NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM THE SCHOOL AND ALUMNI 2013-2014

N E W S A N D R E V I E W S F R O M T H E S C H O O L A N D A L U M N I 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

N E W S A N D R E V I E W S

F R O M T H E S C H O O L A N D A L U M N I

2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 4

Introduction from the Head 1Leavers 2

FEATURES

A year in the Art department 10Art sketchbooks 12Sevenoaks School Certificates in Art and Art History 14Artist in Residence 15Myth of the Firebird 17The Art Room effect 18Old Sennockian artists 20The three greatest years of my academic life 25Selected by the Royal Academy 26Reflections on a first year at Sevenoaks 28 SPOTLIGHTS

Founder’s Day 30New YoungSox 31BBC Young Musician 32Science and Technology developments at Sevenoaks 34Can Do Too! 36An evening with Nigel Connell 37A year in Sennocke House 38Private Peaceful 40Art on campus 42History Bee and Bowl 44Leadership Day 45Commemorating the First World War 46

REVIEWS

Academic Review including prizewinners 48Art Review 62Drama Review 66Music Review 74Sport Review 84Trips and Activities Review 102Alumni Review 112Philanthropic Leadership 124

Valete 133Dates for your diary 140

CONTENTS

American Hedonists

by Olivia Storey

SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2013-2014

????© Zak Waters

SEVENOAKS SCHOOL 2013-2014 1

AN INTRODUCTION FROM THE HEAD

Welcome to this year’s Sennockian, which takes as its theme the visual arts. We celebrate the creativity of our students, past and present, and acknowledge the imagination, study and discipline demanded by successful art.

It has been a productive year for the visual arts at Sevenoaks. The bright white spaces of the refurbished Art department provided a showcase for an impressive range of student work, including the IB Art exhibition. The mosaic that now decorates the campus was designed and created by a team of pupils from every section of the school. There is a close link between such projects and the learning experience in the classroom. Last year saw the introduction of two new Sevenoaks School Certificate courses in Art and Art History offering students unique opportunities beyond the limits of the conventional GCSE syllabus. Inspiration has also come from outside the school. Michael O’Reilly spent a year as artist in residence to provide opportunity for students, and his work has been displayed in The Space and around the school. The sculptures of Joshua Vaughan, a recent graduate of City & Guilds of London Art School, which were installed over the summer, reflect the busy lives of our pupils in the complexity of their forms. And the Parents’ Association has commissioned a piece from Oliver Barratt (OS 1979); his sculpture Thinking Aloud is an inspiring presence on campus.

The beauty of the campus will be further enhanced by the relocation of car parking to Duke’s Meadow. Our next two major projects, the new Science & Technology and Sixth Form Centres, are already advanced in the design process, following the appointment of Tim Ronalds Architects, the

company responsible for The Space. I am delighted to report too, that this year we received three times as many bursary applications to join Year 7. The Bursary Fund – which reflects the generous donations of past and current parents, Old Sennockians and staff – has already raised enough to provide places for two additional pupils starting in September 2015.

The success and happiness of our pupils depends upon the environment that we can provide for them, and enriching their environment, intellectually and aesthetically, by works of art is a vital strand; I hope you enjoy the celebration of visual art in this year’s Sennockian.

The Head and senior prefects, 2013-14


LEAVERS

LEAVER 2012

LEAVERS 2013

Name Degree University

Kellen Maganjo Law Queen Mary, University of London

Sophie Adair Modern European Languages & History Durham University

Gregory Arts History University of Edinburgh

Rupert Bennett Interior Architecture Oxford Brookes University

Filippo Brignone Information Management for Business University College London

Naomi Carndorf Psychology and Anthropology with Professional Development Brunel University

Angus Dymoke Graphic Design University of Edinburgh

Michael Forward Architecture Oxford Brookes University

Sophia Buhl-Nielsen History Christ’s College, Cambridge

Fred Johnson Arts and Sciences University College London

Dominic Kehoe Biological Sciences Durham University

Victoria King History Magdalene College, Cambridge

Will Kneeshaw English University of Exeter

Tom Lord Physics with Theoretical Physics Imperial College London

Julia Muench Land Economy Newnham College, Cambridge

Michael Musker Ecology University of East Anglia

Elspeth Newey Music King’s College London

Viktoria Noka Geography University of Glasgow



Noah Parfitt Modern Languages with Business University of Nottingham

Nicholas Rupp Mechanical Engineering University of Bath

Thomas Scott PPE Oriel College, Oxford

Emily Shepherd-Barron Combined Honours in Social Sciences Durham University

Joshua Snow Philosophy King’s College London

Jan Sokol Liberal Arts Stanford University, USA

Kirsty Sutherland Anthropology University College London

Kitty Tittle Experimental Psychology Jesus College, Oxford

Claudia Vanea Philosophy University College London

Ben Waters Classics Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Edward Whelpton Business Management Newcastle University

Kirsten Whitaker Biochemistry University of Leeds

Grace Whitehouse Biology University of York

Hannah Abdoh Political Science and Economics McGill University

Ibrahim Abed International Relations London School of Economics

Lindsay Adams Liberal Arts Northwestern University

Tabitha Adams English Downing College, Cambridge

Louis Ashe-Jepson Spanish and History University of Edinburgh

Rory Barber Geography King’s College, Cambridge

George Baron Geography Jesus College, Cambridge

Emma Barry Natural Sciences University of Bath

William Beckman History University of Exeter

Aneesha Bhandari Biomedical Science Imperial College London

Muryah Bottcher HSPS Murray Edwards College, Cambridge

Ruth Bourne Law University College London

Elliot Briery Liberal Arts Yale University

Charles Bruxner-Randall Accounting and Finance with Industrial Experience University of Exeter

Alexander Bullock Mechanical Engineering The University of Warwick

Elsa Cameron Law The University of Nottingham

Imogen Canetty-Clarke French The University of Edinburgh

Chiara Cappellini Social Policy London School of Economics

Toby Carling Business and Management University of Exeter

Zoe Carver Biomedical Engineering Imperial College London

Larissa Castellano Liberal Arts Cornell University

Victoria Cheah Economics and Economic History London School of Economics

Isaac Cheng Global Business Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Jasmine Chu Economics with Year Abroad University College London

Emily Chung Medicine The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Robert Cinca Computer Science University College London

LEAVERS 2014



Isobel Connelly Combined Honours in Social Sciences Durham University

Madeleine Cummins Geography Magdalene College, Cambridge

Katherine Curran English Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Sufyan Dabbous Liberal Arts University of Pennsylvania

Kieran Davey Biotechnology University College London

Zoe Dawson Arts and Sciences University College London

Luisa de Belgique Liberal Arts McGill University

Nimal de Silva Mechanical Engineering University of Nottingham

Chiara Del Rio Engineering Emmanuel College, Cambridge

Nina del Ser Natural Sciences Trinity College, Cambridge

Daria Deluermoz Biomedical Engineering King’s College London

Chaitanya Desai Business, Management & Entrepreneurship Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California

Toby Dix IT Management for Business with Industrial Placement University of Exeter

Caroline Doddrell International Relations London School of Economics

Kathryn Dodds Natural Sciences Churchill College, Cambridge

Phoebe Dyer Economics with Hispanic Studies University of Nottingham

Mofeyifoluwa Edun Liberal Arts Harvard University

Elizabeth Elton Education Studies (English Studies) Durham University

Jack Ferguson Modern Languages and European Studies University of Bath

Alessandro Ferrari Law University College London

Kaylee Finn-Henry The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania

Sufiyah Fitzgerald Law University of Bristol

Max Fry Geography with Business University of Nottingham

Tiffany Fung Medicine Robinson College, Cambridge

Emily Galvin History Newnham College, Cambridge

Alice Geradine Marine Geography Cardiff University

Oliver Gibson Physical Education with QTS University of Brighton

Natalia Gonzalez-Morales Russian Studies and English Literature University of Edinburgh

Isabel Goodman Modern and Medieval Languages Homerton College, Cambridge

Elizaveta Grushina Engineering Business Management University of Warwick

Aman Gupta Combined Honours in Social Sciences Durham University

Jennifer Hack Modern and Medieval Languages Newnham College, Cambridge

Bethany Hall Veterinary Science University of Liverpool

Felix Hammett Medicine University of Sheffield

Amelia Hammond Psychology University of Bath

Oliver Heighton Law London School of Economics

Pauline Helly d’Angelin English Law and French Law King’s College London

Deanna Hetherington Architecture University of Manchester

LEAVERS



Alexander Hill History University of Exeter

Harry Hobbs Geography (Science) University of Exeter

Matthew Holden Chemical Engineering University of Birmingham

James Holland Medicine University of Birmingham

Jessica Hui Science Research Fellowship Columbia University

Emma Hulston Geography University of Nottingham

Toby Hunt History University of Exeter

Thalia Hutcheson English Literature Durham University

Nicholas Ingram Biochemistry with Industrial/Professional Experience University of Manchester

Maria Isaacson Neuroscience University of Sussex

Adam Ismail Law St Catherine’s College, Oxford

Alexandra Isong Mechanical Engineering University of Bristol

Tilly Jacob Medicine Hull York Medical School

Sophie Jenner Medicine University of Bristol

Ecem Karaman Management Science University College London

Fenella Keevil Geography Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge

John Kendrick Chemistry University of York

Rahil Khemani Liberal Arts Chicago University

Joy Kibaki International Relations King’s College London

Harriet Kildahl Maastricht Science Programme Maastricht University

Benjamin Kitson Chemical Engineering University of Bath

Frederik Kohl Business University of Mannheim

Ethan Kok Law Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Maximilian Kotz Natural Sciences Robinson College, Cambridge

Madeleine Kowitz Psychology University College London

Hans Lam Chemistry and Management Imperial College London

Alex Lantos Environmental Policy with Economics London School of Economics

Tat Lee The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania

Jessica Li Veterinary Medicine Robinson College, Cambridge

Rachel Lillie Geography University of Bristol

Yi Jia Loh Psychology University College London

Jonathan Man Renewable Energy University of Exeter

John Martin Mechanical Engineering University of Bath

Helena Maybury English Literature University of Warwick

Freya Maynard History Homerton College, Cambridge

Caroline McMenamin Law Durham University

Selvaggia Messi Liberal Arts New York University

Nikolas Miranthis Mathematics Imperial College London

George Moore Biochemistry University of St Andrews

Catherine Morris Combined Honours in Social Sciences Durham University



Matilda Morris-Jones Psychology University of St Andrews

Ben Moverley Smith Natural Sciences University College London

Bongi Munatsi Liberal Arts University of Southern California

Deepika Narayan War Studies and History King’s College London

Claire Nesbitt Chemistry Magdalen College, Oxford

Alexandra Neufeld Medicine University of Heidelberg-Mannheim

Katherine Nickols Liberal Arts Bryn Mawr College

Emily Norley Psychology University of Sussex

Christopher Norris French and Management King’s College London

Edward Oliver Medical Physiology and Therapeutics University of Nottingham

Christopher Olley Physics with a Year in Europe Imperial College London

Samuel Parker Modern and Medieval Languages Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge

Eliza Parr Law St Peter’s College, Oxford

Taran Patel Mechanical Engineering Imperial College London

Eashan Patel Medicine University of East Anglia

Georgia Pearson Political Science and Economics McGill University

Julia Pinchuk Liberal Arts McGill University

Azure Prior Geography University of Exeter

Frances Ramji Chemistry Durham University

Katherine Reade History Durham University

Julia Reading Combined Honours in Arts Durham University

Elizabeth Reeves Classics Jesus College, Cambridge

Serene Reza Law SOAS, University of London

Emma Louise Rixhon Philosophy and History of Art University College London

Alesi Rowland Psychology University of Bristol

Greta Sallusti Liberal Arts Boston University

Hannah Sands English Homerton College, Cambridge

Aditi Satija Biology Imperial College London

Manuel Seiters PPE University of Warwick

Kamil Shaydullin Politics and Sociology University of Warwick

Sophie Simpson Law Durham University

Sarah Skulczuk Geography University of Leeds

Christopher Spedding Engineering with Foundation Year University of Southampton

Oliver Spence Medicine University of Southampton

Zena Stead Biochemistry Imperial College London

Olivia Storey Law Durham University

Victoria Strutt Materials Science St Anne’s College, Oxford

Keyu Sumaria Modern Language Plus University College London

Danial Syed Mokhtar Shah Management University of Warwick

Jason Tang Liberal Arts University of California, Berkley

LEAVERS



Miyu Tarumi Liberal Arts Duke University

Leonard Taylor Biology University of Bath

Oscar Thewlis Business Management University of Birmingham

Edward Thomas Modern Languages Durham University

James Thomas Natural Sciences University of Bath

Patrick Thompson History Magdalen College, Oxford

Carla Troyas Engineering Trinity College, Cambridge

Leyre Troyas Engineering St John’s College, Cambridge

Ben Tyrrell Business Economics University of Leicester

Tabitha Urban International Relations King’s College London

Hans van Daele European Social and Political Studies University College London

Gabrielle van den Hoek Liberal Arts Dartmouth College

Francesca Vernon Classics Corpus Christi College, Oxford

Theresa von Boetticher Law University of Heidelberg

Jule Waehning Arts and Sciences University College London

William Warren Modern Languages Durham University

Ben Warwick-Champion Electrical and Electronic Engineering University of Bath

Anna Watkins Combined Honours in Arts Durham University

Alistair Webb Psychology University College London

Oliver Webster Natural Sciences Clare College, Cambridge

William White Biochemistry and Genetics University of Sheffield

Frederick Williams Mechanical Engineering University of Bath

Callaghan Wilmott Mechanical Engineering McGill University

Eleanor Winch Combined Honours in Social Sciences Durham University

Florentina Winkelmann Biochemistry Imperial College London

William Wood Liberal Arts King’s College London

Jeremy Yao Economics and Economic History London School of Economics

Samir Yep-Manzano Medicine Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge


LEAVERS

Harith Bahren

Xander Bastin

Violet Bennett

Christiana Bickley

Will Bilton

Rex Boulter

Simon Bowes

Natasha Brandt

Sarika Breeze

Alexandre Cheneviere

Brandon Cheong

Meggy Court

Megan Critchlow

Arthur Davison

Robbie Edwards

Natasha Farrant

Julia Ganis

Oskar Goodwille

Saul Greenhalgh

Philip Gull

Daisy Hale

Jake Harley-Pile

Roberto Hofmann

Katy Hollings

Hanna Jay

Bernard Lee

Laura Looi

Filippo Marangoni

Abigail McKnight

Derrick Metuh

Firoz Mistry

Matthew Payne

Isabelle Piper

Alexander Robbins

Sienna Rothery

David Scotland

Harry Smith

Caitlin Stevens

Isla Stevens

Michael Thompson

Jay Trevor

Annabel Turnbull

Anton Volkov

Alastair Walczak

Abdulla Zaman

GAP YEAR 2014

FEATURES

FEATURES10

A YEAR IN THE ART DEPARTMENT

A spirit of collaborative creativity in which pupils are encouraged to find their own voice.Secondary school art departments are strange beasts; one never quite knows the nature of them before visiting. We had a major refurbishment over the summer which left in its wake a brilliantly lit, pristine white shell. The pupils thus returned to be confronted with a space devoid of any art or colour. The concept, however, was simple: to maximise wall space so that ambitious work could be created for much of the year, whilst retaining the possibility of stripping everything back to form a contemporary exhibition space. The recent IB assessment exhibition (seen in some of the photos here) demonstrated that taking the time to consider where best to hang a piece of art can greatly enhance its power. The Upper Sixth were single-minded in presenting their work in a very personal way; some painted the walls of their exhibition area in a restrained grey, while one candidate decided that a shocking pink wall was an appropriate backdrop for her work.

10


Whilst a classy gallery space is essential, the bread and butter of the department’s work is producing artwork to exhibit. Sixth Form pupils work in dedicated studio spaces to make their art. This means that they can they come and go as their time allows, and by seeing their work develop on the wall better reflect upon and benefit from passing remarks made by those that pass through the studios. This year, one such voice has been that of Michael O’Reilly, our Artist in Residence. Fresh from completing his MA at the Royal Academy Schools, Michael joined the department with the brief to maintain and develop his creative practice alongside our pupils in the hope that they could feed off his creativity. His studio space quickly became the venue for a spectacularly prolific output of joyously coloured paintings. His pupils soon warmed to his immediately apparent enthusiasm for painting. An exhibition in The Space in the Lent term showcased examples of his work and provided opportunities for great insight into the creative process. Michael has been running the Lower School Art Club which quickly outgrew the single studio initially allocated and now spreads itself across three studios.

Michael is not the only artist to visit the department. Over the course of the year, Joshua Vaughan, a final year Fine Art student at the City & Guilds London School of Art, has been working on a series of sculptures for the school campus. The concept began with Joshua asking a Year 9 class to draw maps of the routes they follow around school on a daily basis. The resultant drawings were scaled up and cut out from large sheets of steel. The intricate, varied and boldly coloured sculptures were installed over the summer. Our own pupils’ work has also been displayed beyond the confines of the department. The Sevenoaks offices of the estate agent Savills has been displaying a large abstract painting by Zoe Dawson, the first of a new venture that will see work exhibited on a rotation system. Zoe also had a hand in initiating a new student-led magazine, Framed, to showcase art by pupils, the first issue of which was circulated in the Michaelmas term.

One of the key aims of the department is to allow pupils to find their own creative ‘voice’. To this end, we have expanded the range of processes and techniques available to pupils. The challenging but endlessly rich process of printmaking has developed a popular following and pupils are now able to pursue traditional techniques such as relief wood and linocuts, and intaglio processes including hard ground etching, aquatint and collagraphy. Our large Rochat press is in constant use and is well supported by a full range of digital processes so that pupils can extend and refine traditional techniques with state-of-the-art digital equipment. The arrival of Emma Delpech as a full-time member of staff has invigorated ceramics within the department and pupils have enjoyed a wide range of daring, experimental approaches. Film-making and photography continue to enjoy great interest and pupils benefit from specialist teachers in both areas, allowing for a great deal of individual tuition.

Another new process is that of mosaic making. A competition was held for designs for a new piece of work on the fountain in front of Old School. The winners were Larissa Castellano and Daisy Hargreaves who collaborated on their designs. A group of Year 10 and Year 11 pupils installed the mosaic with the help of a professional mosaic artist. Looking to the future, we hope that this spirit of collaborative creativity will lead to the creation of more works of art about the campus.

Charley Openshaw

Previous page:

St Andrew Undershaft

by Rory Alexander

This page: IB artwork by

Larissa Castellano

FEATURES12

ART SKETCHBOOKS

12

Sketchbooks are used as a vital creative tool to explore and experiment with ideas, materials and processes. Pupils document their progress and respond to works of art in independent and varied

ways. Ideas are conceived, considered, rejected and pursued. These living, working books act as a lasting record of paths not taken and creative opportunities seized.


Left to right: Sketchbooks and

finished works by Cornelia Bentsen

(Year 11), Juhi James (Year 11),

Eleanor Winch (Upper Sixth)

FEATURES14

SEVENOAKS SCHOOL CERTIFICATES IN ART AND ART HISTORY

Two new courses were introduced to the Art department in September. The new Middle School Art course allows pupils to gain a structured understanding of a wide range of processes and approaches to producing informed, personal and ambitious work. The emphasis initially is on gaining a broad base of transferrable skills. In time, pupils use these skills to develop their own personal portfolios of work through experimentation, investigation and reference to masters both old and modern.

Pupils are encouraged to follow personal passions. For example, if a pupil is excited about the creative potential of digital photography, they have the freedom to concentrate their efforts in this particular area. This Sevenoaks School Certificate course differs from the GCSE mainly in its structure. For example, there is no artificial time-pressured exam; rather, pupils have the scope and time to explore their ideas over sustained periods without the anxiety of externally imposed

deadlines. The aim is to raise the bar in terms of the ambition and independence of what Middle School pupils can achieve with their creative projects.

The new Sevenoaks School Certificate Art History course aims to equip candidates with rudimentary knowledge about the journey art has taken over many centuries through to the present day. Additionally, students will complete the course with the ability to describe and thoughtfully analyse any given painting, sculpture or building in an informed manner. It is hoped that being articulate and informed about the visual arts is not only an invaluable educational skill but also an enrichment that will bring lifelong rewards. Pupils study a very varied programme of works of art. Discussion is encouraged and an emphasis is placed on independent response. Ultimately, candidates become curators of virtual galleries, so that they can digitally select works of art to discuss and illustrate themes, ideas and periods of personal enthusiasm.

Both courses offer a unique opportunity for both teachers and pupils to go well beyond the boundaries set by conventional GCSE courses. The freedom they offer represents a tremendous opportunity for the production of creative work which is ambitious, personal and deeply thoughtful.

Charley Openshaw

The Sevenoaks Middle School Curriculum, which includes the Sevenoaks School Certificate courses, is designed to be both academically exciting and intellectually ambitious. We are updating and reshaping the curriculum from a shared set of values and skills prized by parents, teachers and employers. As well as serving as preparation for the IB Diploma Programme in the Sixth Form, the study skills developed in the Middle School will serve our students at university and beyond.

Raising the bars of artistic ambition and independence.


ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

In September 2013 painter Michael O’Reilly joined Sevenoaks School as Artist in Residence.

Over the last academic year I have been working at the school as Artist in Residence. I am from Cleveland, North Yorkshire, and studied painting at Wimbledon College of Art, where I received a BA Honours (first) in Fine Art. After this I was accepted onto the intense three-year postgraduate programme at the Royal Academy of Art. Being there opened opportunities to work with students from primary schools right through to undergraduate level. I wanted to give back some of the fantastic input I had received while studying at the Royal Academy. Working at Sevenoaks has meant that I can continue to develop my own practice as well as being involved in inspiring students with their art.

The fact that Sevenoaks endorses an Artist in Residence position demonstrates its sincerity in promoting the arts. It reflects an ambitious Art department that seeks to give students a practical insight into the contemporary art world. They are given the opportunity to learn about the daily activities that constitute artistic practice and they are able to see first-hand how essential self-discipline is to an artist, even one in the early stages of their career. This can range from painting in the studio, setting up for an exhibition, preparing canvases, documenting work, researching, writing statements and applications, or meeting with collectors, curators and other artists.

FEATURES16

When I was at school I had very little tuition on technical processes, methods and materials – this really began when I entered higher education. Having worked with paint specialists, including conservators from the Tate, I am now eager to share what I have learnt with students, so they can be better equipped at an earlier stage in their artistic development. Being part of the contemporary art world allows me to point students toward current artists and exhibitions for their research. Over break, lunch and art club time the students and I sometimes chat about one another’s work in a positive working environment. By giving them what are hopefully helpful tips and ideas, I encourage them to communicate their thoughts. Working within the framework of a school timetable brings to my mind busy lessons, moments of calm at break time, studious commitment during term and the eager anticipation that precedes the holidays. The relationships between these moments have

pervaded my paintings as I think through the significance of palm trees, hammocks, beehives and outdoor toil.

