Issue 52 Spring 2015

HigHligHtss t A l B A N s s C H O O l

City Art ExhibitionCity centre art venue Gallery Rouge hosted an exhibition dedicated to the work of our art students in October. The walls of the ground floor were lined with paintings, prints and multi-media works created by GCSE and A Level pupils, in a week-long public exhibition. The Mayor, Cllr Geoff Harrison, welcomed visitors to the viewing and commented on the high quality of the work on display.

Director of Gallery Rouge, Kuldip Chohan, is keen to promote new art and the art industry, especially to young people: ‘I try to make young people and their parents understand that art is a viable vocation.’

It was with that in mind that he invited the School to hold an exhibition in his gallery, with nearly 40 works on display. ‘This is a prestigious opportunity for our students,’ said the School’s Head of Art Tim Jenkins. ‘Many artists have to work for years before they feature in an exhibition.’

The Mayor was so impressed w i t h t h e School’s art that he commissioned two of our art s c h o l a r s t o produce designs for his official Christmas card. Alex Daniel’s stylish city cut-out design appeared on the front of the card, with a beautiful drawing of the Abbey by Sami Ali featured on the back. As well as a city centre exhibition, therefore, work by the School’s art students was dropping onto doormats and adorning mantlepieces throughout the City and District the Christmas period.

‘EXCEPtiONAl’This was the judgement of our pupils’ achievement by the Independent Schools Inspectorate, who visited the School before half term to make its inspection.

The team of inspectors spent a week in the School, observing lessons and extra-curricular activities, interviewing senior management and staff, and working through paperwork. They worked hard to achieve a thorough examination of the School.

An ISI inspection model does not give an overall grading for the School, but makes judgements on a four-point scale (excellent, good, sound, unsatisfactory) on eight aspects of the School’s work. However, in one area, achievement, the judgement ‘exceptional’ may be made where inspection evidence indicates performance in the upper reaches of the ‘excellent’ category. It is therefore a real testament to the enthusiasm and appl ication of our pupils, and to the inspirational guidance they are given by their teachers, that the inspectors found that ‘The achievement of pupils across all a g e r a n g e s i s exceptional.’

As well as their ‘exemplary attitudes to learning’, it was noted that ‘pupils’ personal development is excellent’ and that ‘they grow into confident and independent people who demonstrate a high standard of personal development ready to contribute to society’.

Headmaster Jonathan Gillespie is delighted with the report, coming as it does so early in his tenure. ‘I offer my warm congratulations go to my colleagues whose ‘inspirational force both in and beyond the classroom’ has rightly been cited in the evidence for the grading of teaching as ‘excellent’, and to our pupils, whose exceptional achievements, attitude and personal qualities have been recognised in the report. This only adds to the keen sense of the privilege I feel in leading such an outstanding school.’

Inspectors were impressed by

students’ attitude to learning and

the excellence of the teaching they

receive

M u s i c t o o k p a r t i n commemorations when Dr Saunders and Mr Yo un g c o mb i n ed t o perform six songs from the George Butterworth song cycle A Shropshire Lad. The poems, set to music, are taken from the original collection o f p o e m s b y A . E . Housman, which became part icular ly popular during the Great War due to their deeply personal depiction of young, rural soldiers and their untimely deaths. Dr Saunders’ baritone captured the sombre mood of the subject matter with rich tones, and Mr Young’s expert use of dynamics on the piano clearly captivated the audience.

The annual History trip to the WWI battlefields had extra poignancy with the centenary of the outbreak of the Great War. At Lijssenthoek cemetery the students took in the enormity and global scale of the war represented by the gravestones, before exploring the preserved trenches at Sanctuary Wood. They concluded the day at Nieuwpoort in Belgium, where the race to the sea was ended with the flooding of the low lying lands on the coast.

The following day was spent exploring the battlefields of the Somme. The boys laid a wreath of remembrance on behalf of the School at the Thiepval memorial to the missing, which records the 72,000 men who have no known grave. Before returning home, the students visited Ypres and the Menin Gate through which so many British troops marched to fight. They also visited the contrasting German memorials at Langermack. A final stop took in Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world, built on the remains of three German pillboxes captured towards the end of the war.

