congratulations, and good luck to those applying for this in years to come.

G: Students and staff have, as usual, taken part in various charitable events and should be very proud of what they’ve achieved. College II students Will, Rob and Chenry completed the National Three Peaks Challenge- that’s climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Mount Snowdon- in an impressive 22 hours and 22 minutes, raising over £1500 for the Emma Maltby Memorial Fund, a charity which provides education to children and adults with cancer. In other charitable news, bars regulars were treated to several bake sales throughout the year for various charities, raising a total of £499 for the NSPCC, Centrepoint, Comic Relief, Children in Need and the Bhopal Disaster charity.

R: Well done to all bakers, and particularly Lower Schoolrooms’ Ruby Salters for winning this year’s Valentine’s-themed fairtrade bake-off with her double decker red-velvet and cheesecake cupcake which included chocolate dipped strawberries and a white chocolate and raspberry ganache. Quite the mouthful.

G: I’m sure it was.In March, Sarah Allen organised a phenomenal night of music for the Dragonfly Schools Foundation, a charity run by former head of the Junior school Sue Bretherton and her husband, familiar exam invigilator Ian. Performances were incredibly varied and some spontaneous, ranging from Harriet Ennis and Bella Spensley on the didgeridoo to a beautiful piano piece by Anton. Well done to all the performers, who altogether raised an outstanding £762.53 for a charity so close to the school’s heart.

R: We’re all well aware of the current climate crisis, something which we should be especially concerned about as we strive to follow the Quaker testament of stewardship. Mark Robinson delivered a particularly thought-provoking meeting on the effects climate change is having right now, and will have if we do not act. Many students took part in the recent climate change protests, who, along with those who have filled their eco-bricks, should be very proud of their efforts. Keep it up! This year, once again, form groups worked together in our annual Reverse Advent Calendar. Over the Advent period tutees brought in items to go into their form’s box which then went to the local foodbank. We managed to gather 1126 items.

National Three Peaks Challenge

Arkwright Scholarships

Ruby Salters

Ecobricks

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G: Paul Feehan has produced two fantastic school concerts this year, as has just recently been announced as artistic director and principal conductor for the Yorkshire Youth Choir. We wish him the very best with this. Emily Watson, Ellie Maury and Sammy Johnson competed in the Open Woodwind classes at this year’s Mrs Sunderland Music Competition. Emily was awarded first place in the year 11 class - winning the Holmes Cup for the third consecutive year. Ellie came 2nd and Sammy 3rd. Siblings, Rachel and Leon Zhuang were also successful, winning two 3rd place, one 2nd place and four 1st places. Tommy Sun was successful too, placing in all four classes that he entered.

R: Yilin and Yiyang Xu also competed at the Mrs Sunderland competition - Yilin won the sterling open class and Yiyang was successful in the piano classes, receiving two 2nd places - well done to you all. Benedict Baily, who’s leaving with us this year, is going on to study music at Guildhall School in London, having received a scholarship on Viola - we hope he can come back and perform at one of the schools lunchtime concerts.G: A particular highlight of our year was the pilgrimage. There’s much to be gained from a tour of 1652 country, including the fact that strong wind is remarkably helpful when climbing hills. As of this year, Lower Schoolrooms now also climb Pendle Hill to gain a greater appreciation for Quakerism and it looks like they had a great time. From what we hear, staff also thoroughly enjoyed a training day exploring Pendle and Kendall. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Martyn, the clerk of student council, Kate Hey, as well as the rest of the head reeves team, Will Stevens and Livvy Thew, for being so supportive through the year. Next year’s team is Charlotte Dean, Theo Riches, Chacha Bho-ob and Kiran Scott de Martinville and the new clerk of council is Carina Tsang. We’re positive they’ll enjoy their roles as much as we have. R: We’ve thoroughly enjoyed our time here at Bootham, from the lessons to the lovely lunches, the maths exams to the marvellous morning meetings, and the English lessons on overusing alliteration. So to return to Goethe’s quote, we’re undoubtedly rooted in this school. It’s nurtured us, challenged us, and encouraged us to have a set of principles; not to be oblivious to the world around us, but to have an opinion and to actively care for it. Even long after we’ve left school, with our memories to cherish and with our wings to fly, this will be a rooted feeling we hold with a deep fondness.

Bootham Features - A year at Bootham: Head Reeves Speech 2019

Climate Change protests

Leon and Rachel Zheung

Tommy Sun

hat does the role of Deputy Head, Academic involve?

It’s an all-encompassing role, but I think there are three key strands. Firstly, I’m responsible for the quality of teaching and learning in the school. This involves working with staff to promote the best working practices and includes a regular programme of lesson observations. Last year we focused on the use of feedback across the school with the aim of helping students to reflect on the quality of their work.

I am also responsible for what we teach in the senior school. I review the schemes of work across departments and look at the subjects offered and examination boards used. The curriculum has changed over time and I’m particularly pleased that we have recently added A Level Politics to our College offering.

I also monitor student progress and regularly discuss performance in tests and the content of reports with teachers and tutors. If we identify students who we think need extra help, then I will hold meetings with the students and their parents. It’s important the students have the right level of help, motivation and support.

Why did you choose Bootham?

I had been Head of Modern Foreign Languages in another school for a while and was looking for a leadership role. The advertised role at Bootham appealed to me because it was about teaching and learning. I looked on the website and thought Bootham looked really interesting. I particularly remember seeing the school video and thinking the people seemed nice, and I was intrigued by the Quaker ethos. When I came for interview, everyone was very friendly, I was treated kindly and the school felt ‘down to earth’. I like working here: I particularly like the ethos and I think the relationships between staff and students are the best I’ve seen in any school.

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How is Bootham different from your previous schools?

I had previously worked in traditional schools where teachers are seen as authority figures, students where uniforms and discipline systems are very rigid. I found it very strange to be called by my first name when I arrived, but I now find it empowering as it reflects the strength of relationships based on respective interactions. I enjoy the way problems are resolved through conversation and mutual respect.

Did you always want to teach?

I wanted to be a teacher from a young age. I loved being in groups like the Brownies and Guides, and really enjoyed working with the younger children. I always had a passion for all things French and knew I wanted a career that included languages. Teaching combined the two things.

What do you think about Bootham’s Quaker values?

I think the Quaker values can only really be appreciated when you experience them. I particularly value regular silent meeting. I find it soothing and a time for reflection; it sets me up for the day and I’m always amazed by the silence held by over 460 students.

I’ve already mentioned the use of first names and the lack of traditional hierarchy. Our students are bold and prepared ‘to speak truth to power’ which I find refreshing.

DEPUTY HEADRuth Crabtree

Interview with

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Bootham Features - A interview with Ruth Crabtree

What advice would you give to the Education Minister?

There are three things I would do straight away.

Firstly, there should just be one exam board and it should be a ‘not for profit’ entity. The current system isn’t fit for purpose and needs to be radically changed. One of the first things the new board should do is ensure exams are timetabled in a helpful and supportive way. Students should never be expected to sit three exams on one day.

Secondly, I would change the university application system so students could only apply post A Level. This would take so much stress and anxiety out of the system and would allow everyone to make much better choices.

Finally, and I know I won’t be popular with some for this, I would move to a semester system and not have the very long summer holiday. I think the long summer break disrupts student learning and we need to have a year that is more consistently paced.