I am deeply appreciative of the teaching experience I have gained while leading projects as varied as ‘Op art’ and ‘Victorian Natural History dioramas’. Assisting with lessons spurs me to try out processes like print and ceramics. I’ve begun making distorted mugs and applying paintings with glaze, because sometimes the future of a painting I’m working on seems to hinge on taking a coffee break! As I sip my coffee I consider what to do next. I find that I am becoming more thoughtful and attentive. My practice is flourishing both practically and theoretically here at Sevenoaks. It can all be attributed to being in green space away from London, having use of the department’s superb facilities and being immersed in such an enthusiastic environment.

Michael O’Reilly www.michaeloreilly.co.uk

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE


The Recital Room was transformed into a vibrant display of colours and shapes in June as artwork from Michael O’Reilly’s Year 9 and 10 students was showcased around the room, and even onto the floor in front of the stage. Igor Stravinsky’s 1910 ballet score The Firebird, and the myth surrounding this magical creature, had provided inspiration for these works, as well as eight student composers from my Composers’ Corner. Having heard The Firebird in its full orchestral version at Cadogan Hall earlier in the term, the young composers had been working on brand new pieces of their own, and they were fortunate enough to hear a group of professional musicians rehearsing and performing their pieces in a workshop, followed by a concert. These new pieces were framed magnificently by a performance of the fiendishly difficult piano version of Stravinsky’s original piece by Christopher Atkinson.

Chris Roe

THE MYTH OF THE FIREBIRD

Student Composers and Artists unite to tell the ‘Myth of the Firebird’.

FEATURES18

How was it that, under Bob White, the Art Room nurtured so many very successful creative professionals in the 1970s and 1980s? Andrew Burton, artist and Professor of Fine Art at Newcastle University, recently wrote to me: ‘When I remember Sevenoaks, it is certainly the Art department I think of first of all. There was a wonderfully relaxed and yet rigorous atmosphere, more akin to being at art school than at secondary school. There is no doubt that the art staff, Bob White, you and Jim Hornsby treated us like adults, and expected commensurate behaviour in return. It was a creative place, and one was encouraged to pursue one’s individual creativity in an energetic and ambitious way. It’s quite amazing that we

THE ART ROOM EFFECT

were able to construct little dens, private studios with all the trappings these bring. This all makes it sound too informal and laid-back, but it wasn’t – somehow an ethos of being an artist was inculcated.’

Film maker and OS Adam Curtis, interviewed on Film Comment by Chris Darke in 2011, said the following:

‘Darke: Wikipedia tells me something about your schooldays and the Art Room at Sevenoaks School in Kent. You’re named down along with future luminaries of Gang of Four and the Mekons... and [Paul] Greengrass… So were you all knocking around together, listening to the same music, imbibing the same cultural ideas?

‘Curtis: No, we all had very different tastes. But basically, this happens in schools, there was a very good art master who dominated that art room and

Seeing all pupils as creative beings; the Art Room of the late twentieth century.


used it as a space to protect people he thought could be encouraged. It was just a very, very good space to romp around in, both in terms of art but also content. What I learnt from Bob White was that art and content are indivisible. He introduced me to Robert Rauschenberg, the painter, whom I was really interested in, who’s always been a big influence. So he was a really good teacher and…you see the same influence in the experimentation of [the guitarist and music producer] Andy Gill.’

In 1965 the Art department staff consisted of Bob White, his wife and an ever-open door opposite the Little Theatre. But the department soon moved on to its present location and continued to reform, as did the school. Provision for the recruitment of talented local children was an important factor too and Paul Greengrass was certainly one of this number. I also remember reading in The Alternative Guide to Public Schools at the time that Sevenoaks School was a place preferred by parents from arts and media professions. This idea was certainly supported by attendance figures at Founder’s Day art shows, which were frequented by large numbers of parents, friends and teachers from other schools engaged in art talk, long after everyone else had departed.

Bob White taught at Sevenoaks for 37 years. He had been exceptionally gifted as a youngster, being admitted to The Slade from Ardingly College at the age of 16, and he saw all pupils as creative beings. The widest range of opportunity was

offered, so that those who avoided a paintbrush could use a camera or clay. Standards were high in every area. The darkroom was never quiet; students printed their photographs whilst listening to anything from Prokofiev to punk. The TV studio was often completely silent by contrast, and within this space students could learn a number of video and audio production roles with Jim Hornsby, who taught at the school during the 1970s. I ran the ceramics studio which was busy before assembly and still going at dusk. Life class took place on Thursday evenings for staff, parents, friends and pupils who crowded into the TV studio with a model who usually defended her personal space and dignity with stoicism. As the staffing expanded further, Bob recruited artists, believing that they offered a cutting edge that teachers might not have. Even the technician was a creative presence.

There was further expansion when Bob experimented with a seventh term Sixth Form Foundation Course and craftsmen in residence, in conjunction with the Crafts Council. These ranged from a weaver and a guitar maker, to a photographer, blacksmith and green wood furniture maker. By 1983, the faculty was confident in a full range of subjects from Art & Design to Architecture and Design Technology. It is not surprising that Sevenoaks students’ work became increasingly interdisciplinary, as exemplified in the work of Simon Starling (OS 1986), who won the Tate’s Turner Prize in 2005.

There are large numbers of Old Sennockians from this era who have not become household names, of course, but who have developed and practised their art in their work to this day. The list extends to every kind of creative profession. I hope I have shown here how contemporary culture coincided vibrantly with the ethos of a confident independent school which was harnessing the expertise of the best possible artist teachers. The great extent to which these teachers were able to effectively communicate their passion and skills to receptive and dedicated students allows us to refer to their experiences as ‘the Art Room effect’.

Chris Thomas Teacher of Art 1976-1983; Head of Art 1999-2012

FEATURES20

OLD SENNOCKIAN ARTISTS

JOHN COPPINGER

John Coppinger (OS 1966) has worked in museums, television and the British Film industry, primarily as a sculptor and designer. This has also involved mould making, painting, prop making and the occasional cameo performances as a Wookiee Senator, a stand-in mummy or the eyes of Jabba the Hutt!

My time at Sevenoaks School was an extraordinary privilege; especially being witness to its transformation by LC (Kim) Taylor. I particularly remember Mr Taylor taking time to help me personally: I wanted to study both Arts and Sciences at A-level and he tried to make that possible. Halfway through the course I switched from science to the arts and encountered no little confusion. At that point I was rescued by Bob White, the Head of Art, who encouraged me to make sculpture and actively helped me with art college applications and career advice.

Armed with a Diploma in Art and Design from Saint Martin’s School of Art, I won a post as a scientific model maker at London’s Natural History Museum, working directly with scientists and exploring new artistic methods and materials. This was ideal training for the new field of Animatronics when Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal began hiring in the UK. A golden age of make-up effects followed; giving me the chance to work on major films and characters. My two favourites (beauty and the beast!) have to be the Diva, from The Fifth Element, and Jabba the Hutt in Star Wars Episode VI: The Return of the Jedi. In recent years my partner, Nicole, and I have made props for the Royal Institution Christmas lectures; a fascinating and theatrical synergy between art and science.

I count my time at Sevenoaks and the influence of Kim Taylor, Bob White, several other masters and my friends as the most fortunate start in both life and work.

Jabba the Hutt colour sketch

approved by George Lucas


LUCY COUSINS

Lucy Cousins (OS 1982) is an illustrator and author. After leaving Sevenoaks, she studied art at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate level at Canterbury College, Brighton University and the Royal College of Art. Her Maisy Mouse books have seen worldwide success, and in 2006 Maisy appeared on Royal Mail and US Postal Services stamps. Lucy’s awards include the Bologna Ragazzi Non-Fiction Prize 1997, the National Art Illustration Award 1997 (Highly Commended) and the Smarties Book Prize in 2002.

In 1990, I created a children’s book with a character called Maisy. Since then I have written and illustrated many more books about Maisy as well as several other books, which have been translated into 27 languages.

I wanted to be an artist from as early as I can remember. When I joined the Sixth Form in 1980 the Art department was a revelation, a dream. It was, in my opinion, the place to be. I loved the buzz of the creative, interesting and occasionally rebellious people who gathered there. At my previous school art had not been considered an important subject, but at Sevenoaks, Bob White,

who ran the Art department, made it a truly inspirational place. As well as developing my drawing and painting, I was introduced to the delights of silk-screen and lino printing, sculpture, photography, mural painting, graphic design, pottery and weaving. Bob would set us a project every couple of weeks, with widely varying themes, and then our work would be put on the wall for one of Bob’s ‘crits’. Earning praise from Bob White was one of my main ambitions.

Bob’s projects were great. Each A-level pupil had to paint a large mural in the Sixth Form Common Room. We made sculptures for the driveway on Founder’s Day. Silk-screen prints covered the walls. I have just been looking at some of the work I kept from my school days, and rediscovered a poster I designed for a school production of Lark Rise to Candleford, and another for a recital of 18th century flute music.

I loved being an art student, and went on to spend six years at art college, taking a foundation course at Canterbury, a degree in graphic design at Brighton and an MA at the Royal College of Art. I was at the RCA when I first created a children’s book, about a penguin, and found what I really wanted to be doing. A college project to make a flap book later became the first ‘Maisy’ book.

I work in my studio at home, and that has given me the flexibility to muddle through bringing up my four children, managed only with the support of my partner, Stephen Rock (OS 1982), whom I first met, aged 16, at Sevenoaks School.

FEATURES22

JONATHAN LLOYD

Jonathan Lloyd (OS 1981) is a painter, printmaker and former ice sculptor. He was selected for the 2013 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and again this year with two woodcuts based on Uccello’s Rout of San Romano. He made brief forays out of ice retirement in 2012 and 2013 to win the London International Ice Sculpting Competition with Piers Griffin.

I joined the Sixth Form in 1979 on a scholarship, with no clear idea for my future but a nagging doubt that I had chosen the wrong combination of subjects. It soon became apparent that I had no interest or aptitude for Business Studies so I contrived ways to spend as much time in the Art Room as possible. Bob White gave me the chance to switch to A-level Art and without hesitation I made my bid for freedom. The idea was roundly rejected by the Head and my Housemaster, but it was my Physics teacher, Ken Crowther, who became instrumental in my eventual success by encouraging me to dig my heels in. He always took an interest in what I was doing and I regard him as the most influential of my teachers at Sevenoaks.

I went on to study Fine Art at Maidstone and like many of my fellow graduates have had to face stark choices about how to fund my chosen path. With parenthood looming there was mounting pressure to get a proper job and I reluctantly found myself working in an ice sculpture factory in rural Kent. Controversially, I brought a new approach of tight composition to an industry that was still dominated by pastry chefs and stylistically parked in the 1970s. I was soon poached by the more forward-thinking Ice Box in London to train a team of sculptors and they gave me a remarkable amount of artistic freedom to develop ways of carving which were as much about engineering as draughtsmanship. We used all our skills to make things look simple and for our competitors this was an equation that didn’t compute; you had to come to The Ice Box to learn it.

Ten years working in a freezer was enough though; I longed to get back to painting and in 2004 we uprooted from Benenden with three young children to move to Northumberland and escape the clutches of a lucrative career. My focus (or affliction) is and always has been painting, but it’s taken over 30 years to gain any real traction in this field. My Headmaster’s scepticism was essentially well-founded, but he also understood the inherent value of stubborn determination.

www.jplloyd.co.uk


© Bernard Pretorius

Above: Jonathan Lloyd

with Icarus

Below: Woodcuts after

Uccello’s Rout of San Romano


SIMON STARLING

Simon Starling (OS 1986) is a conceptual artist. After leaving Sevenoaks, he studied photography and art at Maidstone College of Art, Trent Polytechnic Nottingham and Glasgow School of Art. In 2005 he won the Turner Prize for Shedboatshed, which involved taking a wooden shed, turning it into a boat, sailing it down the Rhine, then turning it back into a shed. His work can be seen in galleries across the world.

For me the Sevenoaks School Art department was all about feeling connected to the wider world, the world beyond the parking lot panorama of the semi-subterranean Art Room. Those connections came primarily through three fantastic members of staff who were the driving force behind the department.

There was the charismatic and somewhat aloof Bob White, the then Head of Department, whose straggly long hair and well-lived-in face were alone enough to make an aspiring teenage artist feel somehow connected – connected to what, you were perhaps never quite sure. What we did know was that Bob’s son was in a fantastically cool band and that he had an ‘art practice’ above and beyond his teaching position.

Top left: Autoxylopyrocycloboros,

2006. A self-consuming boat.

38 colour transparencies (6 x 7),

Götschmann medium format

slide projector, flight case.

Top right: Phantom Ride, 2013,

HD video projection (loop),

Tate Britain

Then there was the mercurial Simon Evans, a part-time DJ, folk music fan and morris dancer, who ran the photographic darkrooms. Photography has always been central to my activities as an artist but over and above that, Simon opened up a whole world of grassroots culture to me, the complexity and depth of which was a revelation.

Finally, and no doubt most significantly, my time at Sevenoaks was most deeply marked by the arrival of a young and extraordinarily gifted and energetic teacher, Graham Coupe. Graham, who came pretty much fresh from studying at London’s Goldsmiths College, was hugely influential on me, opening up a range of possibilities, constantly pushing new books under my nose, tipping me off about the best exhibitions to see in London and perhaps most importantly, making me feel that my interests really mattered, that they shouldn’t be understood as peripheral or extra-curricular. With his openness, generosity and sense of excitement, Graham, I think, also taught me how to teach – something that has also been important to my development as an artist in recent years. With this team behind me, I was able to handle the move into the socially and politically more complex realm of art education with a degree of confidence and conviction.

FEATURES24

CELIA PYM

Celia Pym (OS 1996) is an artist working with knitting, darning and embroidery. She recently exhibited in No Excuse For What I Do In Private at Delicious Spectacle in Washington DC, Cloth & Memory {2} at Salts Mill, Saltaire and in UFO: Unfinished Object Project Administration at Prick Your Finger in Bethnal Green. She teaches part-time and runs workshops with ReachOutRCA at the Royal College of Art.

I am making a series of plaid drawings at the moment. These are daily drawings, made with Tria Marker felt pens (a lovely brand from Japan that produce really saturated colour). I make them by laying down horizontal lines and then vertical lines on top, looking for the colour combinations that occur when the colours cross. They are quite slow to make, deceptively easy and really fun. They are an excellent exercise for seeing and feeling colour.

I was making similar drawings when I was a student at Sevenoaks School, so that’s where the roots of these drawings stem from. I realise too that they remind me of learning to make windings for weavings. Lesley Millar taught weaving at Sevenoaks and the weaving studio was one of my favourite places to be when I was there. I joined Sevenoaks School in the Sixth Form. I really wanted to go to Sevenoaks because of their Art department, which looked messy and exciting to me. Ollie Barratt was Head of Art and a brilliant teacher. Discovering the weaving studio and Lesley was an amazing and added bonus. What both Lesley and Ollie modelled was a way of living as an artist. You could work late, play music, do life drawing and I learnt that you can work in a serious but playful way.

I went on to study sculpture and then completed an MA in textiles at the RCA. I loved my time at Sevenoaks, and have maintained close relationships with both Ollie and Lesley, and continue to feel supported by them. Some of my work was included in a remarkable exhibition Lesley curated last year, Cloth & Memory {2}.

www.celiapym.com


Top left: Vermont (2011), wool;

top right: Mended Norwegian

Sweater (2010), damaged

sweater from Annemor Sundbo’s

Ragpile Collection, wool darning,

(photograph by Michele Panzeri).


GOING ON TO STUDY ART: JOSHUA HENSHAW

When I left Sevenoaks I feared that I would never again receive such imaginative and inspiring teaching; I was wrong. You may read in the press about the lack of interest that university teachers have in their undergraduates, but the University of Nottingham, and specifically their Art History Department, gave me the three greatest years of my academic life. There are perhaps many suppositions about what a degree in Art History is. What it is not is a degree that simply looks at pretty paintings, as some detractors would have it. Granted we are exposed to some magnificent works of art, but it is also a degree that equips all its participants with a rigorously analytical approach to thinking and creative problem-solving, with a focus on the value of written and spoken communication. The strength of the Art History Department at Nottingham University is its lecturers, who are not only highly regarded in their academic field but also exceptional teachers who understand how to bridge the gap between school and university.

Alongside my passion for the Italian Renaissance I have been introduced to a variety of periods, mediums and artistic theories, all of which have added to my knowledge and stretched my intellect. In a world where students are required to pay such large tuition fees it is tempting to pursue a more obviously vocational route, or to assume that a degree in Art History will only lead to work in a gallery or museum. While for some art historians this is the case, others of us have chosen to use the skills that the degree has offered us in a wide range of ways. I therefore have decided to stay at Nottingham and to read for an MSc in Entrepreneurship. I can already see many ways in which I can synthesise my interest in Art History, and the skills it has taught me, with my forthcoming MSc.

Joshua Henshaw

Joshua left Sevenoaks in 2010. He studied Art History at Nottingham University from 2011 to 2014 and has begun an MSc in Entrepreneurship.

FEATURES26

Three Sevenoaks School pupils were recognised in this year’s Royal Academy A-level Summer Exhibition Online; one of the greatest accolades in the art world for students aged 16-18.


SELECTED BY THE ROYAL ACADEMY

American Hedonists by Olivia Storey (Upper Sixth) was one of the 36 works selected for the Royal Academy A-level Summer Exhibition Online winners’ gallery, while two Lower Sixth students saw their work shortlisted among 70 commended entries: Isabel Law’s collagraph print Human and Rory Alexander’s linocut St Andrew Undershaft.

These pieces were among 1280 submissions from 361 schools, prepared by student artists aged 16-18 studying for A-level, IB, Higher or BTEC. Works are entered from all over the UK and showcase a rich variety of styles and media, from drawing and video to sculpture, prints, photography and painting. The A-level Summer Exhibition Online coincides with the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, and having one’s work chosen is one of the greatest accolades in the art world of this age group.

Below are Olivia’s reflections on her work and her reaction to being selected for the exhibition.

The painting American Gothic by Grant Wood has always interested me as I always had lots of questions about the work like: Who are the people? Where are they? Why do they look so sombre? Are they married? How are they related? Therefore, when presented with the theme of identity and the challenge of recreating a well-known painting, I decided to take the opportunity to impose my own identity on this piece. My passion aside from art is free skiing, which involves risk-taking, creativity and a certain hedonistic quality. The stark contrast between the worlds of the farmer and his daughter in Wood’s painting, and those of the vibrant and crazy world of free skiing appeared to be the perfect contrast, and almost crazy enough to work. It is no secret that American Gothic is one of the most parodied paintings in the world, but I have never been a person that has overtly tried to be different, just for the sake of being different. Personally I feel proud of this piece as it indirectly shows a part of me and above all, it was fun to paint and I believe it is quite fun to look at too.

Olivia Storey, Upper Sixth

alevel.royalacademy.org.uk

Left: Human, Isabel Law.

Collagraph

Top right: St Andrew Undershaft,

Rory Alexander. Linocut

Bottom right: American

Hedonists, Olivia Storey

Oil, canvas

FEATURES28

Art is at the core of all that I do. It is my job, my passion, my experience of the world around me. I respond visually; I’m stressed therefore I must paint, I’m bored therefore I must draw, I’m excited therefore I must carve. I discuss the work my students are making and reflect on what the work suggests and on how it may be received. To be moved and challenged and to obsess about art on a weekly, daily and moment-by-moment basis is something which I feel able to share enthusiastically with my students.

REFLECTIONS ON A FIRST YEAR AT SEVENOAKS

This is something I have also noticed in Sevenoaks School’s Art department since I joined in September 2013. My colleagues are passionate about their individual areas of expertise. My students are enthusiastic, dynamic and articulate. Both groups are generally keen on culture, the visual image and a good debate. This makes for rich and exciting lessons in which I have been delighted with the students’ ability to clearly articulate their views on the power of the image in the world around them. This is a world where being able to communicate on a visual level is a massive advantage.

My Sixth Form students are engaged in a wide variety of experiments with materials. They are bold and thoughtful. Whilst one is philosophical, using delicate transparent and opaque fibres to represent the modern preoccupation with overpopulated cityscapes, another is building a semi-abstract figure combining human and architectural forms. There is a genuine sense of the pleasure of making and the joy of being the creator. This evolution of ideas is based on a response to the work of artists, but could potentially progress to become independent, dynamic, experimental and ambitious.

At the other end of the school I have seen my Year 7 and 8 students building on their knowledge of a range of materials and techniques. Students here are very busy. But it appears to be an enjoyable, fulfilling and rich world in which these young people learn and contribute. Their views are often entertaining, their brains full of ideas, and they know that they matter. They are the artists, economists, politicians, lawyers, surgeons of the future. Working with these young people is a privilege. Guiding them creatively is an experience which impacts hugely on my own work. Whilst this is a new chapter in my teaching career, I feel sure that it will be a very happy one, and I hope that I will be able to bring out the best in my students, for I know that, simultaneously, they affect my work and creativity.

Emma Delpech

‘Go and make interesting mistakes, make amazing mistakes, make glorious and fantastic mistakes. Break rules. Leave the world more interesting for your being here. Make. Good. Art.’Neil Gaiman

‘Art is literacy of the heart’ Elliot Eisner

Angels and Lumens

by Emma Delpech

SPOTLIGHTS

SPOTLIGHTS30

FOUNDER’S DAY

This year’s Founder’s Day was a celebration of service and its vital place in the school curriculum.

The Head, Katy Ricks, opened the proceedings by recalling some of the ‘random acts of kindness’ that have helped in the development of the school over the years, from the provision of a shark’s skull to the Park Grange estate. These generous donations are today echoed in the actions of our own students who give time and effort to fundraising, and make such an important contribution to our many service initiatives. The Head then introduced the guest speaker Tim Child (OS 1981), who presented the awards to this year’s prizewinners.

Tim Child is Chief Executive of the Optima Energy Group. He has worked tirelessly for homeless charities in the UK, including Crisis and Deptford Reach. Mr Child began by remembering his own Speech Day of 1981 and the breadth of education that he enjoyed at Sevenoaks. Noting happily that the soul of the school has not changed in the last 33 years, he applauded the 18,000 hours of service that the students complete every year. He then painted a harrowing picture of what it means to be homeless, exhorting the audience never to forget

how lucky they are. Describing his own efforts in modest terms, he acknowledged that he felt uncomfortable with the term ‘philanthropy’, although he approved of its etymology from the Greek, meaning love of our fellow man. With such an attitude, he reminded us, we can all do ‘our own little bit’ to change the world for the better. Mr Child finished his powerful speech by recalling one particular foundling from 600 years ago, William Sevenoke, who gratefully gave something back to his own community by establishing a school and almshouses. And that, he concluded, is why we are all here today.

The final address was given by Nicholas Gould, the Chairman of Governors. Mr Gould thanked Mr Child and expressed his gratitude to all members of the school, before describing some of the exciting plans for the future of the school campus. He then congratulated the Head on the imminent award of her doctorate, before closing the proceedings to enjoy the entertainment and a buffet lunch.

Andy Waldron


This was the culmination of six months’ work to provide a new Lower School social area, replacing the old YoungSox common room and Meeting House, introducing improved seating in the Little Theatre, and providing an open-air play area. Additional facilities in the new Common Room include a large flat screen and, outside, a surfaced area for football, basketball or netball, a terrace area for benches and an outdoor table-tennis table.