The students found the trip a profoundly moving experience, as well as advancing their knowledge and understanding of this important part of European history.

wORlD wAR ONE CENtENARyBattlefields Trip In Song

The boys are coming home from France in 1918 and the land girls are waiting for them, to renew relationships and rivalries. Such was the topical setting of this year’s big production, Shakespeare’s rich comedy Much Ado About Nothing. With so much focus on the centenary of the start of that war, the celebratory bunting, propaganda posters and khaki uniforms immediately struck a chord. What is more appropriate to celebrate the end of chaos than the unity of a wedding? But of course, in Shakespeare, such things are never simple.

Stiff-backed officer Alec McQuarrie and prim and proper Josephine Price played the couple crossed by dastardly deeds, while Jemma Attar and Louis Yianni gave their last ounce of wit as the couple who consistently cross each other. The two eaves-dropping scenes were played with real relish of the comic business, while Dogberry and Verges’ Dad’s Army of constables and officers nearly stole the show with beautiful clowning and comic timing. It was an entertaining and colourful production, ending, of course, with music and dance.

Earlier in the term, drama pupils performed a modern Tempest at the Abbey Theatre’s Shakespeare Festival. The play was given a twist, with the adaptation opening with a place crash rather than a shipwreck. The play, though, still

Shakespearean Twists

Jemma Attar and Louis Yianni demonstrate that the course of true love is fraught with garden forks

In time for the Remembrance Service and as part of the commemoration of World War 1, the School’s War Memorial in the Upper Yard underwent careful restoration. The expert team first used a low pressure high steam wash to remove the algae and lichens from the stone surface, as high pressure can damage old stone edgings. One of the capstones below the cross had to be removed in order to eradicate vegetation which had rooted itself in the joints. The stone was cleaned and replaced, while other damaged stonework was repaired and pointing replaced with a special mix suitable for Portland stone. Another specialist part of the job was the application of an ammonium clay poultice to the area around the plaque to remove the copper staining. The memorial is

now clean and in excellent condition, though the distressed stone means it still wears a patina of age.

Another key task for the restorers was not only redefining the names on the memorial, but adding new names. The names of George Scott, Frank Wilks and Leslie Shrewsbury had been missing from the memorial because of the difficulties in obtaining accurate information at the time. Detailed research, using the School’s admission registers, the census and information from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission was carried out by the School’s archives department and Gareth Hughes, father of an OA. They discovered the missing names, which have now been added to the memorial in the same style as the existing lists.

Memorial Restored

Dr Saunders performed six songs from A

Shropshire Lad

contained the blend of comedy and Prospero’s re-establishing of order on the island. Other local schools and an American college also participated in the festival, performing versions of Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet. All the pupils gave strong performances, which were enthusiastically received by a packed audience at the Abbey Theatre.

Pupils’ modern adaptation of The Tempest was enthusiastically received

The Autumn Term offered musical riches with a range of professional and pupil concerts. It was a privilege to hear ENO baritone David Stout (below right) perform songs by Schubert, Ravel and Vaughan Williams. Fresh from the title role in The Marriage of Figaro, his rich tone, extensive range and superb stage presence made this evening an event to remember.

The School’s All-Steinway status was celebrated in a concert featuring School’s finest young pianists as well as some of the music staff playing the Model B grand piano in the hall. Ranging from Zappa to Rachmaninoff, this year’s concert was of the highest standard. The audience was treated to performances including Third former Thomas Hillman’s virtuosic Chopin waltzes and Fifth former Joe Griffith’s stirring rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C minor. The staff also impressed, with Mr Tom Young

providing an inspiring performance of Bartok’s Romanian Dance No. 1.

The Autumn Concert began with cinema themes by the Concert Band and the Flute Ensemble and went on to feature the Choir and Barbershop Group. The evening finished with the Jazz Band and some fine solos from James Lear, who sang a brassy Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, and Jemma Attar and Caroline Maggs performing Santa Baby.