Finally, tell us about your ideal weekend

I like to spend time with friends on Friday evenings when we can enjoy some good food and wine. If I have a free Saturday, I like to go out for lunch and to do some shopping before going to the cinema or theatre. Finally, Sunday is a day for getting outside for a nice walk along the river with my dog and then perhaps a long soak in the bath in the evening.

What’s your vision for the academic development of the school over the next five years?

I’m working on quite a few new things at the moment. I’ve already mentioned the restructuring of feedback to help students form their own independent study habits. I think this is such an important skill, particularly at a time when the dropout rates from university are so high. Students need to be equipped with the right study habits and resilience to thrive outside of school. I want to imbed ideas of metacognition into everything that we do, again to give our students every chance to deliver good self-directed and reflective habits.

We are also looking at ways in which year groups can undertake research projects. Ideally this will focus on topics that they are passionate about and shouldn’t be driven by exams. It’s so important for students to learn about, and experience research at first hand.

I’d also like us to take more risks with our education. Our students should be encouraged to live adventurously and this may mean doing things outside of the curriculum. I’d love to be in a position where Bootham isn’t driven by exams and where we could create our own courses. This would also allow us to do a lot more cross-curricular work and to break-down barriers between subjects.

What do we gain from studying another language?

I went to South America over the summer and had fantastic trip in four very different places. My journey was enriched by my being able to speak French, German and Spanish. I used Spanish, and a little Portuguese in Brazil, to order food and made friends with some Belgians in the Amazon because I could speak French. I think I found out a lot more about local culture because I could speak with people in their own languages. It’s important to try; my knowledge of Portuguese is quite limited but we wouldn’t have eaten some days without it!

I think learning and communicating in other languages also helps to build confidence. It’s also the way I really started to understand English grammar. There are so many problems in the world at the moment, anything that helps improve communication and understanding has to be a good thing.

What are you interests outside school?

I am addicted to musicals and I’m really looking forward to seeing ‘Hamilton’ in November. I’m also a film buff and particularly like 1940s black and white films. I like wine and enjoy wine-tastings and learning about different wines and regions. Finally, I now have a dog and we’re enjoying exploring the local area together.

I left Bootham in 2018 after 7 years, with a heavy heart. I decided to take a year out from studying to volunteer and see more of the world before going to university. I am now in my first year studying for a Master of Pharmacy at Newcastle University.

In College 2, I heard about the Voluntary Service Overseas International Citizen Service programme (VSO ICS) from a friend’s mum and after some research felt it would be perfect for me. ICS is a global volunteering programme for 18-25 year olds, funded by the UK Government Department for International Development and offers volunteer placements in eight countries around the world. ICS works hand in hand with a selection of different charities but I chose VSO, an international development charity with over 60 years’ experience, after hearing about the positive, sustainable work they had been doing in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. After a selection day in London, I was over the moon when I received an email congratulating me on being successful. And thus began my gap year journey!

I first travelled to Dar es Salaam (the commercial capital of Tanzania) on 30th September 2018 for a week of training before heading off on a 12 hour bus journey to Iringa, a reasonably large town in the centre of Tanzania between the Ruaha and Mikumi National Parks. This bus journey, on a public bus route, was incredible. We passed zebra, wildebeest, gazelles and also saw giraffe in the distance!

My 10 week placement was in conjunction with TLED (Tanzania Local Enterprise Development) and was a business project working with small and medium sized enterprises in the municipal area. Myself and my fellow volunteers helped the businesses grow by designing and making business cards, logos and branding slogans and also assisted with business plans and cash flow. Fortunately, we had an intense week of training in Dar es Salaam and a few days in Iringa where we were taught how to use the design software and the in’s and out’s of cash flow and business plans, otherwise I would’ve really struggled. It was such a good experience working in a cross-cultural team as there would be so many different view-points to a situation and everyone could bring something different to the table.

As well as the business side to the placement, we also facilitated sessions in a local secondary school, speaking to students on topics surrounding the Sustainable Development Goals. These sessions were often nerve-wracking as we could be talking to a room of around 100 students, some of whom were around 21 years old and sometimes weren’t overly engaged in the topic, but through perseverance and adapting our sessions to the students, we ended up having so much fun! We also conducted three Community Action Days in Iringa Town, where we aimed to engage the whole community in issues that were of direct significance. Topics were: the Sustainable Development Goals, Entrepreneurship and Business Development Training and Addressing Opportunities (career options for young people).

Openshaw Travel Bursary:Grace Whorley

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Bootham Features - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Grace Whorley

Whilst in Tanzania we all lived with a different host family and this was a rewarding experience that I am very grateful for. I lived with a family who had 3 grown-up children, one of whom got married whilst I was staying with them, and this was such an amazing event. Meals were definitely very rice based, I really don’t think I could count how many biryani’s I had whilst I was at my hosts’ home! They were always so tasty, and we used to eat as a family every night which made me feel very accepted. We did have a 6.30pm evening curfew which was definitely different to home but was imperative for our safety. This meant that we were able to spend quality time with our host families and really get to know them.

At the end of the placement we were given the chance to reflect upon our 10 weeks and look in-depth at our personal development. For me, I came back home as a more well-rounded individual, with a better understanding of the world and also of other people. I developed my communication and people skills massively through the programme and think that my placement has helped me already with the skills I will need at University. Because I really valued my placement and the opportunities it gave me, I fundraised a further £200 for VSO and ran the London Landmarks Half Marathon in March of 2019.

This was such a great event and enabled me to meet other people from all walks of life with similar interests and share my experience with VSO.

My time in Tanzania definitely gave me the travel bug and as soon as I was home I was reading brochures and searching the internet for my next adventure: New Zealand. Travelling alone I jetted in June and July of 2019 and joined Kiwi Experience, a flexible hop on hop off tour company in New Zealand. As soon as I arrived, I made a group of lovely friends and we travelled both islands together for the two months I was there, and I’m still in contact with them planning future trips. We saw some incredible wildlife and scenery, and did some amazing activities; skydiving, bungy jumping, whale watching, zorbing and parasailing to name just a few! New Zealand is a country which definitely needs to go on everyone’s bucket list. The north island is so beautiful and green which is such a contrast to the south island with all its snow-capped mountains, ski runs and vast mirror lakes. I loved the fact that Kiwis are very switched on about protecting the environment and the natural habitats of their country. This was shown by the attitudes towards protecting the Kiwi birds and towards recycling and reusing/upcycling what you can.

Taking a gap year was probably the best decision I could have made; I definitely wasn’t ready to go back into education but wanted to do something exciting and make the most of my year off. I think I got the mix just right and now I am at university I feel more confident and able to get stuck into my work and both societies and sports clubs. I would highly recommend taking a year out to see more of the world, meet different people, and develop as a person.

- Grace Whorley (Bootham 2011-18)

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The Fish You Don’t Eat:

Metal strikes metal on Sanyang Beach in Gambia. Abdou Kunta Fofana hefts a mallet over his head before bringing it down again and again, hitting screws holding a pipeline in place. His muscles strain with the effort and sweat beads on his forehead as he stands in rushing tide, oblivious to the water soaking his jeans.

“We do not want this factory!” he shouts, breathing hard. The hammer comes down again.

Within a matter of minutes, a small group of men dig the black plastic pipe out of the sand, forcing it from concrete holdings, and discard it, triumphantly, into the ocean.

The wastewater pipe connected the ocean with the Nessim Fishmeal Factory, one of three Chinese-owned fishmeal production facilities built along the 50-mile Atlantic coastline of Gambia, the smallest country in West Africa. The factories buy small fish, including sardines and bonga shad, from local fishermen, and process it into fishmeal—creating a waft of putrid odor that permeates the area, and producing an effluent that pollutes the sea.