At the official opening ceremony, the Chairman of Governors and the Head addressed the assembled gathering of Lower School students and tutors. Musical entertainment was provided by Alex Huisman with a rendition of songs from Les Misérables and Camille Driessen who sang ‘Caro Mio Ben’ by Giordani. Both were accompanied by Matthew Cook on the keyboards.

Phil de May

NEW YOUNGSOx The new Lower School Common Room opened in September,

to a warm welcome from Years 7 and 8 who enjoyed their first games of table football and pool, and relaxed on the

smart new chairs.

SPOTLIGHTS32

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN

Sophie Westbrooke won the Woodwind category final of BBC Young Musician 2014, and was one of the three competitors selected for the final, broadcast from the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

© BBC


Looking back to September, when I first decided to enter BBC Young Musician, it seems worlds away. I never, ever, in a million years would have thought I would get to the final. I genuinely didn’t even think I’d make it through the first round. It was just so out of reach – the kind of thing you think ‘imagine if...’ but stop yourself to come back to reality. Yet somehow it actually happened. And it still hasn’t sunk in.

BBC Young Musician is like no other competition in the country, and certainly not like anything I’ve ever done before. I was apprehensive about entering at first, as I knew how high the standard was and didn’t feel I was ready, but my teacher Barbara Law, at the Junior Royal Academy of Music, and my good friend Charlotte Barbour-Condini, 2012 competition finalist, reassured me that no matter how far I got in the competition it would be a great experience. I work better when I have a goal to focus on, so this seemed a perfect opportunity to force me to really think about my programmes and my performance. I learnt something new and gained confidence in each round, and had to raise my game another level as the challenges became more and more testing. It was a steep learning curve for me and pretty much took over my life for almost a full school year, but it was completely and utterly worth it.

I was very lucky throughout the competition to have the support of some very experienced people who served as calming influences. Barbara and Charlotte played key roles in guiding me through everything, as having been through it all before, they understood the ups and downs of the competition.

Crucial to my success in the competition, I feel, was my decision from an early stage to exploit my love of the collaborative element of music to my advantage. In this way I wanted to show a versatility which I hoped would be unique. I was lucky to have worked with four amazing musicians throughout the competition who were so friendly, encouraging and comforting that I hardly felt nervous on stage with them. In the second round my accompanists were Sam Tsang

(guitar) and Daniel King-Smith (piano) and in the Category Finals and Semi Finals I was accompanied by David Gordon (harpsichord) and Carl Herring (guitar). In rehearsals we were able to bounce ideas off each other and develop a cohesive, effective programme with such ease that I had every confidence that I would be able to showcase everything I needed to in the time allowed. This in turn made it easier for me to relax and focus on performing to the best of my ability.

I never saw the whole event as a competition: I was never in it to win it, so to speak, and I genuinely expected each round to be my last. This meant I was able to relax and that I could give each performance everything I had, without worrying if it was good enough to beat the other contestants. I viewed it as a fantastic opportunity to play music I loved in amazing venues and improve my musicianship as much as possible. The other contestants, especially in the final, were really friendly and as we were going through exactly the same thing, we never ran out of things to talk about. I admire them greatly as musicians and as people and feel lucky to have met them.

I know that the competition has taught me so much, and I feel like I have matured dramatically as a performer and a musician. As a result I now feel ready to take on more challenges in the future. It was the most daunting and yet the most rewarding experience of my life, and although I know I made countless mistakes along the way I wouldn’t change it for the world. So thank you to everyone involved in helping me through this, for giving me the experience of a lifetime.

Sophie Westbrooke, Year 10

Sophie was the only recorder player to reach the Woodwind Category Final, in which she performed Meditation (Hirose), Lamento di Tristano (Anon), La rotta della Manfredina (Anon), Sonata Prima (Castello) and Choro (David Gordon). She was also a guest on Radio 3’s In Tune. The winner of BBC Young Musician 2014 was pianist Martin James Bartlett and the other finalist was percussionist Elliott Gaston-Ross.

SPOTLIGHTS34

In June I was invited to attend Tech at the Palace, a private reception at Buckingham Palace with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent to celebrate the UK Technology Industry. Over 350 of the UK’s most successful technologists were invited in a bid to provide a ‘power networking’ opportunity to enhance and further technological advancement in industry and education. This was an ideal opportunity to make contact with some inspiring and forward-thinking individuals and we hope that some of them might visit us in the future as guest speakers or workshop leaders.

In a year which saw Sevenoaks win the TES Science Award and join a power networking event at Buckingham Palace, the Director of Innovation reflects on how the Science and Technology Faculty goes from strength to strength.

© HM The Queen and British Ceremonial Arts Limited


SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS AT SEVENOAKS

In July, Sevenoaks School was presented with the TES Science Award. The TES Awards recognise the extraordinary innovation, dedication and hard work of those schools, individuals and teams who are making a real difference to the lives of future generations. Sevenoaks was recognised for our Science Weeks which reach out not just to our own students but also to thousands of other local children. The judges commented, ‘This was a fine example of the work an independent school can do with its wider community.’

The TES Science Award is a prestigious and sought-after accolade, and a perfect way to show my appreciation to the absolutely superb science teachers with whom I have had the pleasure of working over the last five years. It is their hard work, commitment and passion that make achievements like this possible, and I feel very lucky to have been part of such a sensational team.

The Science and Technology Faculty, which consists of the Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Technology and Sports Science departments, is one of the largest in the school with over 40 teaching staff, eight technicians and five Heads of

Department. Activities are varied and exciting, enthralling our students and encouraging them to pursue higher education and careers in science and technology.

We are embarking on new and exciting projects leading up to the unveiling of the new Science & Technology Centre which is currently in the design stages. Our annual Science Week has provided a showcase event in which to celebrate STEM subjects and we have sought to provide compelling ‘headline acts’. These have been as varied as Titan the Robot in 2010, the live link with the International Space Station in 2011, an aeronautical engineering and air display in 2012, the Bloodhound Supersonic Car in 2013 and the Sustainability Week in 2014.

Following the introduction of new government initiatives that have revamped the national curriculum in Technology and Computing, we will soon be unveiling our new and exciting Sevenoaks School Certificate in Robotics (see the Academic Review pages). We have been working with Buckingham Palace to promote the 2015 Science and Digital Skills Week. We are actively working with the Duke of York and his team and hope to host another free event similar to previous years, albeit with a slightly different focus.

The event is still in its infancy, but with interest from the UK Space Agency, Maggie Philbin, Airbus Defence and Space and many other influential and key players in industry the week is filling up with some very special opportunities for students and staff.

Graeme Lawrie

SPOTLIGHTS36

In the last week of an arduous Summer term, the Pamoja Hall hosted the Teachers’ Concert, Can Do Too!, to ensure that the school year ended on a great high. This charity event was one of our most delightful performances in 2013-14, with a talented cast of singers, dancers and composers.

As it had been four years since the inaugural ‘Can Do’ concert, expectations were high. The lights in the theatre were dimmed while a full house of students waited unsuspectingly. Was this going to be a night filled with generationally afflicted jokes or improvised performances? Were our teachers really prepared to expose their talents and be judged? My questions were answered within the opening minutes when Monsieur Coquelin strutted on stage with a smug grin and a tucked-out shirt to set the tone as the compère for the evening.

Among the early performers were Mr Drury, Mr Rands-Webb and Mr Cook performing their composition of ‘That’s what we go to school for’. It was a satirical number that had the audience in

CAN DO TOO!

stitches; along with clever rhymes and a catchy melody packed with imagination and humour, these teachers also proved to have an appetite for risk, with caricatures of the Head’s office! In a more muted mood, Mr Smith captivated his audience with a nostalgic arrangement of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ while Mrs Stuart’s romantic rendition of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ would have met with the approval of Sarah Vaughan herself. Another female vocalist who showed true talent was Mrs Dyer, particularly as a harmony singer.

In ‘classic’ Iberian style, the Spanish department went to town, or rather, went to the beach, with a delightful dance number, dressed in Speedos and make-believe bikinis. The department performed a hilarious dance routine accompanied by the song ‘Vamos a la playa’ as inflatable beach balls flew over the audience.

In another remarkable performance, the new and improved ‘Spice Girls’ defied the old-fashioned notions about scientists and mathematicians…they really rocked. Maths at school will forever be linked with Dr Levine’s Union Jack skirt! The ladies demonstrated serious dance skills and were the envy of many a shy student.

The guys and gals from Grease performed an enjoyable titbit led by the exceptionally talented Mr Drury, supported by his greasers including Mr Tetley. Shortly after, Mr Connell, a popular musician at the school, perpetuated his rocker image accompanied by his fellow house assistant, Mr Russell, who received a huge applause from the boisterous IC boys in the front rows.

The concert ended with a well-deserved standing ovation and over £3000 raised for charity. Despite sometimes capricious microphones in The Space and demanding rehearsals required for the concert, the teachers proved that they truly Can Do Too!

Jamie Deverall

Sean Holden

impersonating Elvis


AN EVENING WITH NIGEL CONNELL

If the audience thought they knew what to expect, then that expectation was already being challenged as they waited for the show to begin. We were presented with a cosy little domestic interior – comfy chair and sofa, table, rug, standard lamp suitable for a one-act play, perhaps, or an episode of a sitcom. This mini-stage setting, however, was dwarfed by the larger stage setting of the Pamoja Hall itself where, to one side was a drum kit which was screened off, albeit the screen was transparent. And, ranged along the front of the stage were a series of microphones with one of them set at the height for a singing dwarf.

As the lights dimmed, our host for the evening, a faultlessly charming Chris Dyer, introduced Nigel Connell who, to a massive cheer, launched into a superb rendition of Bob Dylan’s ‘The Times They Are A-Changin’ and we knew we were in for something special.

The vehicle for this celebration of Nigel’s life and times was the format of the BBC radio show Desert Island Discs, in which the individual’s life is told, interspersed with eight pieces that have personal significance. As a reflection of the man himself, Nigel’s choice was eclectic and always interesting.

On Friday 25 April, an audience of staff and students enjoyed an unusual concert featuring Nigel Connell, housemaster of the IC, who retired this summer after nearly 30 years at Sevenoaks.

Listening in to the conversation we were moved rapidly amongst the unexpected: bus-driving in Glasgow; reminders of war and flower power in the 1960s; dark sarcasm as a teaching tool; family joys; the rewards of the IC. All this helped reveal what has made Nigel special as a person and special as a teacher. He exemplifies that education, like life, requires oddness to keep it vital. He is fond of the quote that schools and children ‘need that kind of eccentric nutter’ and we can all agree that he provides that while, at the same time, ‘delivering the goods’.

Having been treated to the full range of Nigel’s conversational style – from extremely funny one-liners and humorous anecdotes, through observations on running a successful boarding house, to penetrating analyses of education in general and the modern evolution of the school, he picked up his guitar and played. Chris Dyer transformed himself into a versatile accompanist on double bass and then flute, and various members of the audience with talent and beauty (together with an uncomfortable second guitarist) joined him for a couple of numbers.

The evening, sometimes strange, sometimes surreal, always enjoyably provocative, ended, appropriately enough, with Nigel centre-stage. He gave us one last surprise: a song that most of us had never heard before, Chet Atkins’ ‘I Still Can’t Say Goodbye’. The choice and his voice expressed that this one came to us straight from the heart.

Tony Stuart

Nigel’s selection of discs:

1. I’m The Lonely One – Cliff Richard

2. Chanson Pour L’Auvergnat – Georges Brassens

3. Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd

4. Just Like A Woman – Bob Dylan

5. Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones

6. Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield

7. Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin

8. Happiness Is A Warm Gun – The Beatles

Book Choice: The Art Of Losing – Rebecca Connell

Luxury item: Guitar (of course!)

SPOTLIGHTS38

A YEAR IN SENNOCKE HOUSE

Sennocke House was built in the grounds of The Old House, now the Girls’ International House, and was completed in 1986. Architecturally, the modern building blends in well with the existing period properties and, as a purpose-built boarding house, is able to provide light, airy rooms for 60 girls aged 13 to 18. We were extremely fortunate to have had a much-needed renovation during the summer of 2013 with every inch of the house improved, from new furniture in every dorm to new carpets, curtains and lighting. We overlook an extensive garden to the south and enjoy views of Knole House and its parkland; as a result, Sennocke House is a lively and stimulating place in which to live and learn.

Life within the house sees a friendly mixing of year groups as the Sixth Form supports the younger girls and organises house activities. We are also a diverse house, reflecting the international feel of the school, in that over half the girls either live abroad or are themselves

From settling in and socials to Stealth, shooting, service and sewing.

foreign nationals. The combined talents and experiences of the girls are enormous and their interests range from art to Zumba!

As the new students arrived at the very end of August we arranged a plethora of activities to help settle them in. The ‘big sisters’ made cookies with the Year 9s and there were games and offerings of popcorn and sweets. Each boarding house hosted a year group ‘social’ on the first Saturday evening in order for them to either meet for the first time, or for those returning to catch up on the news of the summer. The full boarding trip on the first Sunday is always a treat, and it falls very near my birthday every year! There is no better way of confirming my youthfulness than with a three-second ride on Stealth at Thorpe Park!

We chose the theme of Arabian Nights for our Christmas Ball which attracted genies, belly dancers and a whole host of exotic outfits. I am always impressed with how much effort the students put into these events; sewing bright


In the Michaelmas term, the school hosted a landmark dinner to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the International Centre Boarding House.

cushion covers, creating Bedouin tents from a bit of cloth and string, and sourcing tropical trees and plants to transform the Dining Hall into an oasis.

The Lent term, as always, brings Valentine’s Day and our Year 11 charity event; the selling of carnations. Valentine’s cards are sold in their thousands to all members of the school. The girls spend a whole evening reading, sorting and tying the cards onto red carnations which are then delivered to each person in their tutor rooms the following morning. We raise approximately £2000 for different charities annually. This year our donation was made to the Hospice in the Weald.

Sennocke is full of talented young women who have many varied interests including music, debating, drama, and sport both in and out of school. The list of accolades is lengthy; to choose but a few we have Pro Corda finalists, National Youth Orchestra members, shooting team aces, leading ladies, and even a polo player! When it comes to school charity events, the Sennocke girls move in force. Many of them help with activities at Valence School and teaching primary school children. They also like to tap into their creative side and several have made contributions to the school literary magazine, Verve.

Despite the challenging and demanding nature of a busy school, the girls of Sennocke House still manage to find time to let their hair down. Activities include racing each other on Mario cars, knitting (yes some of them actually do), cooking up some interesting international dishes and internet shopping! The girls’ zest and enthusiasm is certainly matched by the staff who work in Sennocke House. Whether it’s Matron’s tea parties, Mrs Edwards’s vegan baking, Miss Pearson’s rounders matches on the lawn, Miss Fayaud’s knitting club, Miss Bonsall’s discussion on recycling, Miss Sassen’s general capacity to be energetic all of the time, or my carefully constructed Break Up Suppers, the young women of Sennocke House have a range of excellent role models to look up to.

Kristine Lewis

SPOTLIGHTS40

PRIVATE PEACEFUL

The leading roles of Charlie, Tommo and Molly were performed by several different actors, who played the characters at different stages in the story, giving us a fascinating, nuanced insight into their lives. As we followed the trio growing up, maturing and their relationships forming, the succession of actors literally became older, reinforcing a sense of their personal development. This created great sympathy in the second half as we witnessed their suffering during the Great War and Charlie’s tragic end. With the sheer scale of casualties, one can easily lose the sense of personal detail. However, the young cast’s sensitive and committed portrayal of this story underlined the richness and vibrancy of each soldier’s life, and thus the devastation of such loss.

In early February the Lower School staged Simon Reade’s adaptation of Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful, which follows the lives of the two Peaceful brothers before and during the First World War.

This was a challenging play for the Lower School to bring alive. The actors did a fantastic job of playing characters much older than themselves. Not only did they do so with great assurance and dedication, but their youth also served to enhance the loss of childhood and innocence in a deeply moving way.

The performance included two narrator figures playing the part of Tommo in Flanders (Daisy Hargreaves and Ben Hancox-Lachman). Despite being detached from the stage (sat upstairs, looking down on events from Tommo’s memory), these two young actors were incredibly convincing in the emotional connection they made to their roles and how they conveyed the difficulty of recounting such a painful past.


Ella Roberts and Eleanor Williams played the young Tommo and Charlie, who meet their friend Molly (Louisa Philips). The trio captured the antics, struggles and innocence of their formative years. As the characters and their relationship grew, new actors took over the roles. The romance between Charlie (Charlotte Foss) and Molly (Molly Deagle), was charmingly played, whilst Tommo (Alex Huisman) began to feel left out but nonetheless devoted to them both. Charlotte and Annabel Jairaj brought great pathos and dignity to the role of the Mother of the Peaceful brothers, and there was also excellent support from Isobel Tucker as the Colonel and Ellen Parker as Grandma Wolf.

In the second half, Charlie (Cameron Allan) was reluctant to fight, but Tommo (Finn Tyndall) was eager to prove himself and follow his brother, and so joined the army too young. The two actors showed marvellous dedication and composure in their characterisation and portrayal of the horrors of the Western Front. They received excellent support from Rachel Sparkes (Pete) and Michael Jacob (Les) playing fellow soldiers on the frontline. Nell Rudd-Jones showed particular depth of characterisation and rigour as Nipper. There was also excellent characterisation from Ilya Pecherskiy as Sergeant ‘Horrible’ Hanley, Alex Ford as Lieutenant Buckland, Christian Sayers as Captain Wilkes, and Mia Hart as the Brigadier.

The battle scenes were staged fantastically well by the whole ensemble, which included Arthur Zijdenbos, Mia Shamash and Max Doll, who along with the rest of cast, manipulated folding tables to suggest training courses, trenches, dugouts and no man’s land. They all worked professionally with vivid sound effects to show the hardships of the war in gripping and engaging fashion.

Overall, the young cast did themselves proud, performing to a high standard. Their sense of pride and commitment to each other and the story was palpable and endearing. This was a moving, memorable evening of theatre and fitting way to commemorate the anniversary year of the outbreak of the First World War.

Verity Thomson, Lower Sixth With additional reporting by Gavin Henry

SPOTLIGHTS42

ART ON CAMPUS

This year we commissioned three distinct but complementary installations for the school campus.

Currently sited on Claridge House lawn, it will eventually be positioned on the newly landscaped Flat. It stands three metres high and is lit up at night. Thinking Aloud is in many ways a play on the role of sculpture to make solid the inner process of the imagination and asserts the right of students to direct their minds in a multiplicity of directions. It is enigmatic but purposeful, strong and elegant, painted in hot orange and warm yellow. It is full of life, and I hope it will be a permanent presence in the mind of the school.

Oliver Barratt

JOSHUA VAUGHAN

We launched a competition open to BA Sculpture students at City & Guilds of London Art School for a new sculpture to be installed on campus. Joshua Vaughan won the commission and submitted a plan for a series of seven sculptures, forming a trail across the grounds. The sculptures were conceived with the assistance of a Year 9 class, who drew maps that documented the routes they take about school on a daily basis. The sculptor used these drawings to dictate the composition of his pieces, taking the pattern of irregular rings on the maps and designing and fabricating multiple units from painted steel.

A combination of elements informed me in developing the work. The writings of Guy Debord, who contributed to the psychogeography movement, provided the initial spark of inspiration, while my interest in topography and the use of Google Maps drove the formal development of the structures. A visit to the school, to get a sense of just how large the grounds are, allowed me to play with the distribution of the sculptures so that they took on the content of their creation; similarly, to discover the work, one has to walk around the school grounds. Finally, involving the students was a necessity, given that psychogeography is about the interaction of the individual with their surrounding environment.

Joshua Vaughan

OLIVER BARRATT

The Parents’ Association commissioned and bought a sculpture by our Art teacher Oliver Barratt (OS 1979), a sculptor of national and international reputation.

Thinking Aloud is a large painted bronze sculpture. It has no single point of view or optimum visual direction and does not depict a single thought or statement. However, references can be glimpsed in its turning shapes. A sparking neuron, or a complex bone, a molecular cluster or a burning flame – all are hinted at but never defined. Its liquid forms turn and flow in a complex of curves that describe the intuitive but disciplined act of thinking rather than the thought itself.

The work was commissioned for the heart of a school campus where open-mindedness and wide-ranging thinking is not only encouraged but also is seen as the prime role of education.


STUDENT ARTISTS

The Art department launched a competition open to all pupils, in which entrants were invited to propose a site-specific design. The winners were Larissa Castellano (Upper Sixth) and Daisy Hargreaves (Year 8) who collaborated on their designs of a mosaic. The text is a reference to St John of Damascus and his Fountain of Knowledge, literally translating as ‘streaming with gold’. The piece was made by students from Years 10 and 11 with the assistance of Oliver Budd, a local mosaic artist.

I was having trouble thinking of something to draw that had to do with water, so I decided not to draw anything. I decided that words could be an art form too, so I did some research for a famous quote about water. I came across The Fountain of Knowledge, a book written by John of Damascus, a Syrian monk. One quote from the book was ‘streaming with gold’. I particularly liked this quote as it showed how knowledge is golden, which I think is true.

Daisy Hargreaves, Year 8

SPOTLIGHTS44

HISTORY BEE AND BOWL

We are delighted to report that our two teams both successfully won through to the event final, where the two teams faced each other in a bid to claim first place. In a dramatic finale, a predominantly Year 9 team overcame the Year 10 team in a fitting conclusion to the day’s play that went down to tie-break, showing the strength and depth of historical knowledge on show. Of particular note was the difficulty of the questions, ranging from ancient studies to the most contemporary; the performance of our boys would have put many History graduates to shame! It is noteworthy too that both of our teams probably would have won the Sixth Form competition outright based on their scores in the qualifying rounds, as their cumulative scores both outweighed the top two teams in the Sixth Form final.

In March, we entered two teams of budding historians into the History Bee and Bowl of Britain, an international series encompassing 16 nations around the world.

In the individual event, Patrick Nickols performed with distinction in reaching his sectional final (winning the earlier rounds with ease), whilst Ishaan Bhardwaj won outright the Junior Varsity (Under 16) category, showcasing a hugely impressive grasp and depth of historical knowledge. This was a dominant performance, and was just reward for Ishaan’s incredible historical knowledge.

As a result of these fine victories, we were invited to progress to the world finals in both the team and individual events of the International History Olympiad to compete against the national representatives of the other 15 nations taking part in the series. This takes place next summer at Princeton in the USA. Congratulations to all involved on a superb day of historical enterprise.

Sean Reid

Y9 team: Patrick Nickols, Thomas van Issum, Alexander Buxton-Carda, Finley Dubell, Ishaan Bhardwaj

Y10 team: Nathaniel Robinson, Daniel Wu, Cameron McClellan, Sam Lloyd, John Broomfield, Miles Caven


LEADERSHIP DAY

In the Summer term, over 40 pupils in their penultimate year at primary or prep school spent a day with Sevenoaks Sixth Formers to prepare them for the leadership roles they would occupy as Year 6 or Year 8 prefects after the summer holidays.