Musical Range

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

sPORt: More Success for the RunnersCross Country: The traditional pre-season warm up, the 5 km Abbots Langley Tough Ten, was won in fine style by Captain Robbie Lightowler. The successful defence of the King’s Trophy followed at King’s College, Wimbledon. 150 runners took part over this 9km course with our teams holding good positions throughout. Robbie Lightowler, ahead of the field by one minute, won the race for the third successive year, with Ben Clarke an impressive 3rd, Adam Thorpe 8th, Alex Cook 10th, Dan Myers 11th and Ben Hemsi 18th. With a score of 51 points, we were 31 points ahead of our great rival, Judd School. This victory set the tone for the next trophy defence, that of the Haskell Cup. This very challenging 2 mile run, hosted by RGS Guildford, saw 25 teams compete. Our A team led throughout, with Robbie Lightowler running the fastest lap of the day, ensuring a comfortable win. The B team also took the B team prize. Meanwhile our Intermediate team qualified for the national finals of the English Schools Cup for the seventh year in succession by putting in a fine performance in the regional final. Tom Fulton finished 2nd, followed by Bertie Arbuthnott in

11th and Jack Bevan in 22nd position. At half term the runners crossed the Atlantic for the annual Varsity races held in Washington DC. Robbie Lightowler won the main Varsity race, leading the team to victory against strong competition. In the Junior Varsity, Tom Fulton came 1st, followed by Ben Hemsi 2nd, Oliver Edmonds 3rd and Tom Halling in 4th place, ensuring another fine win. Our own St Albans School Relay, a 3000m race for teams of 6 , hosted at Woollams, proved to be a tense affair. Judd took an early lead, extending this to 56 seconds in the final lap. Captain Robbie Lightowler, feeling the School’s honour was at stake, ran a determined and magnificent last leg, finally catching Judd School’s runner with 200m to go. He was rewarded with a heart-stopping, slender 5 second victory – a magnificent triumph.

Rugby: There were impressive wins for all teams during the season. The 1st XV recorded were triumphant over Merchant Taylors’ 28-5, Verulam 65-3, Haberdashers’ 37-0, Hampton 28-7, Haileybury 28-7 and QE Barnet 33-17. The latter victories represented achievement in the face of adversity, with several team players coping with injury. The 2nd XV gained a particularly fine win against Watford Grammar 28-18. The U14A team beat Hitchin 62-0, Haberdashers’ 31-5, Haileybury 40-0 and Watford Grammar 29-0, while the Bs recorded almost a parallel set of victories. The U15s made fine progress in the NatWest Vase competition, with wins of 61-10 against Sandringham, 36-0 against St George’s and 30-12 against Dame Alice Owen.

Netball: Both 1st and 2nd teams enjoyed some fine matches during the season. The A team were rewarded with a pleasing victory against Dame Alice Owen 19-17, followed by wins against St George’s Bs 8-6, St Albans High School Bs 6-2 and a whitewash against Loreto 17-0. Although knocked out of the semi-finals of the District Tournament by St George’s A team, the A team recorded two further wins

against local opposition: 19-9 against Sandringham and 35-3 against Verulam.

Lacrosse: Development of Lacrosse as a School sport was enhanced by coaching from Welsh international, Charlotte Williams. At the Abbot’s Hill Invitational Tournament, the team showed great promise by beating Princess Helena’s College 2-1 and by pulling off two draws against North London and St Albans High School.

Shooting: A shooting tour to Victoria College in Jersey provided invaluable experience for our students. In the .22 matches, the Seniors were unsuccessful, but the Juniors won with Joe Pattison top scoring with an impressive 196. Further experience at the Jersey Pistol Club and a full-bore shoot at the Jersey Rifle Association was stimulating, with Oliver Thwaites top scoring in his first shoot 46.1/50. Aidan Collins has subsequently become the Middlesex Small-bore Rifle Association Junior 25 Yard Prone Rifle Champion, thereby winning the Norman Rex Trophy. He has now been selected to represent Middlesex at Junior level.

Skiing: The U16 team, all Third formers, won their category in the ESSKIA Regionals and qualified for the National final in Norwich. Here, Louis Rhydderch, Sam Frost, Ed Loucaides and Louis Heap put in a fine performance to come 4th.

Individual Achievements: Hannah Girdlestone has been selected for the East of England Regional Academy for U19 Netball and Sarena Clarke or the U19 County Lacrosse squad. Skiers Sam Frost and Louis Rhydderch have been selected to attend the ESSKIA training camp in Norway, while Ayo Olukotun has been selected for the Lambs U14 Rugby team. In Football, Sam Alexander has been selected for the Herts Schools FA U16, the ISFA U16 South squad and the ISFA U16 National Representative Team. Meanwhile, Kwame Ofori has played for the Herts U14 side, while Tolaji Bola has been invited to join the U16 Arsenal side in a tournament in Qatar in February.

Cross country captains Robbie Lightowler and Ben Hemsi with the trophies from the USA