These and other foreign-owned factories along the West African coast are creating conflict within local communities and economies, and inspiring the young people who live near them to take action.

Productive fishery draws both industry and the ire of locals

Fueled by global demand, fishmeal is a growing industry in West Africa. Today, three million people work in the region’s fisheries, which generate $2.5 billion each year from legal catches. The area has one of the most productive fisheries in the world, thanks to a natural upwelling system in which cold water rises from ocean depths and flows down along the northwest coast, bringing with it rich stocks of fish.

Fishmeal factories started operating in West Africa during the 1970s and 1980s, when some coastal countries signed fishing agreements with the Soviet Union in exchange for investments in the region. At first the industry struggled to gain a foothold—the first factories in Mauritania closed due to low profits.

Decades later, the industry took off. In neighboring Senegal, for example, fishmeal production in 1967 totalled just 2,000 tons. By 2016, the yield had increased sevenfold, to 14,000 tons, according to data from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

As the industry became more lucrative, the first fishmeal factories started production in Gambia.

“The very first evening, when they started their engines, it was a shock to everybody,” says Lamin J.J. Jawla, a business owner who runs a tourist resort down the beach from the Nessim factory in Sanyang. “The stinking smell hit the village. It was a smell we have never experienced in our lives.”

Then in July 2018 the factory was closed down for almost six months because it was not meeting environmental standards mandated by Gambia’s National Environment Agency (NEA). The factory was dumping untreated waste on some of Sanyang’s fields and community gardens, where residents grow vegetables. Within a day, residents say their tomatoes changed color and a foul odor made it difficult to breathe.

The community responded by staging a peaceful protest, which temporarily stalled factory operations. The Gambian environmental agency issued the company an ultimatum: stop processing until wastewater is properly treated. By the end of the six months, the company had taken heed and built a wastewater treatment plant. The NEA was satisfied with the water samples they tested, and Nessim got the go-ahead to continue operating.

But not everybody is satisfied. “We’re not even complaining anymore,” says Fofana, the mallet-wielding protester who helped remove the Nessim pipeline in Sanyang. “We are fighting.”

An online petition started in February this year calls on the Gambian government to close all three of Gambia’s fishmeal factories. It lists close to 3,000 signatures.

“All the people here don’t want the factory, because we have seen what it already does,” says Fofana. “It’s not good for our health, it’s not good for our plants, it’s not good for our birds, it’s not good for our fish. It’s not good for nothing.”

Old Scholar, Abi Hayward, has worked on a year-long journalism project: The Fish You Don’t Know You Eat. This was a Global Reporting Centre investigation, in collaboration with NBC News, into the global trade of fishmeal – a fishy powder made up of small fish like sardines that are churned up to feed other fish. Abi travelled to West Africa last December as part of the team that was investigating the effect that this trade has on communities in Senegal and The Gambia – and she wrote the third chapter of this project: https://globalreportingprogram.org/fishmeal/#west-africa. The website is live with the full story but here is an extract from her chapter:

Abi Hayward

The monochrome Nessim Fishmeal Factory looms large behind the brightly-colored fishing boats of Sanyang, as teenagers play soccer with a destroyed wastewater pipe standing in for soccer goalposts. Photo by Abi Hayward

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Locals are even less inclined to accept the downsides of fishmeal production knowing that the facilities are operated by outsiders—foreign business owners capitalizing on the region’s natural resources, but without ties to the community.

The Nessim fishmeal factory is Chinese-owned. “The reason I chose Africa as my investment location is the source here is cheap,” says owner Du Qi Chao. “The price of fish is cheap.”

Du owns two other fishmeal factories outside of Gambia. He says the fishmeal produced by the Nessim factory is exported not only to China, but also to Russia, Turkey, and some other countries in Europe.

Some locals feel that foreign stakeholders are using local resources without regard for local interests. “They do what the foreigners want,” says Fofana. “They don’t do what the citizens want.”

Sharif Bojang is known throughout Sanyang as the person who supported bringing the fishmeal factory to their village. Bojang was the youngest chair of Sanyang’s Village Development Committee, a government-recognized body, before the fishmeal factory came to town.

“I didn’t do it, you know, in ill faith. I did it to support the development of my community, as I did with the other projects,” says Bojang, who counts a library, school, and community center among the projects he has backed. “If development is to come to my community, I will support that development.”

He got involved in the fishmeal factory, where he is now a supervisor, when the company needed local workers. Bojang condemns the activists who dug up the pipe, but he’s in an awkward position because Sanyang is a close-knit community.

“I am in between the community and the factory,” he says. “It’s very difficult for me sometimes.”

Fish is not only central to the working lives of people in the region, it’s also a vital source of protein. “If there is no fresh fish, we eat dried fish,” says Ndiaye, the fish processor from Joal Fadiouth.

The national dish of Senegal is thieboudienne, a hearty plateful of spicy tomato rice topped with vegetables and bony fish, often sardinella. But with a growing West African fishmeal industry exporting overseas, the star ingredient is being diverted from these communities.

“The system as a whole cannot produce an infinite number of fish,” explains Daniel Pauly, a marine biologist that runs the University of British Columbia’s Sea Around Us project. “So if you take them for exports for fishmeal, then they are not available to be eaten as food for humans.”

That change could have health consequences in a region reliant on the sea for protein. Meat is expensive and bean crops in sub-Saharan Africa are increasingly threatened by climate change as the Sahel desert creeps southwards.

“If a product is eaten by humans and eaten by animals, humans should go first,” says Pauly. “But these humans happen to be African, and they never go first.”

The growth of the fishmeal industry comes at a time when West African fisheries are already under pressure from overfishing, a problem made worse by illegal fishing. Six West African nations—Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, and Sierra Leone—lose a staggering $2.3 billion in revenue annually as a result of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, according to a 2017 study published in Frontiers in Marine Science.

“Gradually, we are determined to address those challenges,” says Banja Bamba from Gambia’s fisheries ministry. “It is happening not only in the high seas, but in our rivers.”

Regulations to combat illegal fishing exist, but are weakly enforced. Bamba says that countries, including Gambia and Senegal, are increasingly working together to crack down on enforcement.

The lucrative draw of fishing for fishmeal only adds to this problem. “Maybe in 10 to 20 years, we have no sardinella,” says Alessane Samba, the former head of research at Senegal’s Oceanic Research Institute.

He warns that depleting fish at the bottom of the food chain, such as sardinella, could lead to a collapse of the marine ecosystem.

Research shows that such dark predictions could come true. A 2019 report from Sea Around Us found that 88 percent of West African fish stocks had biomass below sustainable levels and 6 percent of them had collapsed entirely.

Unfortunately, Pauly knows these numbers too well. The marine biologist predicted the collapse of the sardinella fishery further down the coast, off Namibia. By the turn of the century, jellyfish filled the void of the sardinella in the ocean ecosystem, and the fishery never recovered. Pauly says that this was the first system where fish were replaced by jellyfish.

Oceanic researcher Samba says the collapse of sardinella in Senegal would have the worst impact on the poorest people. Families that depend on the small fish for both food and work could really suffer. He advocates a radical response to the threat.

“The only solution I see is to close all fish feed factories,” he says. “There is no benefit to us. It’s foreign owned and it’s all exported.”

But Pauly notes that the solution is not so simple and trying to turn back the clock could lead to unintended consequences.