Being at the top of the school brings exciting opportunities to take on positions of responsibility and to be a good role model to younger pupils. On our Leadership Day we aimed to help the children understand the qualities and characteristics needed to be a good leader, whilst remembering that not all successful and effective leaders have the same style of leadership! This event was a new venture for Sevenoaks, and one we hope to repeat as part of our ongoing partnership with local schools.

The pupils came from St Thomas’, Amherst, Sevenoaks Primary, St Michael’s, The Granville, New Beacon and Solefields. They were selected for the day by their schools on a first-come first-served basis. They worked in small groups, each led by two of our Sixth Form prefects through a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. From tasks designed to improve collaboration, such as getting their team through a giant ‘spider’s web’, to an interview skills workshop and the problem-solving challenge of launching an egg off a balcony without letting it break, the day was stretching and fun-filled. The pupils especially liked the activities which took place outside.

The Sevenoaks students also thoroughly appreciated the opportunity to participate in a training event, and they enjoyed sharing the leadership skills they have developed as prefects in the Sixth Form. Wing Lau of the Lower Sixth commented: ‘I had so much fun. Spending time with the children was as much of a rewarding experience for me as I hope it was for them. I feel they are able to learn in a different way with people who are closer to them in age to how they would have learnt with a teacher.’

Lorna Dolan

A fun-filled training event for local children.

SPOTLIGHTS46

COMMEMORATING THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Recent months have seen hours of broadcasting devoted to the First World War and, early in 2014, attempts to turn the topic, and the way it is taught, into a political battleground. Much of this coverage is to be welcomed, particularly when it compels us to confront the past, appreciate how contested it is, and consider the profound legacy of the war. However, there are dangers that we politicise the conflict by viewing it through the prism of our own times, and that our commemorations lead to an anachronistic view of the past which have little to do with those who fought in the First World War.

Given these challenges and opportunities how will Sevenoaks School be approaching the centenary? We certainly don’t claim to have all the answers but we hope our approach will encourage a genuine engagement with the complex issues involved. The First World War has long been an integral part of the Year 9 History curriculum but the approaching centenary has given us cause to consider exactly what we teach and how we teach it. In recent years we have attempted to follow the lead of Cambridge historian Professor Christopher Clark in asking how the war started, as opposed to why. By focusing on ‘how’ the hope is to understand how many events in the build-up to war were contingent upon each other, challenging

teleological narratives of war as inevitable, and avoiding the narrowing question of who was to blame that ‘why’ questions can easily lead to. A second focus will be on teaching the war through a comparative framework, considering the effects of war on a range of countries and avoiding a narrowly Anglocentric view. This is important in a school with a firm belief in the benefits of internationalism.

Beyond the classroom we are taking the whole of Year 9 to the Battlefields of Belgium for a day in October, arranging for a number of university academics to address our students, and holding assemblies to mark some of the key events of the war. In addition to the school’s annual Remembrance Day service, and our engagement with the events in the wider Sevenoaks community, we hope that our students will develop a sophisticated and thoughtful understanding of the events which did so much to shape the modern world.

Gareth Parker-Jones

Considering the profound legacy of the Great War.

Avoiding an Anglocentric view:

This booklet contains satirical

drawings of the Austrian

Emperor Franz Joseph I and of

soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian

army. Booklets like this were

designed to raise the morale of

Italian soldiers, and to belittle

the enemy through caricatures

and jokes. Biblioteca Nazionale

Centrale di Firenze. (Supplied by

British Library)

Top: Sevenoaks School in 1914


ACADEMIC REVIEW

ACADEMIC REVIEW48

ACADEMIC REVIEW OF THE YEAR

I visited the Guggenheim in Manhattan this summer for the first time. There’s a good deal to see there, not least the beautiful Frank Lloyd Wright building itself.

I was particularly taken by an installation by Amalia Pica, an Argentine artist who lives and works in London.

Her 2013 work A ∩ B ∩ C (read as A intersection B intersection C) references the fact that, during the 1970s, Argentina’s military junta forbade Venn diagrams and the related concept of intersection from being taught in elementary schools, concerned that even its mathematical

representation might ultimately prompt citizens to conspire against it.

In A ∩ B ∩ C, Pica invites performers to manipulate translucent coloured shapes, producing new configurations that use abstraction and intersection as an invitation to reimagine forms of collaboration and community.

I was intrigued by the art and surprised by the story – I like to think the abstract nature of mathematics raises it above politics and cultural differences and thought it ridiculous that a political administration could be so scared of a mathematical idea usually encountered at primary school.


John Sprague, our Director of IB, has joined forces with Hodder Education to produce the world’s first magazine designed solely for International Baccalaureate students. Called IB Review, it is the newest addition to the Philip Allan line of successful Review magazines for A-level students. IB Review, however, will be much broader in scope and content, catering for all IB students in the world. John is leading a team of editors, including Nathalie Fayaud (Head of French) and Paul La Rondie, who left Sevenoaks School in 2012 and now teaches Mathematics at UWC South East Asia. The magazine will be published quarterly and include academic articles written by IB teachers all over the world covering all the IB Groups, including TOK, EE and CAS.

The inaugural issue includes an interview with the IB Director General Siva Kumari by Julia Ganis (Upper Sixth), and an article on History from David Hall, who joined our History department in 2013.

Then I thought about it a little more and began to appreciate that the idea of intersection – having both one property and another – is both genuinely subversive and central to the idea of a Sevenoaks education.

Schools and other institutions make mistakes when they confine themselves to one gender, or one faith, or one background or even one particular speciality. What’s lost in such specialisation is usually the ability to empathise, to see the world through different eyes and to appreciate fully the difference and complicated lives of others with empathy and humanity.

That’s why when speaking about the school to prospective parents I like to use the phrase ‘Why would you not?’ to emphasise the rich diversity of our school. Why would you not want your child to be taught alongside pupils of the opposite gender; to learn alongside pupils with different backgrounds, views and experiences of the world, in a school that appreciates that success and fulfilment comes in many different forms from many different arenas? Why would you not want your child to learn in a school that resists the old dichotomies (arts/science, sports/academic) and instead encourages pupils to embrace the idea of intersection: English literature and mathematics; British history and the history of other countries; their own and other languages; sports, drama and music; international and local service projects. I’m proud of the fact that our students are encouraged both to have a strong sense of their own identity and to have a deep appreciation of the value of the perspective of others.

Tim Jones Academic Deputy Head

ACADEMIC REVIEW50

HIGHER EDUCATION: OLD SENNOCKIAN CAREERS FORUMS

As part of our ongoing initiative to connect Old Sennockians with current students, and advance our careers strategy, we are looking to create more robust professional networks. Two years ago we successfully launched this new initiative, which began a series of three Sixth Form Careers Forums for Law, Medicine and Engineering. Current students with an interest in those professions were able to put questions to a panel of OS experts. The afternoons concluded with drinks and canapés and a chance for informal conversations. These were the Higher Education department’s first professional network events, and we hope to hold future forums across the range of career areas.

The most recent forum was centred on the area of engineering and was chaired by an illustrious Old Sennockian, Dr Philip Ruffles CBE (OS 1958), formerly Director of Engineering and Technology at Rolls Royce. It was an inspirational event with revelations of cutting-edge technology, advice on different engineering disciplines and guidance on how to pursue a successful application and subsequent career path.

We are holding a similar forum for journalism, publishing, PR and advertising, and look forward to many future forums and increased opportunities for OS and current students to network.

Ruth Greenhalgh


TEACHING TECHNOLOGY AT SEVENOAKS

With the development and implementation within the state sector of a new national curriculum for September 2014 and an ever-increasing demand for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) skills in the workplace, the Sevenoaks School Technology department have adapted their schemes of work across seven years of teaching to ensure the programme is up-to-date, exciting and useful not only to those students going on to study a course in a Technology-subject-specific discipline, but across all subjects.

We have enhanced the education of our students through an advanced approach to digital skills and technological development. In September 2013 the Design and Technology and ICT departments

merged into one department simply called Technology. This change was made with little disruption to the teaching of the two subject areas as the divide between syllabus content has grown smaller over the years and now significantly overlaps.

Students from Year 7 will continue being taught Design Technology, but with more emphasis on digital literacy skills in context, which will enhance their abilities across the whole school curriculum. Students will have opportunities to explore common desktop publishing software such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint as well as more advanced software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver.

In Year 9 students are introduced to basic electronics, mechanisms and programming in line with government guidelines.

The real changes, however, appear in the Middle School with the launch of the new Sevenoaks School Certificate courses in Technology. The courses offer a core of material which covers the generic skills a student might need to pursue a career in green design, materials, ergonomics, sustainability or manufacturing techniques. They also acquire knowledge and expertise in hardware and software, security, research techniques and project management.

The students are then offered the choice of two electives: Robotics or Visual Communication. The Robotics course is an advanced qualification that is enhanced by the addition of advanced programming skills, computer-aided design and simulation, in-depth electronics and mechanical design. The Visual Communication course gives students the opportunity to study a more creative approach to Design through advanced digital manipulation skills, web development and computer-aided design and manufacture.

Graeme Lawrie

Students on the

Robotics course

ACADEMIC REVIEW52

THE DAILY MAIL CHALKE VALLEY HISTORY FESTIVAL

On a beautiful day in June, 22 Lower Sixth historians travelled to the heart of Wiltshire to attend The Daily Mail Chalke Valley History Festival. Now in its fourth year, the festival brings together eminent academics and broadcasters for a week of lectures, seminars, and interactive demonstrations. For Sevenoaks students considering History at degree level, as well as those keen to extend their general historical knowledge, it provides unparalleled extension and enrichment.

The day started with a keynote lecture from Dan Snow, in a marquee packed with a very appreciative audience, on ‘History: the greatest and most important subject ever’. Attendees then

‘History provides constant inspiration...it amuses, entertains, explains the world and helps you find your path in life’ Dan Snow

had a choice of speakers ranging from Anna Whitelock giving a reappraisal of the reign of Elizabeth I, to Kwasi Kwarteng MP discussing the inextricable link between war and gold since the era of the Spanish conquistadores, and David Gilmour on the surprising absence of nationalism in Italy in the years immediately preceding Italian Unification.

Other topics covered throughout the day included the impact of the Norman Conquest, the origins of the American Civil War, and the mystery of the Mary Rose. Students also had the chance to see a medieval longbow demonstration and a Tudor warfare re-enactment, attend a writing seminar with an editor from Penguin, and visit an Anglo-Saxon encampment which had been created for the week.

For all of us soaking up the sun in this stunning corner of England, the day reaffirmed how, in the words of Dan Snow, ‘History provides constant inspiration...it amuses, entertains, explains the world and helps you find your path in life.’

Vanessa Fitzgerald

Festival map designed by

nqdesignhub.co.uk.


A SELECTION OF THIS YEAR’S LECTURES AND VISITING FELLOWS

SACKVILLE LECTURE: CLIVE ALDERTON

On Wednesday 30 April all Year 9 and Year 10 students were given a rare opportunity to hear the insights and opinions of Clive Alderton, British Ambassador to Morocco and non-resident Ambassador to Mauritania, who came to address us about his experiences of the country and the Arab Spring.

We were treated to a lively and in-depth discussion of the history of Morocco and its economic and social background, as well as a look at the country’s political structure and monarchy. Mr Alderton was also able to share with us the story of the educational charity he has set up in Morocco, and provided valuable reflections on the importance of education in such countries. Perhaps most interesting, however, was his evaluation of the factors leading to the revolutions of the Arab Spring, and how Morocco and her monarchy have been able to avoid such an outbreak. Mr Alderton provided a perceptive comparison of Morocco to

its neighbours and covered a multitude of factors including the country’s economy and the decisions of the monarchy.

A few of us were lucky enough to have lunch with Mr Alderton and continue the discussion where he spoke more about his duties as an ambassador. My grateful thanks go to Mr Sprague for organising the event, and Mr Alderton for such an illuminating lecture.

Daniel Wu, Year 10

SEVENOAKS LECTURE: MATT PARKER

Ever wondered what it would be like to play with a Rubik’s Cube in four dimensions? Or how to visualise a four-dimensional cube? Matt Parker’s Sevenoaks Lecture attempted to make sense of how this might work. Parker, known as the Stand-up Mathematician, has presented on topics related to maths for the BBC, in the Guardian and on stages across the UK – at science fairs, festivals and in theatres. Matt talks about mathematics for

ACADEMIC REVIEW54

leading organisations including the Royal Institution, and he was the People’s Choice Award in the 2009 National FameLab competition.

His lecture, entitled ‘Adventures in the Fourth Dimension’ began with Möbius strips, as Matt slowly built up our understanding of this ‘two-dimensional object which extends into three dimensions’ in order to prepare us for the four dimensional cube, before showing us its two-dimensional ‘shadow’. Along the way we explored questions such as how an ant might tell whether it is living on a massive sphere or a torus – a doughnut-shaped object and other objects such as the Klein bottle (another two-dimensional object existing in three). While certainly mind-bending, Parker’s presentation was engaging and incredibly funny, as he wove his ‘stand up mathematics’ into the lecture with great effect – even showing off the Klein bottles woolly hat his mother made. As an encore he presented us with visualisations of both four- and five-dimensional Rubik’s Cubes!

John Sprague

SACKVILLE LECTURE: PROFESSOR NICK RAWLINS

During Science Week, the whole of the Sixth Form enjoyed a very interesting Sackville Lecture by Professor Nick Rawlins of Wolfson College, Oxford. Professor Rawlins’ research lies broadly within behavioural neuroscience, and spans areas including the neural basis of memory, brain degeneration, and pain and anxiety. Its particular emphasis is on the design and application of new behavioural paradigms to analyse central nervous system function, particularly in memory and emotion. His presentation was entitled ‘Pain and the Brain’, and he explained some really interesting research and information about how the actual pain we suffer is only a part of the whole story – in fact, it is our anticipation of pain that comprises a significant amount of the physical pain we feel. As Psychology and Biology students, we found it fascinating to hear from an expert in the field and to learn about the technical, biological side of psychology that we don’t study in depth for the IB.

Segun Awolowo and Veena McCoole, Lower Sixth


PROFESSOR MARK BROUARD,

CHEMISTRY VISITING FELLOW

We were very fortunate to host Professor Mark Brouard as a visiting fellow in the Chemistry department for two days. Professor Brouard, an Old Sennockian, is Head of the Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Department at Oxford University and a fellow of Jesus College. His research focusses on studying the mechanisms of simple gas phase and he gave two fascinating talks to Sixth Form groups on the work of his research group.

Professor Brouard had a very busy time with us. In addition to meeting with students and senior members of staff and giving talks on his research, he conducted a masterclass on Quantum Mechanics for some of our Upper Sixth who were

applying for science subjects at university. This was very well received and gave students a fascinating insight into a subject which is only dealt with very superficially at school level.

Having very fond memories of his time at the International Centre, Professor Brouard also enjoyed a nostalgic visit to School House, the former IC site, and to the current home of the IC, where he was surprised to find a photograph of his year group and his name and that of his brother on a world map in the foyer.

It was a great experience for our students not only to learn about more advanced science but also to meet such an eminent scientist on an informal basis. Professor Brouard also commented on how impressive he found the students with whom he spoke. The visit has also resulted in a closer link between Oxford University’s Chemistry department and Sevenoaks School.

Steve Owen

DR LYNN ROBSON, ENGLISH VISITING FELLOW

Dr Lynn Robson, Tutor in English Literature at Regent’s Park College, Oxford came to Sevenoaks for two days to lead lectures and seminars with our students. Dr Robson thoroughly enjoyed her time here and commented on the lively academic interest and curiosity of the students she met.

Students from Year 10 and 11 attended lectures on ‘Why English?’ in the Pamoja Hall and enjoyed the opportunity to have a lecture from an Oxford fellow. Dr Robson also led seminars on ‘Female Authorship’ for Upper and Lower Sixth Higher Level English students, who were challenged and stimulated by new approaches to literature.

Dr Robson particularly enjoyed being invited to the Literary Society’s meeting on Friday lunchtime, where students and teachers led seminars on their own areas of interest. Violet Bennett led a fascinating seminar on Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, which showed an impressive depth of knowledge and passion for literature. Students and teachers also enjoyed the opportunity to discuss the university application process, literature in general and Dr Robson’s own academic interests in a variety of less formal settings, including a dinner and Q&A sessions.

It was a pleasure to welcome Dr Robson to Sevenoaks and to see how well our students rose to the challenge of participating in university-style seminars. The students left the sessions inspired, motivated and excited by their studies of English.

Sarah Ventress

ACADEMIC REVIEW56

PRIZEWINNERS

UPPER SIxTH PRIZES

Tabitha Adams Taylor English Extended Essay Prize

Rory Barber Humanities Faculty Prize

Violet Bennett George France English Faculty Prize

Larissa Castellano Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Victoria Cheah Tatersall Humanities Faculty Prize for Economics; Mathematics Faculty Prize

Brandon Cheong Humanities Faculty Prize

Robert Cinca Taylor Science Extended Essay Prize

Meggy Court Languages Faculty Prize for Russian

Kate Curran English Faculty Prize

Kieran Davey RAF Service Units Prize

Arthur Davison Army Prize

Zoe Dawson Taylor Expressive Arts Extended Essay Prize

Nimal de Silva Gandon Science and Technology Faculty Prize

Nina del Ser Taylor Mathematics Extended Essay Prize

Elizabeth Elton Alice Little English Faculty Prize

Natasha Farrant Rowan Landy Award for Contribution to Sport

Jack Ferguson Taylor Modern Languages Extended Essay Prize

Kaylee Finn-Henry Humanities Faculty Prize

Tiffany Fung Science Faculty Prize

Emily Galvin Higgs Walker Humanities Faculty Prize for History

Oliver Gibson Sportsman Prize

Isabel Goodman Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish and French

Hanna Jay Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Ecem Karaman Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish

Fenella Keevil Taylor Humanities Extended Essay Prize; Humanities Faculty Prize; School Captain Prize

Maximilian Kotz School Captain Prize

Madeleine Kowitz Humanities Faculty Prize

Jessica Li Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Caroline McMenamin Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish and French

Ben Moverley Smith Navy Centurion Cup

Katherine Nickols Sportswoman Prize

Sam Parker Languages Faculty Prize for French and Spanish

Taran Patel Mathematics Faculty Prize; Science Faculty Prize for Chemistry

Isabelle Piper Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish and French

Hannah Sands Midge Adams Drama Faculty Prize; School Captain Prize

Isla Stevens Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Keyu Sumaria School Captain Prize

Leonard Taylor Service Units Prize for Shooting

Patrick Thompson Humanities Faculty Prize

Carla Troyas George France Mathematics Faculty Prize; Science Faculty Prize for Physics

Leyre Troyas Mathematics Faculty Prize

Francesca Vernon Alcock Prize for Best All Rounder; Languages Faculty Prize for Latin and Greek

Anna Watkins English Faculty Prize

Oliver Webster Science Faculty Prize for Biology

Freddie Williams Service Units Prize for Shooting

Samir Yep-Manzano Science Faculty Prize

UPPER SIxTH MERIT PRIZES

William Beckman Humanities

Rex Boulter Sport

Zoe Carver Languages Merit Prize for German

Megan Critchlow Mathematics

Chiara Del Rio Mathematics

Nina del Ser Languages Merit Prize for Spanish

Kathryn Dodds Expressive Arts; Science

Mofeyifoluwa Edun Science

Natalia Gonzalez-Morales Languages Merit Prize for Russian

Oskar Goodwille English

Deanna Hetherington Science

Alexander Hill Humanities

Hanna Jay English

Frederik Kohl Languages Merit Prize for French

Ethan Kok Mathematics


Claire Nesbitt Science

Christopher Olley Sport

Elizabeth Reeves Languages Merit Prize for Latin

Hannah Sands English

Sarah Skulczuk Humanities

Isla Stevens Languages Merit Prize for Greek

Francesca Vernon Sport

Oliver Webster Expressive Arts; Languages Merit Prize for Mandarin ab initio

William White Sport

LOWER SIxTH PRIZES

Capucine Barcellona Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish; Humanities Faculty Prize

Maria Bassi School Captain Prize

Nicholas Bell Sportsman Cup

Zoe Brandon English Faculty Prize

Olivia Brandon Honorary Academic Scholarship Prize

Chloe Broom Sportswoman Cup

John Bryant Science Faculty Prize for Chemistry; Humanities Faculty Prize

Thomas Buhl-Nielsen Honorary Academic Scholarship Prize; Mathematics Faculty Prize

Hugh Cornes Humanities Faculty Prize

Leo Danczak Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Jaime Deverall Science Faculty Prize for Physics; Mathematics Faculty Prize; Honorary Academic Scholarship Prize

Rosie Donald Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

George Evans-Thomas Languages Faculty Prize for French & German

Terri Ha Alexander Borodin Prize

Abigail Hands Service Prize

Mei Lian Hoe Mark Bullock Prize

George Jack School Captain Prize

Amber Jeffryes Science Faculty Prize for Biology

Max Kitson English Faculty Prize

Isabel Law Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Veena McCoole English Faculty Prize

Anna McGee English Faculty Prize; Languages Faculty Prize for Spanish & Italian; Harvard Book Prize

Molly Merson Languages Faculty Prize for French

Otto Newland Languages Faculty Prize for Russian & Greek

Alexander Newman Science Faculty Prize for Design

Maximilian Noka Mathematics Faculty Prize

Jayna Patel Humanities Faculty Prize

Chloe Rouse Expressive Arts Faculty Prize

Akanksha Santdasani Mathematics Faculty Prize

Jack Winchester Languages Faculty Prize for German

Abie Witts Humanities Faculty Prize

Chantal Wong Languages Faculty Prize for Latin

LOWER SIxTH MERIT PRIZES

Georgina Barker Sport

Robert Boylin Sport

Jaqueline Cho Science Merit Prize for Chemistry

Rebekah Collins Humanities

Lucy Delchar Languages Merit Prize for French

Rosie Donald Science Merit Prize for Biology

George Evans-Thomas Expressive Arts

Niamh Fenton Mathematics

Lucy Fenwick English

Loris Gliner Mathematics

George Karl Humanities

Emma Kemp Expressive Arts

Kantida Koysombat Languages Merit Prize for Mandarin

Angela Loescher-Montal Humanities

Charlotte McNally Languages Merit Prize for Latin

Molly Merson Mathematics

Maximilian Noka Science Merit Prize for Physics

Nicholas Perry Sport

Michaela Rakova English

Phillip Sakellarios English

Thomas Smith Sport

Emma May Jin Tan Science Merit Prize for Design

ACADEMIC REVIEW58

PRIZEWINNERS

YEAR 11 PRIZES

Rosie Alderton Art

Charlene Chau Biology; Chemistry; Maths

Lucy Eifion-Jones Sports

Elizabeth Elgar French; Latin

Boma George Classical Civilisation

Tabitha Gibb Wavetrend Electronics Prize

Christina Hill Drama

Remi Pfister Best All Rounder Gilchrist Trophy

May Randall English

Matthew Riches Greek; Physics

Eloise Robson Bridget Harmer History Prize

Roshan Ruprai Midge Adams Drama Prize

Olivia Sayers Spanish

Elizabeth Shaw Russian

Miranda Stevens Geography

Pippa Stevens Music

Theo Ventura Sports

Sam Yeates Design

Lusha Zharova German

YEAR 11 MERIT PRIZES

Cornelia Bentsen French

Emily Brandon German

Charlene Chau Music; Physics

Oliver Clinch Sports

Sarah Dodds English

Kirsty Hands Latin

Edward Harris Chemistry

Ursula Horton History

Yash Kothari Drama

Amanda Lee Classical Civilisation

Theodora Mead Drama

Vardaan Mehra Russian

May Randall Geography; Maths

Nicholas Robbins Spanish

Lizzie Roberts Sports

Marcel Sand Electronics

Hugo Sunnucks Design (Resistant Materials)