“What would the Senegalese government offer to young people that are fishing?” asks Pauly. “Go work in Silicon Valley or go work where? There’s no other job. So they have to let them continue to operate.”

Bamba says the factories are here to stay, “I think the right thing to do was not to give them approval in the beginning, but having done that, now you have to support them.”

For people like the protesters in Gambia and Senegal, however, resistance seems like the only way to protect their health, their economy, their agriculture—and especially their fish.

Ndiaye puts it simply: “If there is no fish, there is no future.”

- Abi Hayward

Foreign investors drivelucrative fishmeal business

The future

Bootham Features – The Fish You Don’t Eat: Abi Hayward

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Following on from happy and successful trips to Howsham Mill in Ryedale for the previous two years, the Bootham NH society revisited the site for a few days at the end of the summer term this year, with a larger group and a more ambitious observing programme set up. Given that we had already filmed badgers and otters, photographed several species of small mammal and made the first known biological survey of a minor tributary of the Derwent, it was hard to see how we would top our previous performance.

Natural History Society Field Trip, July 2019

RSPB Nature Reserve, Bempton Cliffs

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Bootham Features - Natural History Trip, July 2019

But of course, we did. Directly after arrival we worked with a team of ornithologists led by York’s Paul Thorpe, who were doing a survey of bird life in nearby Sand Hutton. Everyone got to hold a wild bird while it had a leg-ring fitted, and many of the group saw a Yellowcrest (a very tiny and elusive species that lives near the top of forest canopies) for the first ever time. After this, we moved straight to Spittalbeck, a shallow stream that runs near Barton-le-Willows. This had previously yielded good populations of many interesting invertebrates, but in July it gave us a much-reduced sample. Evidence of some factor in the weather this year, or a perhaps a pulse of pesticide from nearby crops? This is certainly worth another visit next summer, to see if a recovery has been made.

Our afternoon was spent setting up motion-activated infra-red cameras around a huge badger sett on the brow of Howsham Wood, dubbed “Badgerton” by the group. There were plenty of prints, and lots of evidence of new burrow-digging. It was no surprise that we got excellent footage of that night’s badger-activity. Below Badgerton there is a south-facing meadow on a steep slope. This is ideal for butterflies, and we spent a pleasant hour making a species list of the site. Most spectacular were the huge and charismatic Marbled Whites that are something of a Wolds speciality, but Speckled Woods, Meadow Browns, Green-veined Whites, Commas and Tortoiseshells all vied for attention too. The wild flowers of Howsham wood are extremely good, because the area has been a patchwork of plantations, bogs, meadows and forest tracks for several centuries. It was therefore very pleasing that we were able to spend some time learning the names of a few species as we made our way to and from Badgerton.

Following an excellent supper of salad, lasagne and garlic-bread sent up from the Bootham kitchens, we busied ourselves setting up small-mammal traps around the island woodland that surrounds the Mill. These traps put the welfare of the trapped animal first, so you have to make them comfy with bedding and nibbles for the overnight stay of anyone dropping by. There were hidden carefully in likely mammal-routes, and left overnight.

As the mid-summer twilight gathered, North Yorkshire Bat Group’s Lesley Helliwell dropped by to give us a fascinating presentation on bat biology and natural history. She brought a few live bats with her, and showed us how to use our ultrasound bat-detectors to best advantage. These convert the high-frequency squeaks of hunting bats into something that humans can hear, and can be used to identify individual species. We spent an enchanting star-lit hour following the succession of species that came out to hunt over the weir at the Mill complex. Pipistrelles, Daubenton’s and Noctule bats all came to visit in a swirling display of aerial dexterity. It was a late night for everyone, but high-spirits and the need for an early start kept sleep to a minimum until it was time to rise with the dawn and check the mammal traps for new arrivals. Perhaps all the excitement about the bats had kept their heads down, but the morning bag was mostly wood mice, relaxed and supine after a night of munching too much granola.

Once our mice had been released and breakfast was washed up, we took down the campsite and packed everything back into our transport, but the trip was by no means over. We had an early appointment at Cayton Bay to meet with a palaeontologist from “Hidden Horizons”. This Scarborough-based firm offers expert tuition on the fossils and geology of the Yorkshire coast, and Cayton bay is an ideal place for young fossil hunters to sharpen their spotting skills. We heard about the amazing and complex history of the bay’s last 150 million years, and were shown what to look for in a fossil-bearing rock. (essentially, dull grey rocks hold fossils that nicer-looking coloured pebbles could never have). You can find an awful lot within a few metres of your base, simply by keeping your eyes open and looking carefully. Ammonites, Gryphaea and Belemnites were the star finds, and many of these are probably on display in various York bedrooms even now. The Sun was by now very hot, and it seemed a long way to haul our goodies back up to the minibus for one last activity, a few miles south of Cayton.

Bempton Cliffs, on the northern side of Flamborough Head is an RSPB nature reserve like no other. It is a must-see for any British natural historian. The heat-shimmered air was full of the cries and, frankly, smells of many thousands of nesting seabirds. There were Razorbills, Guillimots, Fulmars, Herring Gulls, Kitiwakes, Cormorants, Gannets and, of course, Puffins. We could have stayed for hours taking photographs through telescopes and binoculars, but the journey back to York could not be put off. After what seemed like a very short time we had to down tools and gather at the café for one last cool drink and a few thankyous. We thanked Robert Gardiner for planning the whole thing, and Cathy Rowell for organising the camping, as well as offering her own considerable expertise to so many of the activities we enjoyed. We awarded prizes for our best young natural historians, and promised to all come back soon for another visit to natural Yorkshire.

Robert Gardiner

Mike Shaw

Cathy Rowell

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Early yearsThe year flew past with visitors, trips and adventures galore. As well as trips to the theatre, the library and the park, we enjoyed a very magical visit to Northwood Fairy trail, where we walked through a wardrobe into fairy land, trip trapped across a troll bridge and found evidence of fairies high and low. Forest School proved yet again a firm favourite, with the children finding special places to hide, sliding down hills and splashing in muddy puddles; from Bolton Abbey, to Homestead Park! We finished the year with a fun and lively Sports Day and picnic in glorious sunshine.

Year 1We have had a fantastic year spending time outdoors as well as in the classroom learning, One of our favourite topics this year was ‘Animals’ and we had a fantastic time researching and learning all about them. We visited Lotherton Hall, talking to the Penguins, Peacocks and Flamingos! As well as spending time at Askham Bryan College to learn all about some cool creatures. Finally we enjoyed an exciting and interesting workshop with “Sam’s Safari“. What a fantastic way to learn!

Year 2Holá! This year we have really enjoyed learning Spanish. At the end of the year, to celebrate our language skills, we opened a Spanish Café for our parents and served Napolitana and Hot Chocolate. We have also been lucky enough to have had a visit from an Antarctic Explorer and Field Scientist, as well as learning all about Grace Darling’s rescue attempt. This year we also learned to play the recorder, teaching us all about pitch and rhythm.

Year 3This year, Year 3’s topics were on Victorian times, Roald Dahl and Ancient Egypt. We caught a Victorian thief on Kirkgate at the Castle Museum, and put him on trial! As part of our topic, we made decoupage Christmas baubles. We then invited our parents to a German Christmas market, where we sang some German carols and sold biscuits and decorations we had made, raising a total of £50.23 for the Dragonfly Schools Foundation.

We learnt about how shadows grow and shrink when you move an object closer to and further from a light source. We created shadow puppets of the characters from George’s Marvellous Medicine, and used this knowledge to make the characters grow and shrink, just as they do in the story. We also had a lot of fun doing a drama workshop at the Theatre Royal all about George’s Marvellous Medicine, and got to have a tour of the theatre, too!

Year 4One of our topics this year was on the Prehistoric Past, we practised our prehistoric skills in Outdoor Education, making paint brushes from twigs and leaves, and using them to paint with natural ochre pigments. We also made Stone Age tools and necklaces. We then invited our parents to the opening of our “Journey Back to Prehistoric Past” exhibition. We turned our classroom into a museum and treated guests with an erudite guided tour. It was great fun designing a quiz to test our parents’ knowledge of the Stone Age to Iron Age period.

A year at Bootham Junior School

Children from the Junior School wanted to share the high-lights of their year.

Year 5This year’s Chocolate topic proved as popular as ever! We designed, created, advertised and priced our own chocolates ready for the Grand Opening of our chocolate Shop. We spent the day visiting the Chocolate Story, we were able to share our knowledge through the tour and then enjoyed making cholate lollies before using our teamwork in a workshop.

We had a great morning ‘playing’ the Game of Actual Life, where we explored how bank accounts work and the importance of different jobs compared to their rates of pay – is it right that football players get paid so highly?

Year 6Another fun packed 3 terms for Year 6 this year, ready for the transition to Senior School in Sept. This year in English, we have been working on newspaper articles and we linked our work on our articles to news-casting on issues surrounding ‘acts of kindness’, ‘good to be different’ and ‘choose respect’. Subjects ranged from respectful footballers, Barack Obama and Little Miss Muffet! Science this year saw us look at a range of subjects and skills, from Forensic Science: solving a Christmas crime after Santa had been stolen, and apprehending a burglar in the EYFS section of the school; to Mechanical Engineering, where we learned about pulleys, levers and fulcrum points and how they can be used to gain mechanical advantage. Then as part of our work on Shakespeare, we were treated to a fascinating talk on Shakespeare himself and ‘The First Folio’, the first printed publication of Shakespeare’s plays, published in 1623, seven years after his death. We were then able to actually hold a fragment of the publication itself!

And finally…

We were very proud to attend Teesside University for the Primary Engineer Leaders Award this year, where three of our Year 6 pupils were honoured for their amazing work:

• Gil Andrew has won first prize for his project ‘The Energy Bike.’

• Naman Patel has been highly commended for ‘Upsoles’, his electricity producing insoles.

• Ali Almazedi has been shortlisted for ‘Bend’, a tool to help pick things up.

The competition is a ‘creative, problem solving, literacy and entrepreneurial project.’ Pupils were asked to interview an engineer and research engineering in general, before coming up with a solution to an everyday problem. Congratulations to all of our pupils, who worked so hard. And a huge thank you to engineer Dr Ruth Graham, of York University, who mentored everyone so wonderfully.

Junior School student Zac Edwards and his horse Steady Neddy competed in the NSEA Arena Eventing for the school in the 70cm and 80cm class. Zac came 5th out of 30 competitors in the 70cm class, narrowly missing out on a national qualification spot by one place. Zac and Ned also came 21st out of 60 competitors in the 80cm class.

Bootham Features - A Year at Bootham Junior School

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Saying goodbye to my mum at the Gatwick Terminal 1 security gate at 6am on Saturday 16th February 2018 was quite possibly the scariest moment of my life thus far. Every ounce of my being was screaming at me to turn right around and take the red LNER train back up to lovely York - even writing this now, I feel my heart rate quicken.

I arrived at this point having decided that I wouldn’t go to university immediately after completing my A Levels. Instead, I had a deferred place to read Spanish and Arabic at Durham in October 2019 and in the meantime, I wanted to explore the world. A big part of this was a desire to carry out some volunteer work – without a doubt something Bootham instilled in me– stretch myself and burst through the little bubble in which I have lived my whole life. After all, I am a born and bred Yorkshire girl who has been lucky enough to have lived a very privileged life.

After a couple of months of scouring the internet and sussing out the different kinds of things I could do as an 18 year old to better the world somehow, I came across Raleigh International: a sustainable development charity that has been operating for over 30 years (and with some of the highest health and safety standards in the whole sector). Currently operating in Costa Rica, Nepal and Tanzania, every project they undertake is very much informed and led by at least two of the United Nations Sustainable Global Goals, such as Clean Water & Sanitation and Climate Action. This certainly wasn’t a “voluntourism” scheme – exactly the type of thing I wanted to avoid. They also operate with a focus on youth engagement – harnessing the power and influence that we, as the world’s next generation of leaders, have. Whilst almost anyone can partake in an expedition, the majority of volunteers are under 25.

Once my place was confirmed, I had to begin fundraising. The first 6 months of my gap year were spent working in order to gather the necessary funds – at one point I had three jobs, working in a Montessori nursery, at a local fruit farm and as an events assistant at an art gallery. I had also decided to apply for the Openshaw Bursary from Bootham School, a fund advertised to us in College 2 and open to those undertaking voluntary work in their gap year. I was lucky enough to be awarded £500 towards my fundraising, which certainly took some of the pressure off (vaccinations alone came to £550!).

Fundraising

In the seven months after finishing my A Levels, I had to fundraise enough money to allow me to go to Costa Rica. This was perhaps one of the most rewarding aspects of my year out - instead of doing the usual bake sales or sponsored runs, I decided to set myself the challenge of earning the funds myself. I spent most of the summer at a local family fruit farm, then as September approached, I found myself working in a Montessori nursery. Here, the days consisted mainly of squishy foods and, of course, all of those lovely bodily fluids children seem to love producing…! As well as this, I babysat regularly and was an events assistant for an art gallery. However, something

which helped me in so many ways was the Openshaw Bursary, which I had applied for at Bootham. Set up by an Old Scholar, the bursary aims to support Bootham students in carrying out effective and positive voluntary work across the world. This really encourages recipients of the bursary to practice what the school preaches (or rather, ministers!): the importance of community, integrity and walking cheerfully over the world.

And it begins….

Arriving in Costa Rica was, of course, a mixed bag of emotions. I was unbelievably terrified of all that was to come whilst simultaneously off-my-rocker with excitement that I was finally in Central America, about to speak lots of Spanish and experience what I already knew was going to be the most incredible 7 months. I have to admit that the 30-degree heat didn’t hurt either, especially having just left the UK in the freezing depths of February!

A Raleigh expedition is split into three phases of three weeks each. Whilst volunteers changed what they do every three weeks, each project is sustained for 2.5 months – with the same Raleigh project leaders, but different volunteers.

La Marta

The first phase of my time with Raleigh was spent in a nature reserve called La Marta - just south of the capital San Jose – where I would be carrying out conservation work and supporting the 6 rangers who maintain and protect the 1,900 hectare jungle – more or less the equivalent of 1,900 football pitches. Our role there was very much multifaceted, but our main task was to build new trails through the jungle to encourage tourism within the park, which is instrumental in providing funds for conservation. This was tough work indeed: we were essentially digging up thin strips of virgin jungle on a 25% incline (Costa Rica is very hilly!). As this was very much weather dependent (it was deemed too dangerous to work on the trails if there had been heavy rain due to the possibility of land slides) we also helped to maintain tourist camping areas.