Sophie Tyrrell Art

Florence Williams Biology

Lusha Zharova Greek


YEAR 10 PRIZES

Helen Clay French

Clare Cooke Art

Grace Day Physics

Hethvi Gada Chemistry; Greek; History; Mathematics; Russian; Design

Oscar Gordon-Reid Sports

Sophie Holliday Sports

Aarti Jalan Drama

Oliver Kidd Biology

Rachelle Lam Music

Sebastian Perera-Slater Latin

Lily Smart Classical Civilisation

Katharina Vrolijk German

Lou Warnett English

Sophie Westbrooke Spanish

Daniel Wu Geography

YEAR 10 MERIT PRIZES

Kate Arkwright Drama

Ollie Banks Russian; Design

Charlotte Bonner-Davies Art

John Broomfield German

Sophie Bruxner-Randall Art

Reena Chow Chemistry

Matthew Collins Classical Civilisation

Chloe Evans Biology

Hethvi Gada Physics

Josephine Hogh Geography; Sports

Alex Lenhart History

Sehee Lim Music

Fraser Lindsay Sports

Anna Marisina Latin

Joshua Marza Mathematics

Anna Merson Spanish

Jake Parker Greek

Maya Raman Jones English

Anastasia Spiridonova French

YEAR 9 PRIZES

Phoebe Barker Biology; Chemistry; Latin

Finley Dubell History

Matthew Emmerson Art; Drama

Alicia Gilliat Sports

Lucy Goodfellow English

Tiffany Griffiths Spanish

Rhys Joseph Sports

Pragna Kasetti German

Anna King French; Greek; Music

Birkaran Sachdev Geography; Mathematics

Ellen Steiner Design

Elise van den Hoek Russian

Thomas van Issum Schickler

Louisa Webb Physics

YEAR 9 MERIT PRIZES

Anna Davis Spanish

Cailin de Wet Greek

James Elgar German

Tiffany Griffiths Chemistry; Music

Pragna Kasetti Latin

Charles Lindsay French

William McQuail English

Patrick Nickols History

Robert Perry Russian

Federico Roma Design; Physics

Kieran Sassone Sports

Georgiana Scott Art

Prangan Tooteja Biology

Elise van den Hoek Drama

Sofiia Verkhoturova Mathematics

Louisa Webb Sports

Jess Wentzel Art

Dominic Wilks Geography

ACADEMIC REVIEW60

PRIZEWINNERS

YEAR 8 PRIZES

Cameron Allan Midge Adams Junior Drama Prize

Grace Annetts All Round Excellence Prize

Florence Coumbe Academic Prize

Rory Easton Sports Prize

Jahnvi Gada Academic Prize

Clara Tyler Academic Prize

Anna van Velsen Academic Prize

Orissa Welsh Sports Prize

Jackson Wen Music Prize

Jonathan Buhl-Nielsen Merit Prize

Avarna Chana Merit Prize

Louisa Child Merit Prize

Nicholas Davies Sport Merit Prize

Zoe Eifion-Jones Sport Merit Prize

Charlotte Foss Drama Merit Prize

Rebecca Funnell Merit Prize

Lara Gueorguieva Merit Prize

Peter Westbrooke Music Merit Prize

YEAR 7 PRIZES

Madeleine Brown Music Prize

Phoebe Buckland Sport Prize

Chiara Calcagnini Academic Prize

Laura Holland Drama Prize

Harry Houillon Sport Prize

Emma O’Brien Academic Prize

Rosie Peachey All Round Excellence Prize

Ellie Price Academic Prize

Juliette Briery Sport Merit Prize

Sophie Fujiwara Merit Prize

Douglas Hoyer Sport Merit Prize

Riccardo Roma Drama Merit Prize

Tiffany Lau Music Merit Prize

Aanya Tanti Merit Prize

Angus Thomas Merit Prize

Eleanor Williams Merit Prize

ART REVIEW

ART REVIEW62

These pages include a selection of student art work from 2013-14. For more information on this year’s Art news and activities see Features.

ART REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Previous page: Zoe Dawson, U6

Top: Deanna Hetherington, U6 IB

Above: Florence Williams, Year 11

GCSE. Left: Max Paillard, Year 11

Top right: Nick Penney, Year 11

Right (2): Joachim Fjeldsoe,

Year 11 GCSE

Far right: Rory Alexander, L6 IB

63

ART REVIEW64

Above left and right:

Seva Lobov, L6 IB

Right: Rosie Alderton,

Year 11 GCSE

ART REVIEW OF THE YEAR

You can view more student work at www.soaksart.com


DRAMA REVIEW

DRAMA REVIEW66

DRAMA REVIEW OF THE YEAR

Artistic risk-taking and explorations of hope. Linking each of the four major school productions this year has been the exploration of hope in the face of unspeakable loss. The imaginative staging and powerful acting of highly ambitious material produced theatre that has been epic, exceptional and enthralling. The Sevenoaks School Theatre Company programme has offered audiences both a compelling reflection on the human condition and an awareness of world issues.


The Lent term featured two war plays: Private Peaceful was impressively staged by the Lower School, followed by the outstanding Upper School production, Welcome to Thebes, staged in traverse. The Summer term featured the Middle School’s in-the-round production of Shakespeare’s Pericles. This brought an impressive season to a close, which had begun back in October 2013 with The Canterbury Tales – one of the most successful Germany tour productions to date. Each has exemplified the two important attributes guiding the Sevenoaks School Theatre Company: first, a commitment to the ensemble, and second, the willingness to take artistic risks. In every performance, cast, crew and audience have all been stimulated by a combination of complex material and inventive staging which has challenged our perceptions of school theatre.

Student-led drama remains strong. Five leavers took a production of Mike Bartlett’s dark satire Contractions to the Edinburgh Festival. Lower Sixth student Veena McCoole directed some of her peers in the challenging and controversial Punk Rock by Simon Stephens, in preparation for performances in September. Meanwhile, Year 9 students Elise van den Hoek and Alex Parton were accepted into the National Youth Theatre and spent part of their summer holiday on the residential course for new members.

The Sackville Theatre has also hosted six diverse national and international professional touring productions throughout the year. These have included Fringe-First and Total Theatre awarded or nominated shows, and a traditional Kathakali troupe from Kerala, India. These performances have broadened all students’ artistic and cultural appreciation, as well as inspiring their theatre-making during lessons and co-curricular rehearsals. This year we also saw an unprecedented number of students from other schools visiting Sevenoaks to take advantage of the impressive professional theatre programme we have on offer.

Looking to the future, this year laid foundations for two exciting upcoming events. First, on the academic front, three Year 10 sets have enjoyed the new curriculum of the SSC Drama and Theatre Arts course, which has offered a broader and more rigorous study of the art form. It will feature a major public production next year, as a significant part of their assessment. On the co-curricular front, since January, the Drama and Music departments have collaborated to stage a large-scale production of Les Misérables in October, in the Pamoja Hall. Nearly one hundred students have been involved in the staging of this powerful and highly popular musical.

As ever, none of these impressive artistic achievements would be possible without the commitment and talent from the students, but also the drive, dedication and professionalism of the staff involved. My thanks and appreciation to them all.

Gavin Henry Left: Welcome to Thebes

Above: Pericles

WELCOME TO THEBES

Welcome to Thebes, by Moira Buffini, was first performed in 2010 and is set in a poetical modern-day version of Thebes that is as disturbing as it is laced with Greek myths. It tells the story of a nation trying to re-establish peace under a newly elected female president, Eurydice, and her all-female cabinet.

The Thebes ensemble made full use of their traverse stage, dominating the theatre at all times and crafting riveting moments of explosive passion. The set was astutely designed by our Set Designer in Residence, Fin Woolgar, exploiting the length of the theatre and conveying the heat and aridity of Thebes with vibrant yellow sand. Polynices’ body (made by Art VSU) remained onstage throughout as a reminder of the destruction and hate Eurydice’s cabinet is trying to uproot.

The crux of the story was the development of the relationship between Eurydice and Theseus, a glossy senator from neighbouring democratic Athens flown in to advise her. The nuances of this relationship were brought alive by Chloe Rouse and Yash Kothari, with Chloe showing exceptional poise and care in her performance. A stark contrast with this pairing was Prince Tydeus and Pargeia, leaders of the opposition, keen to overthrow

Clever set design and strong female roles in this astute production.

the newly elected government with any successful underhand method. This Machiavellian pair was played with sizzling venom by Sasha Dulerayn and Veena McCoole or Rosie Donald on alternate nights, both crafting hilariously devilish performances supported by Sasha’s bull-headed Prince.

It is testament to Gavin Henry’s choice of play that the show was able to showcase a variety of strong female roles. Verity Thomson, as Eurydice’s Foreign Secretary, Aglaea, and Charlotte McNally, as the Minister of Finance, were notable for their sharp sophistry, with Verity delivering many witty, thought-provoking quips.

Welcome to Thebes goes beyond Greek tragedy to carve out a contemporary ending. The refreshing conclusion – that a male and female leader can muddle through their mistakes, see beyond sexual agendas and shake hands in friendship – was charmingly delivered by Chloe Rouse and Yash Kothari. Welcome to Thebes was an astute production with an important message keenly delivered by a student theatre company exceptional in its standards of performance.

Hannah de Quincey

DRAMA REVIEW68


PERICLES

One of Shakespeare’s late romances, Pericles makes a bold and exciting choice for a school production. It is a sprawling, picaresque story which sees the hero ricocheting around the Mediterranean encountering tyrants, winning a princess wife in a jousting competition and suffering shipwreck. The second half, after a 14-year jump in time, switches attention to his daughter, Marina, who, fleeing from a murderous queen, must endure attempted assassination and kidnapping by pirates.

The play has resonance today with its references to child abuse, incest, people-trafficking and enforced prostitution. Jim Grant’s superb production gave these horrors their full weight, while bringing out the humour and magic of the play. Deft directorial touches – a torn photo, a red rose – emphasised the theme of broken families, which built up a real emotional charge for the two ‘recognition scenes’ (a hallmark of Shakespeare’s romances), when Pericles is reunited first with his daughter and then his wife, both of whom he had believed dead.

These climactic scenes were beautifully handled by Seb Imas as the quietly intense older Pericles, Juliet Boobbyer (alternating with Izzy McGrady) as his wife, her voice tremulous with joy, and Elise van den Hoek (alternating with Molly

A bold and exciting choice for the Middle School.

Marr-Johnson), who combined vulnerability with inner strength as Marina.

The younger Pericles of the play’s first half was played by Matthew Emmerson in a tour de force performance, which saw him move from fresh-faced optimism to shocked horror as he unmasks the incestuous Antiochus (powerfully played by Rob Critchlow, with Caragh Taylor heartbreaking as the abused daughter) to the maturity of a young father tenderly cradling his newborn baby before bidding a miserable farewell to his wife who seems to have died in childbirth.

What was so impressive about the show, however, was that it was truly an ensemble performance, with even the smallest cameos brought vividly to life and the chorus holding it together as they became a stormy sea or shared the narration between them. A highlight of the evening was the wonderfully detailed group mime by the Knights of Pentapolis, which had the audience guffawing with laughter, as they competed at tennis, golf, cricket and boxing as part of the ‘joust’ in which Pericles triumphs. This typified the adventurous approach taken by the actors and production team in telling the adventures of Pericles.

Lorna Dolan

DRAMA REVIEW70

CANTERBURY TALES RETOLD

With the action relocated from a tavern to an airport, the first-world issue of cancelled flights contrasted throughout with the everyday moral issues of 14th-century Britain. The audience could relate to the amusing opening scene featuring Verity Thomson as a particularly unhelpful member of the airport staff. A cheerful group of post-exam skiers then set the scene for ‘The Miller’s Tale’, a very funny story of love, sex and revenge. John, the old carpenter (Remi Pfister), acted brilliantly opposite the charming Nicholas, his lodger (Bongi Munatsi) and the love-struck Absolon, a parish clerk (George Rountree) who cunningly gains his revenge on the young beauty of the village, John’s wife, Alison (Rosie Donald).

Next, ‘The Reeve’s Tale’ showed the selfish, greedy and devious miller, Simekin (Roshan Ruprai) and his wife (Selvi Messi) get what they deserve from many years of stealing extra wheat. John (Ed Perkins) and Alain (Rob Lewis-Davies), two Cambridge students, come to trick the miller. The two engaged the audience brilliantly with their comic use of mime and running techniques.

In ‘The Merchant’s Tale’, another story of desire, selfishness, love and betrayal, the Old Knight, January, a lonely barrister, was brilliantly portrayed by Harry Smith. Ignoring the words of his sisters (Tina Hill and Selvi Messi) he marries the young beautiful girl, May (Chloe Rouse), who is soon swept her off her feet by the young, handsome Damien (Maxi Lampert). The use of sound effects and additional props, such as the stepladder, enhanced the comedic elements of the scene very effectively.

‘The Franklin’s Tale’ showcased the wonderful Sian (Hanna Jay) and her hen party. The tone changed radically in the church scene at the airport, with some serious and harrowing stories from Bruce, a charming Canadian surgeon, and Veronica, the emotionally intense con woman, outstandingly acted by Sasha Dulerayn and Violet Bennett respectively.

The use of individual masks in ‘The Wife of Bath’ to finish the show reintroduced a humorous element to the performance, heavily reliant on a masterly use of voice. The Knight (James Robson) worked well alongside the old woman (Hannah Sands), whose use of mime to show the woman’s elderly features was very successful.

Canterbury Tales Retold was hugely entertaining, using a combination of different styles and dramatic techniques that blended successfully to create an engaging performance. The use of minimal props (only three main benches) to create a sequence of varying scenes, and the comedic elements interspersed with serious moments, were very engaging and enjoyable to watch. However the serious subtext of many of the tales was very much to the fore. Overall, this was a very engaging, touching and humorous production.

Siena Hammond, Lower Sixth

The Sevenoaks School Theatre Company’s production, written and directed by Mark Beverley and Jim Grant, was an excellent exposition of seven of Chaucer’s original pilgrim stories, updated for the 21st century.

70


CANTERBURY TALES ON TOUR: AN INSIDER’S PERSPECTIVE

Our very successful production of Canterbury Tales Retold toured in Germany as part of a seven-day visit to the Goethe Gymnasium, Ibbenbüren.

I have been acting at Sevenoaks for some time now, and have come to the conclusion that acting is the talent of deceit. An actor must dupe the audience into believing a tale that is not true. However, I must confirm that what follows is very much the truth. The rehearsal process and the tour itself did not run like a Swiss watch and there were some moments of tedium reminiscent of Groundhog Day.

What was interesting, and rather unique, to this play is the manner in which it was created. We did not start with a script and stage directions or even a cast. The reality was that we started from scratch. Until about three weeks in we didn’t know that the play was to be set in an airport, and it was only a collaborative effort that brought the whole venture alive. As a consequence, when we acquired the final copy of the script about two or three months before the first performance we all knew that there was some part of it that we had created either individually or as a group.

I can confidently say that this piece of theatre was successful, even when performed in the smallest venues. For example, in Tecklenburg for our first performance in Germany, we had an audience of about 20 to 30, (which was rather depressing, considering there were more people on stage than off it), but most of us would say that it was the best audience of all seven performances. It is rather special for any comic performer to be waiting backstage to come on and hear the audience laughing, especially when it crosses the language barrier. Having rehearsed the jokes for goodness knows how many months they had become rather stale to us, but to have them brought to life again by a small and fun audience was a great pleasure.

However, the greatest pleasure of all, to me at least, was working with a fantastic group of people. I can honestly say that there wasn’t a single person I worked with in this process whose company I did not thoroughly enjoy. There was always a convivial atmosphere, and the sense of camaraderie and achievement that ensued made the whole process an experience that I wouldn’t have missed for the world.

George Rountree, Lower Sixth

71

DRAMA REVIEW72

AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE

In August 2014, five very new Old Sennockians, Hannah Sands, Hanna Jay, Julia Ganis, Natalia Gonzalez-Morales and Elizabeth Elton headed north to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the Sackville Theatre Company. We were to be performing our own interpretation of Mike Bartlett’s dark satire Contractions at the prestigious C Nova Studios for three weeks. Situated at the top of the Royal Mile, the studios were in a large stone building, right in the buzzing centre of the Edinburgh Mile.

Our first night in Edinburgh consisted of our tech rehearsal from 2am to 6am. The whole cast was completely shattered the following morning, which added to our apprehension. Nevertheless, waking up every morning, covering the Mile in posters advertising Contractions, and handing out flyers to (sometimes) keen spectators was a welcome and incredibly fun distraction from stressful rehearsals, even when it was pouring with rain.

A stunning offering from the Sackville Theatre Company.

We were also calmed by the arrival of our dear friend and resident techie Kathryn Dodds on the day of the second performance. Her relaxed attitude towards the lighting and the sound made us far less nervous on stage. As Kathryn had to leave halfway through our time at the Fringe, the ever-happy Ollie Webster replaced her. These two contributed significantly to our incredible experience of the Fringe and we are very grateful to them.

The number of people that came to see Contractions surprised us. Our studio seated 50 audience members and for our first performance, 30 turned up. In a performing arts festival where over 3000 shows are available to the public, we thought this was a great achievement. Performing on stage at the Fringe in front of people was a rewarding experience. Seeing friends, family and fellow Old Sennockians from past years in the audience, as well as Messrs Grant and Henry, gave us an enormous sense of pride and accomplishment.

It took a full week for the reviews to start trickling in. We had wonderful audience feedback ranging from ‘clever staging, troubling content and impressive acting’, ‘funny and unsettling’ and ‘engaging, very well acted and loved the direction’ to ‘would highly recommend’ and ‘one of the best things I saw at the Fringe’. However the highlight of our trip came three days before we had to leave, when a reviewer from the New Current, a well-respected professional magazine, gave us a four-star review, stating ‘as a debut this is a stunning offering’ and that they were ‘really impressed’ by how it was brought together.

It was the perfect end to an unforgettable experience. It was an absolute pleasure to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe 2014 as representatives of the school and we would encourage fellow students who enjoy acting to follow suit.

Elizabeth Elton, Upper Sixth

Poster by Zoe Dawson


MUSIC REVIEW

MUSIC REVIEW74

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE YEAR

I have enormous respect for all the musicians who have contributed in many ways to this year’s music programme. Last year’s Upper Sixth were such a strong year in all forms of music making that I quite underestimated how much the younger years had taken from the successes of that year group and quite how well they would build on them.

The chamber musicians were outstanding and for three of our chamber groups to be singled out in Pro Corda’s hall of fame was quite astonishing. It is a credit to the Symphony Orchestra that, when listening to them perform Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony we never felt we missed the class of 2013.

A late addition to the programme of professional events saw Joe Stilgoe entertain us all in January but the performance of the entirety of Years 7 and 8 so enthusiastically in Emeli Sandé’s ‘Read all about it’ and Gershwin’s ‘They can’t take that away from me’ has made me rethink our provision for Lower School singing. The Gospel Choir said farewell to Emma Pears but not without another fine performance in Crash into Christmas and, more recently, Sevenoaks Swings.

I continue to be amazed at what the Foundation Orchestra is able to achieve on never more than 40 minutes a week. Once again we were indebted to


A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE SPACE

the ingenuity of Chris Roe composing a score which joined Harry Potter to Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre. He was later to have the brilliant vision of combining his work with the student composers with Michael O’Reilly’s work with the student artists. Taking Stravinsky’s Firebird suite as the common stimulus, the audience was entertained by top notch performances of the compositions whilst surrounded by terrific paintings and sculptures. Our other graduate student,

Christopher Atkinson, rounded the event off with a spectacular performance of Stravinsky’s arrangement of the Firebird Suite for solo piano.

There were also five concerts planned and delivered in their entirety by the students themselves with no help whatsoever from the staff. One of these, the brainchild of Russell and Rachelle Lam, raised £7000 for the Philippine disaster fund. Rachelle was later to give her own debut solo performance in the Pamoja Hall and it was great to see so many of her peers supporting these concerts. Tau Wey continues to find interesting angles to explore for the Piano Showcase. Taking advantage of the offer of free hire of a fortepiano for the year, he built his theme for 2014 around the idea of ‘Historically Informed Performance’ and gave all the school’s pianists a chance to perform their music on the kind of instrument the sound and touch of which Beethoven would have recognised 200 years ago. He even got the staff to give a piano duet lunchtime recital, prompting even the rusty Director of Music to do a little practice and indulge in some improvisational flights of fancy!

Talking of staff performances, I can’t turn down the opportunity to mention Tony Stuart’s Can Do Too! concert in the last week of term. With 40 of us strutting our stuff in some way or other and a further 30 joining Roger Woodward for a rendition of Monty Python’s ‘Always look on the bright side of school’ (sic), we somehow managed to keep our cool and provide hearty entertainment for a full house. The next staff concert is planned for 2018 – Can Do Better!

Looking back, I’m not sure how many other schools are able to provide such a range of opportunities for so many students (and staff!) and this is without mentioning the many PROMO gigs that always sell out, the über-enthusiasm of Matthew Cook and the choirs he and Toby Carden run, nor the solo platform concerts, of which there are about 15 over the course of the year. It remains a joy to be a part of this lovely department.

Christopher Dyer

Top: Successful Pro Corda

chamber musicians.

MUSIC REVIEW76

A near-capacity audience in the Pamoja Hall was treated to a feast of orchestral and ensemble music making that can only have served further to justify the school’s enviable reputation for the excellence of its music.

The concert opened with something both old and new; the newly arranged and orchestrated version of the long-neglected school song, ‘The Song of the Seven Oaks’. Composed in 1932 by erstwhile Director of Music John Longmire with words by former pupil Peter Warrick (OS 1931), this new version had fresh life breathed into it by Jack Long’s skilful and imaginative treatment. Assured orchestral playing and well-enunciated singing from the massed members of three of the school’s numerous choirs provided convincing proof that you can’t keep a good tune down.

MIGHTY ORCHESTRA CONCERT

There followed a succession of performances which consistently impressed through their assurance of delivery and an almost tangible evidence of delight in music making. Under the highly competent direction of Chris Roe the Foundation Orchestra gave an entertaining account of Chris’s own arrangement of ‘Harry Potter and the Dance of Death’. Totally in their element, the Wind Band provided foot-tapping exuberance in ‘Breezin’ Down Broadway’, followed by the more restrained soulfulness of Skyfall. This gentler mood was continued in Beauty and the Beast from the Sevenoaks Strings before they sent us out for the interval with a thoroughly compelling rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean.