Another key aspect of our work was interacting with the local community. We led action days within the local school to educate the children around climate change, the Life on Land Goal and the importance of La Marta, their local jungle. There was also more administrative work to be done - I produced both a blog post regarding the importance of reforestation and a project report detailing all the work we were doing, which was then sent Raleigh Internatonal head office.

Having completed a CELTA (English language teaching) qualification before leaving the UK, I also taught English to the park rangers every afternoon after the physical labour for the day had ended.

Of course, we worked a lot, but we also had free time to fill. This generally involved swimming in the jungle river, playing cards and spotting some really rather crazy animals – that’s a 2-meter-long boa constrictor…! It was a simple but effective existence which I whole-heartedly embraced.

Openshaw Travel Bursary:

Maddie Pope

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Bootham Features - Openshaw Travel Bursary: Maddie Pope

Trek

After La Marta, it was time to move on to the next phase: trek. Whilst this phase doesn’t necessarily subscribe to any one of the UN Global Goals, it very much functions upon one of Raleigh’s main pillars, youth leadership. We were challenged with an 18 day, 300km trek (all whilst carrying a 15kg rucksack) which we, as a group of venturers, led. It was essentially DofE on steroids. Leadership skills are primarily developed through being a ‘day leader’ – the director of the day who manages all other roles, such as the navigators, cooks and cleaners.

The terrain we covered was vast ranging, from roads and fields to jungle and many a mountain, notably Cerro Dragon. This was the phase I was most anxious about – in fact, I was terrified. In all honesty whilst II had done DofE at school and didn’t dislike it, I certainly didn’t LOVE the expedition part of it - so the prospect of walking for more or less 3 weeks straight wasn’t filling me with pure joy. Yet deep down I knew that I would benefit hugely from it, and …. I did.! Surprisingly, I loved it. Yes, it was tough – mentally and physically – but it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

It was an amazing kind of existence: it stripped back all the excess of normal life to the point where I was carrying everything I needed on my back. I was more or less self-sustaining. In doing the trek I saw parts of Costa Rica and met people I would never, ever have encountered had I simply visited as a tourist. Two things struck me, number one being the kindness of people. There were the farmers who gave each of us an orange on one of our toughest days; the family who let us sleep in their garden when we had nowhere to set up camp; the old lady who gave us a bottle of ice as we walked past her house in 30 degree heat. If you do everything with a smile, people will generally give you one back. Secondly, I was taken aback by how each and every one of the places we walked through was highly conscious about recycling and separating their waste, despite their extreme remoteness. Nearly every village we passed through had waste separation stations with separate bins for plastic, paper, aluminium and food waste. All I could keep asking myself was why we didn’t do the exact same at home – after all, we have a much more developed infrastructure!

Our typical day looked like this…

Dorbata

My 3rd and final phase was based in a remote indigenous community called Dorbata. The village had no electricity or mobile phone signal, was 10km from the nearest town and its inhabitants had never seen white people before. Our primary purpose whilst there was to finish building the school previously started by our fellow volunteers. The community’s old school had been knocked down after a dispute over land ownership between two local families, and the Indigenous Assosciation of Costa Rica had asked Raleigh to help build a new one.

We chopped wood and painted walls and treated wood and hammered nails to make a new three-classroom school. Again I taught English, which was very much a case of trial and error. The community’s first language is Cabecar – a tribal language – and so not many of them spoke Spanish, let alone English. Furthermore, the rate of illiteracy was incredibly high – as it is across the indigenous populations of Central America. I thought a board game style of activity would engage them all and get them interested as it had done with my previous beginner students in York… but they had never seen a board game before. So, I had to pare all teaching right down, back to the basic basics!

As in phase 1, we also held action days to promote education in the area. These were great fun, with loads of games and treats for the children. As well as this, I helped to produce and paint a map of the village – the hope being that the locals would then be able to learn how to read maps, as they traditionally have no sense of North, South, East, West and so on. Meanwhile, free time was mainly spent playing football with the locals and occasionally some pigs who liked to join in from time to time.

Volunteering, as well as travelling afterwards, allowed me an almost revolutionary perspective on home life. It made me truly realise that there is so much more to life than just school. Yes, it is important to do well, as it can often enable these kinds of experiences, but there is a whole world out there literally waiting for you. What grades you get, the clothes you wear or the friends you have don’t determine this.

I truly believe that my time spent with Raleigh has changed my life, as clichéd as it is to say. I know now that my career will be sustainability/environmentally inclined, I’ve met some of the most incredible people and I feel like I recognise both my own self-worth and privilege more than ever. To those of you who are currently at Bootham, my advice is this: take any opportunity you can, don’t think any idea is silly and remember that any positive change you make in this world – no matter how small – is incredible and worthwhile.

- Maddie Pope (Bootham 2011-18)

1. Wake up at 4 am.

2. Eat breakfast (usually porridge), pack up all our tents and be on our way by 6 am, just as the sun was rising.

3. Walk.

4. Lunch at 10am. The not so-delicious bean paste with wraps was a regular.

5. Walk.

6. Finish any time between 12pm and 4pm, depending on our distance for the day.

7. 4pm set up our tents, usually in a community centre.

8. 4.30pm sort out blisters…

9. 5pm, eat dinner.

10. 7pm, go to bed (my earliest bedtime since I was about 6!)

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Why then?At Bootham, the Junior Production, rehearsed throughout the autumn term, was the highlight of my year and now, looking back, it is clear why. Theatre is well-known as a world that transcends, or should transcend, usual social divisions. Working on any show means working on an equal footing, mixing up ages, backgrounds, life experiences and abilities to create a final product. School productions really sum up the Bootham Quaker ethos of equality and unity. For me, it was also a chance to discover something I was good at and, importantly, to get better at it. I once heard an actor say that the acting profession is made up mostly of those bullied at school. I don’t know whether there are any statistics to back this up, but I’d certainly felt a bit isolated at primary school and, to me, Bootham and my first Junior Production seemed a pretty glorious and addictive world.

We did ‘I Was A Teenage Jekyll and Hyde’, under the always expert direction of Valerie Allen and Richard Burton. I was a mother. (I played mothers a lot and especially as I got taller!) In fact, I played Antony Jardine’s mother. He was the eponymous Hyde, so not awfully nice. Two years ago (after a wait of 24 years), Ant and I actually got to work together professionally, playing an absolutely despicable couple in ‘The Secret Garden’.

I continued to sign up for the Junior Productions at the start of each school year and even moved on from mothers to playing people of my own age. The most enjoyable of these coincided with and probably helped influence, my decision to try and do this thing I found fun professionally. It was Cathy in Richard Taylor’s beautiful ‘Whistle Down The Wind’, a score that has sadly been subsumed since by an interpretation of the same story by a certain Andrew Lloyd-Webber. As far as I remember, this production not only handed me an opportunity but also continued to highlight the immense performance talent in the rest of my year group. We decided we wanted to do more … more, more, more theatre than was scheduled for us by Bootham tradition and, during our College years, we did – thanks to the seemingly endless support and encouragement of Richard Burton and our headmaster, Ian Small.

Upon learning of our eagerness, Ian produced, as if by magic, a script he had written and long wanted to direct. Very silly indeed and entitled, ‘Withering Depths’, it fitted our year perfectly. Gleefully, Ian moved on – with a group of A-level students now more than happy to give up lunch hours, after-school hours and revision hours for the benefit of rehearsal – and directed us in ‘The Shakespeare Revue’, an evening of sketches and songs by writers such as Victoria Wood, Monty Python and Fry and Laurie. At the same time, we in College II had co-opted Richard and the theatre-keen members of College I into an evening of extracts of all our favourite musicals. I particularly remember David Reed (now actor, writer and comedian and a member of the brilliant Penny Dreadfuls) and I doing the ‘Timewarp’ in suitably crazed fashion.

“Are you ‘resting’ at the moment?” ‘What have I seen you in?’These are questions actors know all too well (and most dread). I look forward to them slightly more than I used to as, after 13 years of my career, I have finally prepared responses along the following lines...

‘No. Actors can’t afford to rest’

‘I don’t know – because I don’t know what you watch. If I did, it would be weird!’

These took me a long time to formulate, however, during which there were many years of smiling politely and pretending I could take it all in my stride, while wondering why it was a full six months since I’d even had an audition, let alone a job.

It is a tough career. 98% of actors do not earn their living solely through acting work. It takes sticking at - though determination and talent are absolutely no guarantee of success. And, yes, being thick-skinned and good at dealing with rejection will help you. Unfortunately, I possess neither of these useful qualities.

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Bootham Features - Are You Resting at the Moment?: Frances Marshall

“Are you ‘resting’ at the moment?”

Without quite knowing it at the time, I think we all learnt the valuable lesson of doing it ourselves. If the opportunities aren’t always there or you want more of them, you learn to create them. This was certainly the mentality behind my degree course in drama at Hull University which, thanks to those College years at Bootham, seemed a natural progression.

I took the university route, mostly because I already knew I didn’t want to plunge myself straight into a world surrounded only by actors. I then followed it up with a two-year post-graduate course at drama school. My work since has been mostly in theatre, with the odd filming or recording day thrown in here and there. On leaving drama school, my principal told me in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t work much, if at all, before I was 30 but not to worry about that, as he had said exactly the same thing to Sir Antony Sher …..

Instead, my first professional job was at home in York, playing Phyllis (who is 9! Ha!) in York Theatre Royal’s production of ‘The Railway Children’ at the National Railway Museum and this really does remain a career highlight, both for the experience and for a wonderful company, who taught me more in one summer than I’d learnt in five years of training. By that point, I had also started working for Shakespeare’s Globe, both as actor and director, and this relationship has continued through to today.

Everyone has an influential teacher – or three, or four – in their past. I’ve mentioned a few already. I have never forgotten arriving at a Lower Schoolroom English lesson to find a shipbuilding class going on. Under Jenny Bailey’s careful direction we built a ship from desks, chairs and anything else we could find. A violent storm hit, we on board grappled with ropes and clung on for dear life. The swell grew and our vessel was destroyed, casting us all into the waves …….. and thus beginning ‘The Tempest’. In our first ever lesson on Shakespeare, we’d learnt the most important Bard fact of all; he must always be freed from the page. Taken out of the classroom, Caliban emerged from the bushes at the side of the cricket field to answer Prospero, the following year, Portia dispensed justice amidst the ordered symmetry of the Master’s Grass. Jenny (Mrs Bailey) encouraged me all the way through school, her one annoyance with me, as my A-level Eng Lit tutor, being my inability to disengage my emotions and analyse literature dispassionately (very necessary for exams). I’m afraid on this point, I continue to let her down on a daily basis!

Several years and ups and downs later, I’m still here, still acting, and that feels like an achievement in itself. For the last three summers, I’ve been just down the road at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough working with Sir Alan Ayckbourn (80 this year and simply amazing!). Every rehearsal room and process is different. Alan’s involves a deep trust in the actor and a quest for truth, even at the expense of a good gag! Often described as a writer of farce, he has actually strictly only written one, his 1979 play, ‘Taking Steps’. Instead, each situation is played honestly and his company, myself included, are generally surprised (and not a little relieved) when the play is put in front of an audience who laugh! This working relationship has not only enabled me to play some truly wonderful women, but also to take a play to New York for the first time. In spring 2018, we took ‘A Brief History of Women’ to 59E59 Theaters for a run of five weeks. It was an inspiring and exciting experience as well as an amusing one.

There is a real love for Ayckbourn in New York, but a scene set in rehearsals for a very traditional English pantomime (dame and principal boy included) led to rows of fairly baffled faces, one or two registering actual horror at the anticipation of what might occur.

As part of this article, I was asked to give advice to those aspiring to a career in the arts and, when I sat down to write it, as you will have read, I found the first few paragraphs had headed into the more negative side of the profession before I got round to the positive bits! I can’t pretend the former doesn’t exist. Because the highs of our job are so very high, the lows can be very low. It is a natural assumption that actors are a bunch of confident people. On the whole, this is entirely untrue. They are professionals who have to fight for every single job they do (whether for one day’s filming or a year long theatre contract). Acting requires vulnerability – there aren’t many careers that are scrutinised by hundreds of people every night of the week – and the ‘not-acting’ time requires self-confidence and stern stuff. The two halves are diametrically opposed but must work together.

And we desperately need the arts. They show us life in all forms and ask us to empathise. This last is surely invaluable – it is a simple matter of putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes. If we, as a society, can do that – at the theatre, cinema, concert hall, gallery, watching television, listening to the radio, at school ……surely we can be better at just living!

My advice would be to follow the path with your eyes fully open, ask questions and be willing to learn for the rest of your career. You will not be working in your chosen profession all the time, but – and this is the crucial bit – you will get to spend some of your life doing the thing you love. For me, that makes it worthwhile.

P.S. and train as a plumber on the side – it is well-paid!

– Frances Marshall (Bootham 1993 -2000)

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Over the years at Bootham, Richard taught piano, he taught academic music and R.S, he led musicals, he was a deputy housemaster, he tutored hundreds of students, he was Head of Careers and also until last year he was Head of College (Bootham’s Sixth form).

I am sure that Richard would be very quick to tell me the numerous other things I have missed off that list – sorry!

Through these roles he helped so many students to develop positively as young people. Richard has inspired students to follow their dreams, be creative and helped students try and find something in life they find fulfilling and enjoyable. He always saw the light within students and embodied the Quaker principle of finding that of God in everyone.

Richard was exceptional at helping students out in difficult situations. Students sought him out due to his caring, kind, non-judgmental manner. Richard was a good listener. He talked to students on the same level and always gave freely of his time. He had the capacity to make students feel comfortable and also make them laugh. He offered students endless amounts of his expertise, energy and enthusiasm.

Richard was a fantastic colleague. He was a gentle presence in the staff room and had a unique capacity for friendship. He would be welcoming to all new staff, quickly making people feel as though they belonged.

Richard loved going on many school trips both home and abroad. He went on language, art, history, classics and skiing trips as well as the many end of year College excursions. It was a good way for him to travel extensively, with his friends, whilst also helping to assist with the care needed for students on the trips. Richard was always the first person you would look to invite if you led a trip. Reliable, fun and also calm when things didn’t fully go to plan.

His face in the staff room was comforting. He was one of the people you looked for during break times. He would listen when people had problems. Richard seemed to know everything that was going on because people always found him easy to speak to, and they always looked for him when they wanted help or advice or just a listening ear. When you had a bit of gossip and ‘accidentally’ disclosed it to Richard he would raise his eyebrow, tilt his head and nod – which was generally the sign which meant he knew what you were telling him two weeks ago.

Richard was a reliable, trustworthy and kind friend to many. Throughout his Bootham life he gathered so many friends. Talking to many colleagues and ex-colleagues it seemed like Richard quickly became an integral part of their lives and their family’s lives. He would readily agree to offer his musical talents, either singing or playing the piano at all sorts of special occasions. Friends of Richard felt reassured if he was in charge of the music. Professional, talented and calm. Richard was an exceptional performer and musical friends of his spoke so highly of his ability to make them feel secure and confident when performing with him.