And so to the main act. Take one magnificent concert hall; add 200 orchestral players from beginners to highly accomplished executants; a rattling good tune (in this instance ‘The Anvil Chorus’ from Verdi’s Il Trovatore); then add one inspirational conductor in the form of Toby Carden and you have The Mighty Orchestra, making its second appearance in recent years and introducing many novice players to the thrill of orchestral playing.

The calculations of the hall’s architects and acousticians were once again shown to be well-founded as the auditorium resounded to the stirring fortissimos of the Brass Ensemble’s delivery of Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland.

To conclude the evening the Symphony Orchestra gave us the first two movements of Dvorak’s Symphony No 9 in E minor. Under Chris Dyer’s expert direction and following his customary meticulous preparation there was a great deal to admire.

A final word of appreciation should go to all involved in the preparation of this wonderful and impressive concert.

Peter Young Teacher of Music 1972-2008


The inaugural Alan Adler concert took place in 1968. It was conceived as a concert in memory of a past Master of the Worshipful Company of Tobacco Pipe Makers and Tobacco Blenders, Alan Adler. Funded by the Livery Company, the earliest concerts were given by professional musicians for the benefit of pupils. Over time the nature of the event changed, to become a concert given by pupils.

This year’s concert was devoted to just two works by a single composer: Antonin Dvorak’s ever-popular Symphony No 9 in E minor, and his sacred masterpiece, Stabat Mater. The performers were the Symphony Orchestra, and the Choral Society and Parents’ Choir, accompanied by a smaller orchestra comprising pupils and staff.

The richness of the lower string sound at the very opening was especially commendable, given added depth by the luxury of having three double basses. Equally admirable was the blend and tuning of the woodwind section to which Dvorak gives a marked prominence. The hauntingly beautiful slow movement solo for cor anglais was played with finely controlled eloquence by Pippa Stevens. The decision to omit the third movement probably reflected pressure on adequate rehearsal time. This downside was compensated for by the confident performance of the last movement,

THE ALAN ADLER CONCERT

where the contrasts between bold assertion and a more inward reflection were well caught.

The spur for setting the Stabat Mater text, Dvorak’s first sacred composition, was the death of his daughter Josefa. Initial sketches were started in 1876, but the final version was not completed until the following year, shortly after the death of the composer’s remaining two children. The full work is a monumental piece comprising ten sections, often symphonic and operatic in conception. Considerations of stamina (performers’ and audience’s alike!) wisely dictated the choice of six movements only, and considerations of balance led to the use of an orchestra smaller in numbers but by no means restricted in instrumental colour.

The choice of movements performed gave ample scope to display the talents of all performers. Emily Ward (OS 2000), Helen Walker, Anthony Dawson and Bertie Watson made an accomplished quartet of soloists. For this listener, however, it was the singing of the chorus that made the deepest impression; well-blended tone, effortless top notes from sopranos and tenors especially, ringing fortissimos and hushed pianos were all conjured up by conductor Matthew Cook’s unobtrusive but masterly direction. Peter Young

Teacher of Music 1972-2008

MUSIC REVIEW78

MUSIC AT SEVENOAKS CONCERTS


In March, an audience was treated to a feast of choral music as part of the Lent term Music at Sevenoaks concert. And what a wonderful showcase of golden voices it proved to be!

The concert opened with the Sanctus and In Paradisum movements of Fauré’s Requiem exquisitely sung by the Chamber Choir who continue to flourish, followed by another of Fauré’s works, Cantique de Jean Racine. These stunning renditions of his works show the talent of the younger singers coming through the school, who are able to tackle some difficult and complex works. Elsewhere in the first half, the audience enjoyed the Lower School Chorale performing the popular ‘As long as I have music’ and were mesmerised by the Senior Girls’ Ensemble’s outstanding performance of ‘The Turtle Dove’, Tantum Ergo and ‘Remember’ whose poignant harmonies filled the Pamoja Hall. To finish the spectacular first half the Sennocke Consort sang the triumphant ‘God is gone up’ and ‘Thanks Be to God’, giving yet another polished and accomplished performance.

Golden voices, energetic strings and a superb performance by the Wind Band.

In stark contrast to the classical first half, the second half was an uplifting affair by the Gospel Choir, directed for the last time by Emma Pears and accompanied by a band including Will Wood on guitar. The choir exquisitely sang a programme of popular music including ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ by U2 and ‘Brighter Day’ by Kirk Franklin, with superb solos by Emma Clark, Maria Bassi, Jonathan Chen and Alexa Chukwumah. Overall, it was a wonderful event.

In May, for the Summer term Music at Sevenoaks, a fabulous night of film music was performed in the Pamoja Hall. From Skyfall to The Dam Busters, we heard some of the great works that have filled cinemas over the last 60 years.

The evening opened with a medley of film tunes, including Beauty and the Beast and Harry Potter, performed by Sevenoaks Strings and directed by Christopher Dyer. The finest part of their performance came with the dramatic music from Pirates of the Caribbean. Their extremely energetic playing whilst tackling some difficult polyrhythms added to the excitement of this exhilarating piece. Following this we heard the Wind Band superbly playing The Magnificent Seven and the Looney Tunes Overture, directed by Toby Carden. The accessibility of the genre allowed young instrumentalists from local primary schools to join the Wind Band in playing Skyfall and Highlights from Brave directed by Julia Kiggell. It was astounding to see these children integrate themselves so well in a more mature group and play with such conviction, and they were very excited by their involvement in such a thrilling concert.

Never failing to impress, the Foundation Orchestra closed the concert in magnificent style. Playing ‘Flying Fiesta’, an arrangement of music from films focusing on the topic of flight, they amazed us with their polished and accomplished performance.

Ellie Newey (OS 2013)

MUSIC REVIEW80

AN EVENING WITH JOE STILGOE (OS 1997)

Joe Stilgoe returned to Sevenoaks in late January to perform with the school’s Big Band and a choir made up of our entire Lower School. After a workshop during the school day, Joe was joined for the evening by Phoebe Ray (OS 2008) who gave a guest performance.

As the winter wind blew and the damp splashed into mud-soaked puddles, the Met Office officially announced January 2014 was the wettest month for 100 years. Despite the drizzle, in a corner of Kent an audience arrived buttoned and booted for an evening that was seriously inspiring and playfully serious. It made you feel that ‘there are songs to be sung, bells to be rung and a wonderful spring to be sprung’.

Joe Stilgoe left Sevenoaks in 1997 and is now a highly successful jazz performer. He has a quiet confidence, a strategic command of his creativity and an effusive delight in all his material. The first

half of the concert he sang with the school Big Band and introduced Phoebe Ray, another Old Sennockian, whose painting still hangs in Park Grange. She sang three beguiling songs that showed the rich roundedness and complex range of her voice.

When Joe and his trio began their own set, their true musicianship and utter brilliance became clear. They have worked hard to retain the balance between finely poised discipline and openly woven intuition. Combining these opposing elements can be transformative. The Joe Stilgoe Trio were without any doubt magnificent, and as they played the winter night faded into a dream. The mesmeric brilliance was measured out between the three performers; in their vivacious but unshowy sophistication and the human warmth articulated in the crispness of their playing. For the last song Joe played ‘If I only had a brain’, from The Wizard of Oz. This was the most moving part of the evening, for jazz and jokes were supplanted by a tender reverie: ‘I’d unravel any riddle for any individual in trouble or in pain’. The riddle of how to transcend a cold, wet January night is without doubt to listen to Joe Stilgoe and to delight in his modest virtuosity.

Oliver Barratt


This exceptional evening of jazz was the result of a collaboration between our current musicians and our alumni. The show began with Joe singing two Sinatra numbers ‘The Lady is a Tramp’ and ‘You Make Me Feel so Young’, and it was great to hear Joe’s delivery of Sinatra’s lyrics backed by the power and energy of our own Big Band.

Phoebe followed with a spellbinding performance of her own material along with a fantastic cover version of Japan’s ‘Ghosts’. Phoebe’s incredible vocals, coupled with the verve of her stage presence, make her an extremely engaging live act.

The Joe Stilgoe Trio completed the first half with a mixture of songs from his albums ‘We Look to the Stars’ and ‘Songs on Film’. As a performer, Joe’s connection with the audience is exceptional. He is such a warm, funny, sincere artist that you just can’t help liking him. You could feel the sense of friendship between the audience and Joe, as his trademark clever and amusing repartee focused on his time as a student at the school. The trio are brilliant musicians: Ben Reynolds is one of the country’s leading jazz drummers and Chris Hill is one of the best double bass players you will ever

hear. When you add Joe’s incredible piano playing and silky-smooth voice you get an incredibly full sound that stirs you with its wonderful melodies and joyful spirit.

The second half began with the Lower School choir (pretty much every member of the Lower School!) singing Emeli Sandé’s, ‘Read All About it’ and Gershwin’s ‘They Can’t Take That Away from Me’. The time Joe had spent rehearsing with the pupils earlier in the day had clearly enthused them enormously: each one was fully committed and engaged, resulting in a bold, uplifting performance which carried with it one of the important themes of the evening – fun!

The Trio played the second half with passion, vitality and quite superb musicianship. There was a real sense of emotion at the end of the concert as the audience rose to its feet to thank Joe for everything he had given to the evening. His last number ended the evening by reinforcing the great sense of connection Joe had established with his listeners. All in all, it was a very special evening.

Alex Smith


MUSIC REVIEW82

How did you get into singing?

I’ve always sung, really. I even remember doing solos in my nursery school! I had some really good music teachers when I was in secondary school, who encouraged me, and I did some singing outside school. I’ve had some musical role models whom I admired, and then I thought that a choral scholarship at Cambridge would be a good idea.

What do you like best about your job?

It’s varied and different every day. I did try an office job but I hated it and it really didn’t suit me. I made the decision to make singing my profession and it was the best decision I’ve ever made. Every new project is different; I’ve sung with many different groups, including The Tallis Scholars, the Gabrieli Consort and the BBC Singers, all of which are so different from The Sixteen. It’s a new challenge for me to be a singing teacher, and it’s proving to be good fun; I enjoy giving something back and passing on the love of singing.

How did you get into The Sixteen?

I was on a two-year course at the Royal Academy of Music, and someone in The Sixteen was ill, so I was pulled into the choir at the last minute. It was quite intimidating, but I was asked back, and became a deputy member. I’m now a full-time soprano in the choir.

What’s it like to sing with The Sixteen?

It’s such a friendly atmosphere. I think that’s part of the reason the choir sounds like it does. Harry [Christophers, the conductor] places great

AN INTERVIEW WITH ALExANDRA KIDGELL

Alexandra Kidgell, soprano, studied at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where she was Senior Choral Exhibitioner, and the Royal Academy of Music. She is a member of The Sixteen and teaches singing at Sevenoaks School. Isla Stevens and Fran Vernon caught up with her to find out what it takes to be a professional singer.

importance on the fact that we get on well both on and off the concert platform. We spend so much time together that it’s vital really!

Do you prefer small or big choirs?

Small is my preference. I like singing one person to a part, but I also enjoy slightly bigger groups, like The Sixteen.

What’s your favourite piece of music?

(Laughs) That’s really hard! I like so many, but – it’s got to be Bach – I think probably Bach’s Mass in B minor.

What’s the most memorable part of your career?

Going to college was a really good experience, and joining The Sixteen.

Have you got any plans for the future?

Well, The Sixteen’s 2014 Choral Pilgrimage runs from March to October. We don’t get much time to rehearse the pieces we sing – we record it in October, so we spend about three and a half days singing the music, then only one rehearsal the day before we start to perform in concerts.

Have you got any advice for young singers?

Enjoy it! Get as much practice as you can: join a choir. Don’t rush to develop your voice, and persevere. Rejection is common and can be upsetting. Don’t be put off!

Isla Stevens and Francesca Vernon, Upper Sixth

SPORT REVIEW

SPORT REVIEW84

SPORT REVIEW OF THE YEAR

It has been an incredible year of sport. The Sports Days were the fitting finale to a hugely rich and rewarding year of great success. There was evidence of enthusiasm, hard work, teamwork and absolute effort to the last; typical traits of the model Sevenoaks student.

Our staff have overseen unprecedented success and fostered excellence in over 1100 fixtures played out in 14 representative sports. They have provided the students with an opportunity to experience competitive sport as well as maintain a healthy lifestyle that beautifully complements the rigours of everyday life. One student I asked

Teamwork: the key to success.summed it up nicely when he said sport at Sevenoaks ‘provides a great outlet and gives me a great sense of enjoyment’.

The girls’ teams continue to dominate sport in the South East, performing particularly well at hockey, cross-country, and tennis. The girls football side reached the National Independent Schools Final for the first time ever in April, played out in front of an excitable crowd at Borehamwood, the home of Arsenal Ladies. Boys sport continues to see a huge rise in success, as we retained the Under 15 Rugby Kent Cup, and won SKIL football leagues at senior level. The sailing and shooting clubs


continue to lead their disciplines across the country, with 11 shooters selected for the county, seven of them going on to represent England.

Individually, over 70 students have represented the county or region, with an incredible 18 earning their international call-up over seven sports. Amongst all the fine and special individual achievements I would like to pay tribute to Natasha Farrant (Upper Sixth), England cricketer. In the space of two years she has been elevated from talented county cricketer to full England international, playing a pivotal role in the retention of the Ashes.

It has been a brilliant year for Sevenoaks sport and I would like to pay tribute to all of the coaching staff at the school for their time, effort and devotion in ensuring that the programme offers opportunities for success at all levels and age groups. It clearly means a great deal to the students. With an increasing interest in sport science, the infrastructure has never felt so healthy and continues to improve year upon year.

It is rather fitting that I leave the final words to Natasha who, when asked, ‘What does Sevenoaks sport mean to you?’ replied: ‘Sevenoaks inspires teamwork: the key to success.’ James Emmitt

SPORT REVIEW86

CRICKET: A YEAR IN REVIEW

ASHES TO ASHES

Chris Tavaré (Old Sennockian, Biology teacher and teacher in charge of cricket) made his debut against Australia in the now infamous Botham’s Ashes Series in 1981. It is perhaps apt that 33 years later Natasha Farrant (Upper Sixth) participated in the Ashes-winning T20 match in Hobart in January 2014. Natasha’s career really has taken off in recent times, to such an extent that she has been awarded a central contract by the England and Wales Cricket Board, one of 18 women who have achieved this for the first time in the history of the women’s game. Three seasons ago she was playing school cricket for the 1st XI and representing Kent U17. Within a short space of time, she had been selected for England U17 and Kent’s senior team, and within a year she made her debut for the

senior England women’s team against Pakistan in Loughborough. Natasha is the ultimate role model to all young cricketers as she shows what can be achieved through sheer determination and hard work and no little talent. She leaves us for Loughborough University where she will continue her studies within hitting distance of the National Cricket Performance Centre. We wish her all the best in what is bound to be an exciting career.

PRIMARY SCHOOLS’ CRICKET TOURNAMENT

In June Chris Tavaré organised the second Primary Schools cricket tournament at Solefields. The competition involved a preliminary round because of the popularity of the event and on finals day Amherst, Otford, Sevenoaks Primary, Kemsing, Weald and last year’s winners Ightham fought it out in two groups to decide the eventual winners. Amherst were exceptional all day and won the final convincingly. It was a great day for all involved and the primary school pupils were really excited to have the opportunity of an autographed bat from Chris. A huge thank you to all those who helped to run the day so smoothly, and a special mention to Chris for organising it so efficiently.

CRICKET ON THE RISE

Cricket at Sevenoaks School has received a real boost in recent years as we look to develop and nurture emerging talent in the sport. The introduction of the 121s in the mornings is having a strong developmental effect on the players involved. The new Cricket Academy has strong links to the recently victorious Premier League winners Sevenoaks Vine CC, and Knole Academy. A host of young players from local preparatory and primary schools have flourished under the guidance of Chris Tavaré, David Smith, Rob Ferley and a number of other ex-professionals including Geraint Jones, the 2005 Ashes-winning wicket-keeper. The school can now boast four county cricketers in the shape of Natasha Farrant (county and national), Rhys Joseph, Martha Tipper and Harry Houillon, while Nick Bett was selected by the Dutch Cricket Board for the ICC U15 European Championships.

James Emmitt


RUGBY

The highlight of the season was retaining the U15 Kent Cup. The competition started well with some fantastic performances and exciting rugby. The team showed great balance and ability with strong forward play consistently breaking down defences, and some skilful, slick back play that got the ball wide regularly. These traits made them a very entertaining and exciting team to watch. The team successfully turned over St Olave’s Grammar School (36-7), Rochester Maths (5-0), and Hayes (22-12) reaching the final again at a floodlit Gravesend RFC against Ravenswood.

It was an intense evening which was supported well by pupils and parents. The boys continued to play their exciting style of rugby and proceeded to dominate the game. Sevenoaks opened up the scoring with the first try of the night and continued to apply the pressure throughout the game, but for all their fantastic efforts no tries were scored. A breakaway try against the run of play from Ravenswood saw them tie the match 5-5, and that was how it was to remain for the rest of the game. So although the game was drawn the title was shared and our names were put on the cup for the second year running.

From this successful team three members of the squad have been selected to play for Kent: Nick Bett (scrum-half), Dylan Morris-Jones (fly-half/centre) and James Yun-Stevens (hooker/flanker). It will be a big year ahead for these boys as they start in the U16 category, and the selection process begins for South East England and eventually the final England squads. We wish them and all in our teams the greatest success for the season ahead.

The future is looking bright for rugby at Sevenoaks. We are starting to build some strength in depth as our U14 also had a very successful season, and three boys from this squad, Harry Carley, Curtis French and Kieran Sassone, all played county rugby this year.

Sean Holden

This year the school teams played 109 games of rugby across all years. The season began in August when we ran our pre-season training camps for all age groups and abilities. The boys received coaching from ex-international players Peter Richards (England and World Cup finalist), Duncan Bell (England), Kieran Dawson (Ireland) and Old Sennockian Dan Caprice (England Sevens). This was another major success from which all our players benefited.

The U15A team, winners

of the Kent Cup

SPORT REVIEW88

HOCKEY SUCCESS

We saw some significant hockey achievements during the course of the year. The U13 squad won the annual seven-a-side tournament hosted by Sevenoaks School and were the winners of the annual Trinity Schools Tournament. The U16 squad reached the semi-finals of the Kent Cup. An incredible 15 Sevenoaks players were selected to represent the county or higher, including Tara Daly and Sophie Holliday who attended the Futures Cup, from which the England selection was made. Sophie went on to represent the England U16 team as a goalkeeper.

In addition to these achievements, the U14 squad were crowned Kent champions and progressed to the East Regional Tournament and the regional finals. The 16-strong squad travelled to Canterbury for the Kent Tournament in October with high expectations having reached the national finals the previous year. The girls outclassed their opponents with their speed, skill and excellent teamwork and eased through the pool stages with convincing wins over Chislehurst and Sidcup (2-0), Tonbridge Grammar School (2-0), Kent College Canterbury (4-0), Ashford School (2-0), and Kent College Pembury (4-0).

U14 County Champions!

The quarter-final against Colfe’s presented them with an opportunity to show off their goal scoring prowess, and a hat-trick from Lauren Tucker helped them to a 10-0 victory. In the semi-final against Sutton Valence, Sevenoaks remained dominant, securing their place in the final with a 5-0 win. Despite booking their place at the East Regional Tournament, the girls were keen to get their name on the Kent trophy, and set out to win the final game against a strong Cranbrook side. After 20 minutes of applying relentless pressure and some superb play by the Cranbrook goalkeeper, Sevenoaks were awarded a penalty corner as the last play of the game. A superbly struck shot from Hannah Daly found the bottom left corner of the goal and Sevenoaks were crowned Kent Champions.

At the East tournament Sevenoaks achieved victories over Brentwood (3-0) and Bourne Grammar (4-0). Unfortunately a narrow defeat to Bishop’s Stortford (1-2), meant they finished second in the pool and had to play Newport Grammar. After a hard-fought 1-1 draw, a place in the finals was dependent on penalty strokes. Three superbly converted strokes by Louisa Webb, Martha Tipper and Lexie Hoyer, and three superb saves by goalkeeper Ellie Skilton, were enough to see the team through to the regional finals.

There, Sevenoaks missed qualifying for the national finals by the narrowest of margins. They knew that their fast and fluent team play should have sufficed to see them through against Queenswood, Bishop’s Stortford and Felsted. On the day, however, nerves got the better of them and they were unable to convert their chances. However the team will undoubtedly get more opportunities to qualify for the nationals in the future.

Liz Joseph

Left: Sophie Holliday. Following a successful Futures Cup tournament, Sophie was selected as a goalkeeper to train with the National Age Group Squad (NAGS). She represented England against Ulster in May and against Scotland in June.

© Peter Joarder


CROSS COUNTRY

The number, quality and commitment of the school’s cross country runners has continued to increase this year, from Year 7 through to the Upper Sixth. Training has increased to five times a week, with some of the Sixth Form running twice on certain days, resulting in considerable competitive success.

The Michaelmas term saw victories for the boys and the girls at Charterhouse and Lancing, and the 1st VIII boys took third behind Judd and St Albans at the King’s Trophy on Wimbledon Common. Thirty-five students also attended a four-day training camp in Eastbourne. However, the biggest success of the term came with our junior and inter girls teams, who both managed to qualify for the national finals of the English Schools Cup – the first time the school has ever qualified two teams in the same year for this event – where they finished seventh and 14th respectably.

In January, Mr de May successfully organised the 40th Knole Run which made use of new and improved courses that were met with widespread approval. Sevenoaks had a record number of runners (40 in total) and the girls’ team finished third out of 29 whilst the boys came fifth out of 43. Our boys’ captain, Chris Olley, placed second individually for the second consecutive year. The following weekend at the Kent Schools Championships, Chris won a bronze individual medal in the senior boys race, while Ruth Bourne, our girls’ captain, won silver in the senior girls. In total, 13 students were selected to represent Kent at the schools inter-counties event – the highest number ever achieved by Sevenoaks. There was further success later in the term where a very young senior girls team, most of whom are in Years 8 and 9, finished third at the Henry VIII relays in Coventry (which are the unofficial national championships at senior level) and second at the South East Schools Championships at Harrow. The boys finished sixth and fifth at these events, but also managed to record a victory at the Wellington College relays, including a magisterial final leg from Chris Olley to finally take the lead with around 200m to go.

In total around 100 pupils have run competitively for the school this year, and we are looking forward to further success as some of our young starlets mature into seasoned athletes in the next couple of years.

Alex Patton

Boys 1st VIII Squad: I Abed, R Alexander, R Bates, R Boylin, E Briery, S Dabbous, A Herd, C Lindsay, R Moverley Smith, C Olley, M Proctor, E Williams

Girls 1st VI Squad: P Barker, C Bentsen, R Bourne, C Cogné, L Gueorguieva, E Monkhouse, J Oliver, S Oliver, L Tucker, A Tyler, C Tyler

Coaches: Alex Patton, Darrell Smith, Phil de May, Gareth Willis, Paul Turner, Anne Durnford, Oliver Russell

SPORT REVIEW90

FOOTBALL SUCCESS

BOYS

The SKIL league (Sussex and Kent Independent Schools League) has continued to grow in stature and with the competition only entering its second year, the fixture list boasts strong opposition in the form of Brighton College, Worth Abbey, King’s Canterbury, Christ’s Hospital and Colfe’s. It has undoubtedly become one of the top school competitions to enter and its popularity has also interested other schools such as Epsom College, who join us next year.