Richard was a proud person. He always appeared well dressed, smart and professional. His walk was unmistakable and you could always recognise him approaching from far off when meeting him. He liked buying nice things for himself and his home but also he liked buying other people presents.

Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019Richard arrived at Bootham School in 1986 on a one year Resident Graduate position. After that year he briefly worked at The Mount before being offered the chance to teach in the music department at Bootham as well as becoming a deputy housemaster in one of the boarding houses. It is Bootham where Richard found a place he loved to work in a city he loved to live in, and his many skills and professional talents led to a long, varied and fulfilling career.

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Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019

He had a very good memory (and a full diary!) and always remembered birthdays and special occasions. Many of us will have looked forward to a beautiful photograph Richard had taken on the front of their birthday card and a thoughtful present he had taken time to select. He had an eye for beauty in his everyday surroundings, and was intuitive in the way he captured images on camera. He loved living so close to the city centre and often extended his walk home on his half day off to capture the sights and the seasons within the city.

Richard enjoyed going out, he loved to be with friends. So many people saw Richard as their very good friend that much of his time (especially holidays) was devoted to catching up with people, going out and socialising.

Richard loved a party. He was great fun when out. His laugh was infectious and he certainly knew how to have a good time. A few times during lent he would exclaim when out that he had decided to give up drinking wine….choosing merely to drink gin and prossecco instead! Fizzy wine didn’t count!

He had a mischievously fun side and a cheeky sense of humour. Bootham summer balls were always fun with Richard, taking centre stage, singing loudly, dancing and partying the night away.

When Richard left a party you knew that the party was over. No gathering or party will quite feel the same without his presence. However he would want his friends to continue to have good times together, making memories with friends, as he did, and living life in a fulfilling and adventurous way.

Richard had plans for the future. He had so many people to visit. He had a desire to enjoy a busy and fun retirement when it came. He wanted to play the piano more and perhaps re-start piano teaching again so that more people could benefit from his musical experience and talents. He wanted to travel.

During his short illness Richard remained remarkably positive when meeting friends. He knew from fairly early on that the prognosis was not good but tried so hard to protect his friends and family. During his final weeks at Mulberry Court he managed to see a good number of his friends in the short time he was there. The staff had not seen the quantity of visitors that Richard had received there. There was unfortunately not enough time for him to see everyone…..there would have never been enough time for Richard to see all his friends.

On the Sunday before Richard died a number of his close Bootham friends arranged a small party with Richard at Mulberry Court. It seemed a fitting way to try and say goodbye to Richard; all together, glass of Champagne in hand, chatting and laughing. With friends who thought so much of him!

No doubt Richard’s family are hugely proud of Richard’s achievements and the person he was and will find comfort in the fact that Richard lived in a way that positively impacted the lives of so many people – especially during his time at Bootham.

Ricky BRichRichardUncle Richard

We miss you!

– Andy Bell

Richard Burton, Bootham School 1986-2019

Southall Archaeology Award July 2019 Toby Haswell

Jasper McCarthy Liam Roche

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AthensParadoxically the earliest temple in Athens, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, is also the most recent. This is because the construction of it kept being interrupted due to political instability in Athens. The temple of Olympian Zeus was meant to be the largest temple in the world at the time of its construction. It was first started in the 6th century BC under the tyrant Peisistratus. It was originally going to be made out of limestone in the Doric style. The Doric style meant that the columns which held up the roof had no base to them and that the top or capital was a simple circle with little detail.

It would also have a frieze of triglyphs telling a myth all around the top of the temple. If it had been completed at this time, it would have been the pinnacle of Doric designed temples, but after the fall of Peisistratus, the construction of the temple stopped for 336 years. It was continued in 174 BCE by the Seleucid king Antiochus 4th - he revised the plan by increasing the size even more and changing the material to marble. The style was also modernised to follow the Corinthian order. This meant that the capital of the columns was more elaborate instead of the original dull circle. Again, if this had been finished, it would have been the first major temple to use the Corinthian columns, but construction stopped in 164 BCE, with the death of Antiochus. It wasn’t till 124 CE that it was finally finished by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Hadrian finished it to Antiochus’ original plan as well as building a statue to Zeus in it. The temple was damaged during the sack of Athens in 267 CE and was finally closed in 425 when practising the pagan religion became illegal. This led it to its current state with only 16 columns remaining of the original 104.

The most famous temple in Athens is the Parthenon, on top of the Acropolis. It is built on the site of the old temple to Athena, which was destroyed thirty years beforehand in the sack of Athens in 480 BCE.

The temple itself is mostly Doric with the outer columns having the simple capitals. Above the pillars are the metopes which are square carvings telling a story. From the surviving metopes the stories being told are of the gigantomachy and the Amazonomachy.

In between each metope are triglyphs showing again that it is a Doric structure. However, in the inner chamber, the cella, it has a frieze running all around it with no triglyphs. This part of the structure is in the Ionic style showing the evolution of the architecture. This style is also shown in another temple in Athens, the temple of Hephaestus. Unlike the Parthenon this temple is not

located on the Acropolis, but down below, in the agora. This temple was created a little while after the Parthenon but shows the same style. Like the Parthenon it has a Doric outside but has Ionic friezes running around it continuously.

46 km outside Athens at Cape Sounion is the sanctuary of Poseidon. In 444 BCE the temple to Poseidon was built on the site of an earlier temple from the archaic period. This temple follows the same style as the ones in Athens as it was built during the same time. It too has surviving Doric columns. The columns that stand today are similar to the previous columns meaning that it is now believed that it was made by the same person who made the temple of Hephaestus in. But as it does not stand today with little evidence the interior is a mystery, but it probably had the same style on ionic interior as the temple of Hephaestus.

Student Work - Southall Achaeological Award

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The most important church in Athens nowadays is the Agia Eirini. This is an old Byzantine church which was rebuilt in 1835 to celebrate Greece’s independence. This church demonstrates best what a modern-day place of worship looks like in Greece. The church has two steeples in a neoclassical style. As it is in a neo-classical style it is calling back to the ancient times of the Parthenon showing that the architectural style used in the time of classical Athens is still being used in modern-day. It also has a domed roof: this refers back to earlier Byzantine churches like the famous Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. This church is a prime example of the way in which the ancient styles of the past are still being used in the architecture of Greek orthodox churches.

Olympia

The temple of Zeus in Olympia is the main attraction within the site. Despite the fact that all that is left are a few low walls surrounded by some battered pillars, the reconstructions show that it was once an imposing yet beautiful place of worship, with 60-foot pillars and a lifelike pediment on either side showing various myths to the crowding masses once a year at festival time. This threatening stature was almost certainly intended, as it seemingly conveyed the god’s message of power. The inside of the temple was equally impressive, with more pediments and pillars covering the inside, splitting the main section of the temple into three sections, and mosaics and friezes coating the walls, floors and ceilings. These would have displayed more myths to educate the less literate in the gods they were worshipping. However, the main attraction inside the temple was the giant statue of Zeus at the end, sitting in a golden throne. This painted figure would most likely scare the suppliants into submission to him, and proved the god’s terrifying power in their eyes. All of this was made out of poor-quality limestone, so it was covered in a thin layer of stucco to give the appearance of marble. The roof was ti