Noticeably, the high achievers included our most senior students within the school. The 1st XI, 2nd XI and U16A teams all managed to win their respective leagues to be crowned SKIL champions. This is real testament not only to the students but also the coaches involved.

The 1st XI had a very successful season, winning 75 per cent of their matches, scoring 20 and conceding only 8. It is only right that we judge our success upon beating strong opposition schools. The consistently high performances within the 1st XI were underlined with a brilliant display against Tonbridge School which saw them just lose out, going down 3-2. Much of this success can be accredited to the efforts of team captain and Findlay Sports Scholar Oliver Gibson in goal.

Oliver has demonstrated his natural abilities as a leader. His hard work and diligent approach have paid dividends and he gained selection for the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) England squad. He has not only displayed resilience in goal, but has always been on hand to use his expertise to develop the skills of younger students within school.

Topping the SKIL league and reaching the ISFA national finals.


Within the younger age groups, it is apparent that we have an array of young, talented individuals who enjoy their football immensely. This year has seen many representatives at county trials and some of our students have gained selection within youth programmes led by Premiership clubs. We have also established a strong link with Crystal Palace Football Club. Although it is in its infancy, we can only see positive outcomes for all involved in this partnership. Attracting young and talented elite performers will continue to push football forward at Sevenoaks.

We look forward to our upcoming pre-season tour at England’s new training headquarters, St George’s Park. Jamie Cullen

GIRLS

Led first by Florentina Winkelmann and then by star player and joint coach Katherine Nickols, the girls enjoyed a terrific season. After their initial three warm-up matches, they did not lose in open play until the final of the ISFA U18 Girls Cup Final. Victories over Westminster (3-0) and Charterhouse (3-2) set up a semi-final against Haileybury. A tough warm-up match against Bradfield (3-3) helped the girls prepare for the big match. In front of a delirious home crowd, they won 5-0, to earn an unforgettable day at Arsenal Ladies Ground, where the cup final was contested against King’s College Taunton. Our girls lost 4-0 to worthy winners, but showed tremendous courage and determination during the match, and equally impressive dignity in defeat. It was a proud and moving moment when they came up to thank their supporters in the stands after collecting their runners-up medals, and found themselves warmly applauded.

In August 2013 Katherine Nickols was selected for the National Girls Football Development Camp. She is that most powerful of paradoxes: a leader who enjoys being part of a team. She has been a starter in the Sevenoaks 1st team since Year 8. Season after season she has decided matches in our favour with moments of breathtaking individual skill. Equally impressive however, have been her abilities in talking less experienced players through these tight matches. Without Katherine’s mentoring skills as captain, results might easily have gone the other way. She has captained the South East Independent Schools Football Association team, and after a strong performance against Cambridge University, she was selected for the ISFA international match against Australia.

David Hall

© RWT Photography

SPORT REVIEW92

DUATHLON

At the sound of the klaxon I leapt forward in an attempt to get to the front of the pack. I soon settled into a rhythm and started running down the kilometres until I would mount my bike. I entered transition one in second place, seconds behind the leader. We exited neck and neck.

The 20km bike ride involved in sprint distance duathlon is sandwiched between the first 5km run and the second 2.5km run. However, for me, the bike is by far the worst of the two disciplines.

Pontevedra is a quaint Spanish town, located in the north-west of Spain, in a river valley several miles from the sea. The bike course for my race took me ten kilometres up the steep valley sides before turning and plummeting back down into the town. Uphill, I was unable to put sufficient power out, my legs suffering as I turned the cranks one more time. On the way down, I spun out my gears and was left to the mercy of gravity to get me down quickly.

All in all, I lost five places on that bike ride, but managed to reclaim one in the second transition. I clung on in the last run to cross the line in sixth place (U19) with a time of 1:05:06, exhausted and ecstatic. Kate Curran (Upper Sixth), who also competed for Great Britain, achieved 11th place in her race (Junior Women) and second within the GB team.

It still feels funny to think that I can now call myself sixth in the world for duathlon, but my ultimate goal is to obtain the world champion title, and I am currently working towards the 2015 World Championships in Adelaide. To be a part of the Team GB was truly an experience that I will never forget. It would not have been possible if it were not for the phenomenal sports coaches and facilities that we have at school. There are currently several Sevenoaks students with the ability to compete for Great Britain in triathlon, so I hope we will see others following Kate Curran and me in the future.

Rob Boylin, Lower Sixth

Since the emphatic success of Team GB in triathlon at the London 2012 Olympic games, the popularity of multi-discipline sports has grown exponentially within the United Kingdom.

Although somewhat overshadowed by triathlon, my event, duathlon, where one is required to run, bike and run again is without doubt a mentally and physically taxing sport. My second ever full duathlon just so happened to be at the 2014 World Duathlon Championships.

At the ITU World Championships 2014 in Pontevedra, Spain, Rob Boylin finished sixth and Kate Curran finished 11th. Rob recounts his experience of the race.


ATHLETICS

BOYS ATHLETICS

Athletics remains popular in the Summer term with all year groups competing in inter-school fixtures and county competitions. A strong fixture list has strengthened the quality of athletics at Sevenoaks in recent years. We compete against the best schools and punch well above our weight.

This year’s senior captain, Alex Charnock, held the team together and was a stalwart in the hurdles, javelin and high jump. Another pillar of the squad, Nick Perry, also gave invaluable service. A strong and committed batch of Lower Sixth students joined two of last year’s team, Chris Olley and Arthur Davison, to form a competitive group. Immanuel Adewumi, Ichechi Weli, Alex Bos, Euan Williams and Matt Proctor have all contributed a massive amount to the senior athletics programme. Mentions for excellent performances go to Immanuel for his 6.10m in the long jump, Barnaby Sandeford for 38.54m in the javelin, Ichechi

running 11.3s in the 100m decathlon competition and Rob Boylin who now holds the new 2000m steeplechase record with a time of 7m 19.9s. A final mention goes to Euan for his improvement in the 1500m, in which he has competed against athletes two years his senior.

This year’s junior team is undoubtedly the most successful, securing some outstanding performances at home and away fixtures. Away at Tonbridge, we were placed third over Brighton College, Tonbridge and Cranleigh, losing only to Harrow and Judd. The team also secured wins over Hurstpierpoint and St Paul’s. This is an incredible achievement against some of the toughest opposition in the south-east circuit. In the last home fixture against Duke of York’s, we had an overwhelming victory of 275 to 82 points! At the Trinity Schools event the squad were placed third out of 15 independent schools. Consistent performers include Maxime Robeyns (high jump and hurdles), Curtis French (shot-put and discus), Harry Carley (sprints) and Alex Parton (hurdles and long jump).

The U14 athletes competed in the Kent Prep School Championships and the U15 and U17 athletes in the Kent Schools’ Championships. Once again a number of boys gained their Kent vest. Ben De Sousa won silver in the U17 shot-put (competing as U16), Maxime gained gold in the U15 high jump and Kieran Sassone bronze in the U15 shot-put. Representing Kent in the inter-counties at the K2 Stadium in Crawley, Ben came fourth with a throw of 12.01m, Maxime third with a jump of 1.7m and Kieran fifth with a throw of 12.09m. James Yun-Stevens came third in the javelin with 49.79m.

The future looks encouraging with an abundance of talent emerging from the U15 and U16 teams. With the development of an Athletics Academy at Sevenoaks on the horizon the prospects for Sevenoaks athletes are extremely good.

Peter Hill

SPORT REVIEW94

SWIMMING

Having been made very welcome by the PE department and swimmers, I set about getting to know and preparing the swimmers for the imminent start of gala season after the first half term. I would like to thank the Captains of Swimming, Sophie Simpson and Alex Robbins, for helping me with running the teams during the galas.

We had a successful season, with the senior boys notably winning both the freestyle and medley relay at the Kent Secondary Schools Gala by more than a length. We also took a team of swimmers to the Bath and Otter Cup which was held for the first time at the Olympic pool in Stratford. Our boys and girls competed in both freestyle and medley relays. All swimmers who attended thoroughly enjoyed the experience and swam exceedingly well. Although we had no finalists we could console ourselves with the knowledge that we were up against very strong competition from all over the country. Finally, also at the Kent Secondary Schools Gala, the intermediate boys performed exceptionally well in the 4 x 100 Freestyle relay final to grab second place. They qualified fifth fastest for the final, so to finish with a silver medal was certainly very well deserved.

John Yates

HONOURS FOR EMILY AND LILY

Two of the school’s junior swimmers, Emily Das (Year 7) and Lily Snell (Year 8), deserve a special mention, as all their hard work and dedication during the year has paid dividends.

Emily swam in the South East Region Championships and took bronze in the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1.20.80, achieving her first National Qualifying Time. She went on to compete in the National Championships in Sheffield in August. Narrowly missing the NQT in the 200m breaststroke by 0.86 seconds, she came fourth in her group in the final, swimming against girls a year older.

Lily also competed in the South East Region Championships and swam in two individual events, the 100m and 200m freestyle. She took silver in the 100m and achieved a qualifying time of 2.12.55 in the 200m freestyle, which places her 11th in the country. She was one of the four swimmers to win gold in the 4 x 200m freestyle and the 4 x 100m relay, which gained them all a place at the nationals in Sheffield.

Our new swimming coach reflects on a successful year.


SAILING

The 2013-14 season was another very successful one for our sailors. The U18 squad won the East Kent Championships, the South East Area Regionals and the Thames Valley Area Regional Championships, with the 2nd team consistently placing in the top six, and well clear of all the other schools’ second teams. The U16s also had a very strong year, starting off with a very impressive fourth place overall and top-placed school at the Junior Team National Championships in October. They went on to finish second and third at the Midlands regionals and second at the South East Area Championships.

The sailors competed at a number of university-run events where they had the great opportunity to race against much older and more experienced sailors. Their best performance came at the London University event in March where the 1st team finished fifth, beating the likes of Cambridge, Bath, Imperial, Birmingham and Bangor universities along the way.

The year culminated with Itchenor Schools Week. This year was extremely competitive with sailors from America and all across the UK. The top-placed Sevenoaks boat was Ed Haynes and Issy Gordon who placed 11th out of 42.

Isla Stevens and Kathryn Dodds finished 27th and were the first girls overall. We then moved onto the Schools National and International Finals hosted by Oakham School at Rutland Water. Sevenoaks had high hopes, having won the three regional events in the preceding weeks. Unfortunately we experienced a frustrating couple of days where the wind didn’t get above 5 knots, and many of the races were decided on luck rather than skill in drifting conditions. The 1st team narrowly missed out on the semi-finals and ended up as third-placed school overall.

During the summer holidays two Sevenoaks boats made the journey to Carnac in France to compete in the RS Feva World Championships, with 200 boats from ten different countries competing. Having very little experience of sailing on the sea or in such a big fleet, the Sevenoaks sailors had a great week, with Matthew Caiger and Helen Jones finishing 40th, just ahead of Oliver Kidd and Toby Flynn who were 41st overall. Nicholas Davies of Year 8 had another superb year, representing Switzerland in the Optimist class and putting in great performances for the school U16 team.

Andy Cornah

Top right: The U18A team

won the Hoad Shield in May

Below right: East Kent

Championships

SPORT REVIEW96

TENNIS

REGIONAL FINALS

The year got off to a great start with three out of four teams qualifying for regional finals in November. The Year 10 boys lost their first three singles matches against New Hall and Oscar Gordon-Reid dug deep to win the final singles match which was to prove decisive. The doubles pairings of Liam van den Hoek and Oscar Gordon-Reid, Russell Lam and Alex Lenhart were victorious, so Sevenoaks competed in a double shoot-out where the first pair to reach 10 would progress to the final. Liam and Russell emerged victorious after a 14-12 thriller. Against Reed’s School who had been ISF World School Champions for two of the last three years, Sevenoaks lost 6-0 despite some spirited play. The Year 9 boys team of Dan Goodwin, Oscar Brown, Andrew Johnstone and Charlie Lindsay lost to a strong New Hall side 4-2, setting a up a third-fourth playoff against the Perse School which they won 4-2.

Next on court were the Year 10 girls against Queenswood, a highly reputable tennis school. Sevenoaks won three out of four singles matches and therefore only needed one win from the doubles to secure the win. Josephine Hogh and Ellie Knox achieved this rather convincingly with a 6-0 win over the opposition’s first pair. Cathrine Hogh and Simone Deverall also came out of their doubles match 6-2 to make the final score 5-1.

The final saw the Sevenoaks girls face a particularly strong Culford team. Despite some very determined play Sevenoaks lost all four singles matches. Ellie and Josephine dug deep and were once again victorious, displaying some excellent doubles play to make the final score 5-1.

KENT INTER SCHOOLS FINALS

Sevenoaks had a very successful day at the Kent Inter-Schools finals. The team of Liam van den Hoek, Oscar Gordon-Reid, Jaime Deverall and George Karl took the senior boys title in convincing style over King’s Canterbury. The girls won three out of three titles with Phoebe Buckland, Michelle Li, Kate Lyttle and Juliette Briery taking the junior title, the team of Anna King, Phoebe Barker, Louisa Webb and Orissa Welsh taking the inter title against King’s Canterbury, and the team of Chloe Broom, Tasha Reid, Josephine Hogh and Ellie Knox taking the senior title against the same opposition.

DOUBLES DOMINATION

Josephine Hogh and Ellie Knox also added the U16 Harpenden Doubles title to their list of summer successes. In an all-Sevenoaks final versus Cathrine Hogh and Anna King, they were also victorious at the Kent Year 9 and 10 girls doubles competition. Oscar Gordon-Reid and Russell Lam also had a triumphant day and took the Kent Year 9 and 10 boys doubles title over a strong Ravenswood pair.


NATIONAL FINALS

The girls sailed through the regional rounds to secure a place at the LTA Tennis Schools National Championships Finals in Sheffield, where the top 16 teams in the country battle it out for national honours. The Sevenoaks team of Josephine Hogh, Cathrine Hogh, Ellie Knox, Chloe Broom and Tasha Reid secured four singles wins against the Howell’s School, Cardiff. This ensured Sevenoaks would compete for the top eight places. On the second day Sevenoaks drew with Millfield. Despite all four girls having close matches, all singles were lost. The next day Chloe and Ellie started the day with two comfortable wins against Holmfirth High School. It was then mixed fortunes for the Hogh twins. Cathrine lost a close singles against their number 2, but Josie closed the singles with another win. Ellie and Josie won their match to end the day with an overall win of 4-2.

Eventually, Sevenoaks competed for fifth and sixth place. Team captain Chloe Broom led by example with an easy victory. Going into the doubles it was tied at 2-2. Chloe and Cathrine, playing together for the first time in Sheffield, had a shaky start, but before long they managed to fight their way back to one set all, and played well in the final deciding tie-break. However the opposition stepped up their game and Sevenoaks were narrowly defeated. Ellie and Josie then took to the court and secured a good doubles win to level the match at 3-3. It was shoot-out time. Ellie and Josie took to the court to decide the final outcome. With an unfortunate change of momentum, the pair lost, leaving Sevenoaks to finish in a well-deserved sixth place, our best achievement to date.

Charlotte Pearson

Kent Inter Schools senior

and inter champions

SPORT REVIEW98

CRICKET TOUR TO SRI LANKA

The team were based initially in the hills surrounding Kandy where they played three games. They then travelled to Colombo via tea plantations, spice farms and two hours of elephant riding and washing! Whilst in the capital the team played two games and also spent a thoroughly enjoyable day coaching 11- and 12-year-olds in a government-run school which consisted of over 5000 boys, the majority of whom bowled spin!

The team only achieved one victory in the five games, but every match was competitive and there were some excellent individual performances with Cyrus White top batsman, Harry Gillis top wicket-taker and Louis Ashe-Jepson top fielder. We beat Palitha College in Kandy by four wickets with Harry Gillis taking 4-17. Team captain Kieran

Davey set a tremendous example to the rest of the players through his attitude and commitment, but unfortunately had to be helped from the pitch with heat exhaustion following his spell of bowling in the last game against Asoka School. In this same game Findlay scholar Ollie Gibson scored a tremendous 85 to give the side a chance of victory.

Year 9 student Rhys Joseph (the youngest player on tour) acquitted himself admirably and opened the bowling to excellent effect in three of the fixtures. He is a young fast bowler with a very promising future both at Sevenoaks and also with Kent, whom he represented at U14 level upon his return to the UK. Nick Bett also scored a very promising 50 on tour and then played for Holland U15 upon his return.

The 1st XI Cricket squad, consisting of 15 players from five different year groups, spent 12 days in July touring Sri Lanka.


The 1st XI Cricket squad, consisting of 15 players from five different year groups, spent 12 days in July touring Sri Lanka.

The tour was a tremendous experience for the boys, who often played in temperatures in excess of 34 degrees with humidity over 80 per cent. They faced some outstanding spin bowling from some of the best young cricketers in Sri Lanka. What they learnt on and off the pitch should hold them in excellent stead for their domestic school fixtures in coming years.

The boys were an absolute pleasure to take on tour and I am sure they will remember both the cricketing and cultural experiences for many years to come.

Phil Hulston

SPORT REVIEW100

HONOURS TABLE

Sport Level Name

Athletics Kent U17 Ben De Sousa Kent U15 Maxime Robeyns Kieran Sassone Kent U13 Hana Yun-Stevens Kent IAPS Clara Tyler

Ballet National Youth Ballet Anar Shah

Basketball South East Regional Performance squad U13 Hana Yun-Stevens

Badminton England U13 Rory Easton Kent U13 Hana Yun-Stevens

Cricket England Women’s Team, England Academy Squad & U19, Kent 1st XI Ladies Natasha Farrant Dutch Lions U15 Nick Bett

Kent U15 Girls Martha Tipper Kent U14 Boys Rhys Joseph Kent U12 Boys Harry Houillon Kent U12 Girls Emerging Squad Ella Roberts

Cross Country Kent Schools Senior Boys, Kent U20 Christopher Olley Kent Schools Senior Girls, Surrey U20 Ruth Bourne Kent Schools Senior Boys, Kent U17 Rob Boylin Kent Schools Senior Boys Matthew Proctor Kent Schools Senior Girls Capucine Cogné Kent Schools Inter Boys Rupert Moverley Smith Euan Williams Kent Schools Inter Girls Emily Monkhouse Kent Schools Junior Boys Charlie Lindsay Kent Schools Junior Girls Phoebe Barker Lauren Tucker Alice Tyler Clara Tyler

Curling England Junior Women Niamh Fenton

Duathlon Great Britain Elite Junior Team Kate Curran Sprint Duathlon Great Britain U19 Squad Rob Boylin

Fencing South-East U17 Squad Miranda Stevens England U15 Squad Nathaniel Robinson

Football ISFA Girls National U18 Representative Squad Katherine Nickols Kent Clubs/ISFA South of England Squad, ISFA England Squad Oliver Gibson Elite Academy Jamie Campbell (Arsenal training) Ben Williams

Golf SE England U16 Squad Tom Harrison

Sport Level Name

Hockey England NAGS U16, Kent U16 Sophie Holliday Futures Cup, Kent U16, JRPC U16 Tara Daly Kent U17, JRPC U17 Georgina Barker Kent U16, JRPC U16 Eugenia Carter Hannah Wentzel Kent U16 Boys Matthew Wilson Kent U15, JRPC U15 Lizzie Holder Ellie Knox Kent U14, JRPC U14 Grace Annetts Hannah Daly Lauren Tucker Jess Wentzel Kent U13 JAC Zoe Eifion-Jones Clara Tyler Orissa Welsh

Netball Regional talent programme Catherine Brown Freya Hall Lizzie Roberts U17 Kent Netball Academy Amelia Bell Jessie Oliver Octavia Turner U16 Surrey Netball Academy Alicia Gilliat U14 Kent Netball Potential Academy Annabel Jairaj Charlotte Jairaj U14 Kent Netball Development Academy Martha Reeve

Rugby Kent Elite Saracens Squad Harry Carley Kent Schools U15 Nick Bett Dylan Morris-Jones James Yun-Stevens Kent Schools U14 Curtis French Sussex Schools U14 Kieran Sassone

Shooting British Schools England Team Xander Bastin Tom Golding Thomas Smith Leonard Taylor Francesca Vernon William White Freddie Williams Main Kent Squad Thomas Smith Francesca Vernon Kent Ladies Francesca Vernon Kent Juniors Henry Davies Tom Golding Jessica Hui Jonathan Man Thomas Smith William White Freddie Williams

Sailing Switzerland U15 Optimist Sailing Squad Nicholas Davies

Squash Kent U17 Leo Danczak

Swimming National qualifying times Emily Das Lily Snell

Tennis Kent County Squad Daniel Goodwin Cathrine Hogh Josie Hogh Ellie Knox

Triathlon British Youth Triathlon Team Kate Curran

It is with great pride that the list of students representing teams beyond school level continues to grow. The list is impressive, highlighting the wealth of sporting talent at Sevenoaks School.

TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES

TRIPS AND ACTIVITIES102

TRIPS AND ExCHANGES

MICHAELMAS TERM

Year 7 History Study trip to Bodiam Castle

Years 8-9 German Study trip to Aachen Christmas Market

Lower School Scholars Study trip to Down House

Year 10 Geography Field trip to the River Darent

Year 10 Spanish Study trip to Santiago

Year 10 Spanish Malaga exchange

Year 11 Latin Enrichment trip to Pompeii

Upper Sixth Economics Field trip to Prague

CCF Field Day at Mereworth

CCF RAF Gliding Course

Cross Country Training Camp at Eastbourne

Drama Tour to Ibbenbüren

Hockey Hockey Tour to Brussels

Lower Sixth Geography Field trip to London

Sailing RYA Junior Sailing Championships at Oxford

Shooting Fullbore Training Camp, Bisley

Skiing Ski trip to Alpe d’Huez

LENT TERM

Year 9 French Lyon exchange

Year 9 French Study trip to Montpellier

Year 10 German Ibbenbüren exchange

Year 10 History Enrichment trip to New York and Washington

Lower Sixth French Brussels exchange

Lower Sixth French Lyon exchange

Lower Sixth Geography Field trip to Morocco

Lower Sixth Higher Education Tour of US university campuses

Lower Sixth Mandarin Enrichment trip to Chinese New Year Celebrations in London

Lower Sixth Science AAAS Science Conference trip to Chicago

Sixth Form Spanish Santiago exchange

Technology Study trip to the Harry Potter Exhibition

CCF Royal Navy Field Day at Portsmouth

CCF RAF Air Experience at Wyton

MUN THIMUN (The Hague MUN)

MUN BISMUN (Bath MUN)

PROMO Lower Sixth charity trip to Rajasthan

Sailing UKTRA Championships at Southampton

Shooting Fullbore Shooting, Crowborough

Skiing Ski trip to Les Menuires


SUMMER TERM

Year 7 Classics Enrichment trip to Fishbourne Roman Palace

Year 7 Geography Field trip to the Thames Flood Barrier

Year 7 Physics Enrichment trip to Herstmonceux Observatory

Year 8 Biology Enrichment trip to Wildwood, Herne Bay

Year 8 English Enrichment trip to Shakespeare’s Globe

Year 8 French Study trip to Normandy

Year 8 History Enrichment trip to the Tower of London

Year 9 Geography Field trip to the East Sussex Coast

Year 9 History Study trip to the Battlefields of Northern France and Belgium

Year 10 Geography Field trip to Iceland

Year 10 Latin Study trip to Pompeii

Year 10 Physics Study trip to Thorpe Park

Year 10/Lower Sixth Russian Study trip to Moscow and St Petersburg

Lower Sixth Biology Study trip to Madagascar

Lower Sixth German Study trip to Berlin

Lower Sixth History Study trip to the Chalke Valley History Festival

Lower Sixth Italian Crema exchange

Lower Sixth Spanish Study trip to Salamanca

Sixth Form Latin Study trip to Rome

CCF Army Field Day at Pippingford Park

CCF RAF Air Experience at Wyton

DofE Bronze Award Expedition to the South Downs

DofE Silver Award Expedition to Dorset

DofE Gold Award Expedition to Snowdonia

PROMO Charity trip to Mumbai

Shooting Competition at Basildon

Shooting Fullbore Shooting Training Camp, Bisley

YoungSox Year 7 holiday to Greece


This has been another exceptionally strong year on the co-curricular front. Both in terms of the range of opportunities and the quality of what is on offer, there must be very few schools who can equal Sevenoaks. In Music the concert by OS Joe Stilgoe and the orchestra’s performance of three movements from Dvorak’s ‘New World’ Symphony were particular highlights. On an individual level we should also congratulate Sophie Westbrooke on her exceptional achievement of making the BBC Young Musician of the Year Final and Sehee Lim on being selected for the National Youth Orchestra. The standard of drama was superb as always, from the highly entertaining Canterbury Tales Retold (which went on tour to Germany) to the powerful and challenging Pericles. The sporting success has been tremendous with, amongst many achievements, the girls’ tennis team making it to the National Finals and the U15A rugby team retaining the Kent Cup. In tennis, sailing and shooting we remain amongst the very top few schools in the country.

Clubs and societies continue to thrive with 65 taking place on a regular basis, and debating has been given a new lease of life this year with the arrival of Ms Dolan. Community Service has expanded to include opportunities for Year 9 students and every week over 400 Sevenoaks students help with service projects. The school raised over £50,000 for charitable projects with most of it going to the nominated charities, Haller and Hospice in the Weald.

Finally, the trips programme has again been extensive with over 200 day trips and nearly 50 residential trips. The first Mulamula trip to South Africa was a great success with students helping to build an education centre for the village. This summer our biologists headed off to Madagascar to work on a conservation project while the cricketers went to Sri Lanka.

In short there is a lot going on and we hope there is something for everyone. The co-curriculum is a great strength of the school and is reliant on the expertise and enthusiasm of the staff. Many thanks to all those who give up so much of their time to enable so many opportunities.

Neil Tetley

CO-CURRICULAR REVIEW OF THE YEAR


CHARITY ACTION GROUP

Lower School Charity Week took place in June, offering cake stalls, nail painting, table tennis and pool competitions, a talent show competition and disco, which in total raised £3500. Throughout the year the Lower School also made £2500 from their weekly fundraising efforts. This was divided between Cancer Research UK, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Harris Hospice Care and The National Autistic Society; all charities with which members of the Lower School are connected in some way.

This year we have focused on two charities: Hospice in the Weald and Haller. Hospice in the Weald is a 17-bed in-patient unit and hospice day service, which provides care and support for the terminal ill, their families and carers. As a school we have a special connection to the Hospice, as it was where Mr Pete Kino spent his last days. The second charity, Haller, is an organisation set up in Kenya with the goal of providing sustainable economic development. It does this by creating partnerships with and introducing programmes into communities, which give poor farmers and their families the skills and training to live self-sufficient and sustainable lives.

We have also been involved in raising money for the Philippines disaster relief, collecting money on the Flat and helping at the relief concert set up by Russell and Rachelle Lam. Finally, we successfully experimented with a ‘Shoes-day Tuesday’ event where, by donating £1, Sixth Form students were allowed to wear non-uniform shoes for a day. The money went to Kiva, an online micro-financing organisation which allows entrepreneurs around the world to borrow money to set up businesses and improve their communities.

As a group we have developed a greater understanding of the nature of charity, the means of fundraising and the importance of developing strong relationships with charities. This was reinforced by our visit to the Hospice where we saw first-hand the work they carry out. As a school we are proud to have raised over £20,000, which we hope to increase next year.

Abigail Hands, Lower Sixth

Charity Action Group is comprised of 16 students across four year groups and is responsible for overseeing charity fundraising in the school. Our job is to raise awareness for the charities by presenting assemblies and promoting events. Over this year we have organised a number of key events including the Big Gig, Sixth Form Sessions, Upper School Charity Week, home clothes days, and Krispy Kreme doughnut sales. We also held the inaugural Middle School Charity Fair, which coincided with the alternative pizza lunch. Having closed off the Flat, we set up over 14 stalls with the help of Middle School tutor groups. These included: splat the rat, pie-throwing at acquiescent teachers, frozen yoghurt and cake stalls, timed digestive biscuit eating, a jewellery stand and a tombola. There was also music, a teachers versus students football match and an ice cream van. One hundred pizzas were consumed. The event was a real success in gloriously sunny weather.

Developing a strong relationship with charities


CCF ANNUAL REVIEW

The Army Section had a busy year with an intake of 40 Year 10 cadets and ongoing training for both the APC Basic (Year 10 + 11) and APC Advanced (Sixth Form) certificates. Fifteen of the Year 11 cadets passed the Method of Instruction Cadre, giving them skills to plan and deliver lessons confidently, and preparing them for NCO duties in the Sixth Form. The section visited Mereworth Woods and Pippingford Park for two very successful overnight exercises. NCOs were given leadership tasks in the night phases and further opportunities for command appointments during the day phases, where they completed section battle attacks, first aid stands, laser quest and camouflage and concealment activities.


Our Senior Cadet this year was Sgt Arthur Davison who has been a tremendous role model to the other cadets. Due to his contribution and commitment over four years, he won the Army Prize. Recently promoted LCpls Euan Tyndall and Bibi Wood attended the ‘passing out’ parade rehearsal at Sandhurst. The culmination of the year was Summer Camp at Crowborough with 11 cadets and three officers enjoying a jam-packed week of military, sporting and leadership activities. LCpl Sasha Radkovskii scored the highest shooting mark and Cdt Ed Norman got the highest archery score. The highlight of the week is ‘Competition Day’, where teams are put through ten disciplines and win points along the way. Led by Sgt Rob Boylin, the contingent won gold medal in the Command Task, silver medal in the Observation, bronze medal in the March and fourth prize overall. Sgt Boylin was awarded ‘Best NCO’ on camp and Cdt Norman was awarded ‘Best Year 10’.

The RAF Section again attracted some excellent Year 10 cadets. The intake bonded very well, have been outstanding in team tasks and have all done really well to pass their Part 1 tests. The Year 11 cadets have thrown themselves enthusiastically into activities and also all passed the new-look online syllabus tests. The Upper Sixth SNCOs worked really well as a group, delivering the syllabus with great confidence and authority and developing excellent presentational skills and resources. Our Head of Section, Flight Sergeant Kieran Davey, winner of the RAF Prize, led by example, whilst his Sergeants, Ollie Webster and Katy Hollings, spearheaded the classroom teaching and teambuilding activities. The running of the section is now in the hands of an extremely capable and enthusiastic Lower Sixth group.

Flying has been slightly more successful this year, with the Grob Tutors back in service. Year 11 and Sixth Form experienced aerobatics and flying this (dual-controlled) training plane themselves. Field Days this year were contrasting in nature and both great fun. The first was to Duxford Imperial War

Museum, learning all about the aircraft and being thrown about on the flight simulator. In the summer we visited the Battle of Britain Bunker at RAF Uxbridge. The visit was made all the more poignant by newspaper coverage of the D-Day remembrance services. The afternoon was then spent on the Hillingdon Outdoor Activity High Ropes course. Everyone completed the course, much to their own surprise and satisfaction. The strength of the RAF Section is a direct result of an excellent staff team too and thanks and recognition go to Mrs Nichola Haworth and Mr Paul Turner.

The RN Section began the Michaelmas term with a full sailing programme for Year 11 at Chipstead Lake in the capable hands of CPOs Ben Moverley Smith and John Kendrick. Ben, a qualified sailing instructor and powerboat driver, was also awarded the Centurion Cup this year. The section spent their first Field Day in Portsmouth in October at Fort Purbrook on the Royal Navy assault course and tackled a collection of Command Tasks in the dungeons and old ammunition bunkers beneath the Fort. The following day was spent at Action Stations in Portsmouth Harbour, visiting HMS Victory and HMS Warrior. In March, again at Portsmouth, the younger cadets spent a day on two RN motor cruisers, planning routes to and from the Isle of Wight. In the Lent term, the Year 11 all passed the Leading Rates exam, and in March were put through their paces in the Royal Navy’s DRIU at Portsmouth. Under the guidance of Lt Tiffenny Cardon they then began their Leadership Course at the start of the Summer term. They were involved in Practical Leadership Tests, planning and teaching a formal lesson, leading a drill squad and shooting on the .22 indoor ranges. The five-week course was very successful and all the cadets passed with flying colours. The success of this year’s training has been made possible by the support and enthusiasm of S/Lt Cardon, S/Lt Daniel Whiffin and S/Lt Eva Csiki-Szasz. We lost Tiffenny and Eva at the end of the Summer term and wish them a happy future in their new schools.

Lt Col Paul Bassett


THE RECOVERY PROJECT ORGANISATION

In November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan, one of the most powerful tropical storms ever recorded, laid its merciless hands on the Philippines, tearing down everything that stood in its path. The outcome: 6000 lives lost, five million children affected, 130,000 houses demolished. Children of our age were left homeless, their parents having disappeared, their siblings dead. There was a severe shortage of food supplies, clean water, and medicine. Grieved by the desperate situation, we wanted to help the Philippines in any way we could.

After many emails and lots of advice and help from various teachers, we successfully set up our charity, The Recovery Project Organisation, with the aim of helping people to rebuild their lives after terrible disasters. We placed donation boxes around school, organised bake sales, and gave

How two students raised £7500 for UNICEF.

speeches during concerts, in our local church, and in the community to raise awareness. In February we organised a charity concert, ‘Music for a Cause’, which featured more than 40 of the school’s best musicians from all year groups. We also had a bake sale during the interval. We were very lucky to have so many roommates in School House and Sennocke who were motivated and willing to help with practical tasks such as counting cash, helping backstage and baking cakes to sell.

All the raised funds were donated to UNICEF, an organisation that works with children all over the world. We raised over £7500 and in March we were honoured when UNICEF UK sent a representative to school to explain how the funds we raised might be used to help the Philippines (such as providing vaccinations and buying education kits for children). We also received a thank-you letter from the Philippine Ambassador to the UK.

This entire process has taught us countless valuable lessons. We have learnt to appreciate the behind-the-scenes work that goes into organising any event or activity. Furthermore, we have learnt to be grateful for the things we have, such as material wealth and a good education. Most importantly, we learnt that with persistence it is possible to respond in a meaningful way to events, however far they may seem from home. Through this we have concluded that nothing can match the satisfaction of helping a worthwhile cause. We would like to thank our teachers, friends and family for giving us the immeasurable support that made this possible.

Rachelle and Russell Lam, Year 10


IFS INVESTORS CHALLENGE

After meeting at Sevenoaks station at 9am, Vilhelm and Co, comprising Freddie Bond, Max Kitson, Alex Maguire and me, were joined by Mr Hulston to travel up to London on Monday 10 March.

Upon arriving, we made our way towards ifs University College. All the other 20 teams were closely huddled around tables, discussing, practising and reviewing their new areas of economics expertise; we also made an effective use of this time, asking Mr Hulston specific questions, practising past paper questions and looking up different share indexes around the world.

Each four-person team was directed into an elongated conference room where there was a table assigned to each team, and a separate area for teachers. The first test was a 45-minute multiple-choice quiz, testing us on general economics and business knowledge, savings, investments and the stock market. The questions were displayed on several television screens around the room, and we were given 40 seconds to confer and note down our answer.

Throughout the quiz, we really gelled as a team, truly collaborating to figure out answers, and after all the questions had been displayed, we were given ten minutes to discuss questions which we found trickier than others. Following this, we were given a five-minute ‘mini test’ that would be used in the event of a tie-break.

After lunch we returned to the conference room, where the top five teams after the first test were announced – much to our relief, we featured! The next test contained questions on current business affairs, economics definitions and business terms, economic anagrams, and a ‘cryptic mind teaser’.

Upon returning to the now tension-filled conference room we went through the answers to all of the questions. Multiple cheers and disappointed groans sounded around the room as teams counted up the questions they knew they had got wrong: for us, a mere ten. We waited eagerly on the edge of our seats as the presenter opened a small green envelope…third…second…first – Vilhelm and Co. The whole team was ecstatic, and truly overjoyed at the result! We were subsequently asked to stay behind at the end, to receive congratulations from ifs staff and a surprised Mr Hulston. This success meant that we were among the eight teams selected for the national final. This took place in April and consisted of a trading exercise and a small presentation from our team. Although we didn’t win (the final winners were ‘The Greeks’ from Pate’s Grammar School), only the top two teams from each region were selected for this, so we were delighted.

Will Parr, Lower Sixth

A team of four Sixth Form students reached the national final of the ifs Student Investor Challenge, an investment competition organised by ifs University College. The ‘Vilhelm and Co’ team competed against more than 30,000 other students across the UK to be selected for the regional round in March.


The highlight of the year was the enormously successful Maharaja’s Ball which took place in a magnificent marquee on Park Grange lawn at the end of May. A record 500 people attended this year’s ball, which raised around £20,000 for the Hospice in the Weald and to help fund the landscaping of the Flat, thanks to the generous donation by our parents of 40 prizes.

Livia Lovell and her team worked tirelessly to transform the marquee into an environment fit for the golden living statue Maharaja who greeted guests on arrival. Hanging from the ceiling were 175 brightly coloured lanterns, and the scene was completed by the 70 trees and two life-sized elephants constructed to a highly professional

PARENTS’ ASSOCIATION REVIEW OF THE YEAR

standard by the school’s Technology department. A group of Indian dancers entertained the guests before and after the delicious dinner. There was a wonderful mix of traditional black tie and authentic Indian dress, partly as a result of the pop-up shop which the PA helpfully organised a couple of weeks before the ball. It was a truly memorable evening, and huge thanks are due to everyone who took part in the organisation.

The PA year began with a very successful New Parents’ Supper. Other regular events in the diary included the PA coffee mornings for different year groups on Saturday mornings, the Careers Fair in February, and the Social Entrepreneurship day which the PA support not only financially, but also in terms of manpower. It ended with another delightful annual fixture, the New Parents’ Tea, which gives parents and pupils the chance of meeting one another informally before the start of the academic year.

In addition to the walking and cycling groups, the Arts Society arranged an outing to Strangers on a Train as well as an excellent private tours of London’s Theatreland, the Lowry and Matisse exhibitions, the Wallace Collection and Bailey’s Stardust exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.

Livia Lovell will be stepping down as Chair of the PA in November after three years in the role. She has worked with great energy, enthusiasm and dedication, and the school community is immensely grateful to her and to her team.

Arabella Stuart

The PA is always keen to welcome parents onto the committee. If you might like to join, more information is available from the Senior Deputy Head, Theresa Homewood: [email protected]


ALUMNI REVIEW

ALUMNI REVIEW112


ANNUAL OLD SENNOCKIANS DINNER

We were very heartened by the popularity of the inaugural Annual OS Dinner at the Lansdowne Club, London. The event succeeded in reuniting alumni from the 1960s to the 1990s, with classmates travelling from around the world to enjoy an evening with their peer groups. Katy Ricks and Nicholas Gould, Chairman of Governors, spoke about the school’s progress, describing Old Sennockians as ‘rounded individuals’. One such OS, Joe Stilgoe (1997), with a startling talent for singing, song writing and all-round musicianship, entertained the guests after dinner. The second Annual Dinner will be in November 2014 at the Grocers’ Hall, London.

10 YEAR REUNION FOR THE CLASS OF 2004

There was another great turnout for the traditional 10 Year Reunion which included former staff Mike Bolton and Graham Lacey. Alex Smith addressed the guests during dinner, describing the unique Sevenoaks culture that still pervades the school in the same way it did in 2004. He spoke about the warmth and friendliness of Old Sennockians and how this particular year group is well integrated into the OS community through our events and sports matches. Mr Smith also paid tribute to Jack Salt and Natalie Skilbeck, who died in 2004, and Tom Austin, who died in 2008.

Tom de Quincey, speaking on behalf of his year group, said, ‘We really had a great time at Sevenoaks’ and reflected on the strong sense of community amongst his classmates.

FIVE YEAR DRINKS

Held in Covent Garden in October, this was a fun and well-attended evening of conversation and laughter with OS who left Sevenoaks up to five years ago.

OS REUNIONS

ALUMNI REVIEW114

OLD JOHNSONIANS REUNION LUNCH

Our thanks must go to Chris Castle (OS 1958) for his continued involvement with coordinating this annual reunion lunch. The Recital Room in The Space was the perfect setting for another great get-together for the former boarders who were able to mingle and chat over drinks and a buffet lunch. There was plenty of reflection on their time at Sevenoaks and wonderful exchanges of photographs, some of which have been kindly donated to the school archive. Several of the party visited Johnsons, meeting current students and walking around the house again for the first time in 50 years.

NEW YORK REUNION

OS living in or around New York met up at Dylan Prime in March. They talked about the teachers who had inspired them, the people they have in common and the interesting careers they now pursue. Matt Diebel (OS 1974) described it as ‘a really great event. I met some wonderful people I believe I will stay in touch with and had some truly interesting conversations.’ Our thanks go to Aliya Mamdani-Myers (OS 1988), who helped to organise this US event.

20 YEAR REUNION FOR THE CLASS OF 1994

There were a lot of exclamations as the images of the Class of 1994 rolled by on the presentation screen. The Old Sennockians avidly watched as pictures of their classmates and teachers brought back a host of happy memories and started the evening off on a delightful footing. James Brown spoke to the assembled guests, including former staff Ray and Jill Hackett, John Guyatt and Ian

Walker. Alex Smith affirmed the rewarding nature of his role as Alumni Staff Liaison and described the various opportunities provided for OS and their families by the host of alumni events we hold all over the world.

SUMMER DRINKS

The tradition of exploring different London venues continued and this year we headed to the Lamb Tavern, Leadenhall Market in the City of London. It was a lovely summer evening and a great number of OS from all eras enjoyed drinks and conversation with teachers Paul and Liz Bassett, Paul Harrison, Helen Tebay, Gillian Williams and Arabella Stuart. We were thrilled to see Sean Rawnsley and Ranavir Bose from the Class of 1969 who travelled from France and India, respectively, to meet up again after 45 years.

FOUNDER’S DAY AND 50 YEAR REUNION

FOR THE CLASS OF 1964

We dodged the showers and enjoyed lunch on Manor House lawn. Over 70 OS and their guests spent a relaxed afternoon with friends from the classes of 1949-1965, including many from the Class of 1964 celebrating their 50 Year Anniversary. Alex Smith took visitors on a tour around the school buildings and grounds, including the old swimming pool, and gave a demonstration of an interactive whiteboard! The next Founder’s Day lunch will take place on Saturday 27 June 2015.

Katy O’Neill

OS REUNIONS


OS ONLINE

OS Online, the new website for Old Sennockians, was launched earlier this year to a great response.

OS Online brings together all the news and information that most interests Sevenoaks alumni, and provides access to career mentoring, a former classmates search facility, photo galleries, and details of events and reunions. For those OS keen on sport, there is information on all the active clubs and societies, and match reports following the progress of OSFC in the Arthurian League and OSCC in The Cricketer Cup.

OS Online is available to all former students of Sevenoaks School. Much of the content is accessible, but registration via a short form – name, class of and date of birth – gives you access to further resources. These include a members’ directory where you can search for, and contact, fellow classmates.

Perhaps the biggest benefit to young alumni is access to free career mentoring by OS volunteers with established careers in a variety of industries including advertising, the arts, banking and finance, government, health and law. Old Sennockians from any industry who want to volunteer as mentors can sign up easily and self-manage the level of mentoring they wish to offer.

The appetite for career mentoring is soaring and we would like to thank the many Old Sennockians who have not only volunteered with OS Online, but also contributed to the students’ daily school life. This year we have welcomed panellists to Sixth Form Careers Forums in Medicine and Engineering, guest lecturers and Visiting Fellows.

OS visitors are not only a valuable addition to the students’ academic experience, but they offer invaluable inspiration and insight into career choices.

If you would like to participate in a careers event or workshop, or to speak to our Sixth Form at a Friday 4 lecture we would very much like to hear from you.

Please contact us at: [email protected] or +44 (0)1732 467708.

Katy O’Neill

www.osonline.sevenoaksschool.org

ALUMNI REVIEW116


OS SPORT

The 2013-14 academic year was an exciting one for OS sport, seeing the launch of two new initiatives for the OS community.

Old Sennockians Football Club (OSFC) completed their first full season in the Arthurian League, playing in Division Five against Old Boys sides from Harrow, Ampleforth, Brentwood, Highgate, Mill Hill and Forest School. The OS side, captained by Alastair Perry (OS 2002), started indifferently but after New Year went on a run that was sustained until the end of the season. Promotion to Division Four was secured in the penultimate game of the year after eight wins from 11 games. Unfortunately, in the last match the side began slowly against Harrow and lost, giving Ampleforth the league title in a dramatic finale. A couple of decent cup runs and a friendly against Sevenoaks School added to the season’s success and we look forward to competing in Division Four in 2014-15. The squad comprised OS from a wide variety of years and we welcomed a couple of guest appearances from current students. Jamie Dunnett (OS 2006) deservedly won the Player of the Year award, whilst Will McIntosh-Whyte (OS 2002) bagged the Golden Boot award.

Old Sennockians Cricket Club (OSCC) rejoined The Cricketer Trophy after a 15-year absence with an impressive team made up of leavers spanning 20 years. The side hosted Warwick at Solefields in the first round in June. On a slow pitch, an attacking start from Omar Iqbal (OS 1990) was not wasted with half centuries from Will House (OS 1994) and then Shami Iqbal (OS 1993). Defending 223, the younger members of the squad stepped up and restricted Warwick to 170. Key performers included Jack Hulston (OS 2012) and Nick Tunnell (OS 2005). Unfortunately, Solefields was under renovation during the summer, and the alternative venue for the Round Two match against Millfield proved inadequate on the morning of the game, so our progression came to an abrupt end and we had to let Millfield through. Next year we will look to play an expanded fixture list alongside the Trophy to meet the demand.

Mark Thompson (OS 2002)

If you are interested in playing for either the OSFC or OSCC please contact Mark Thompson (OS 2002) [email protected] or Alastair Perry (OS 2002) [email protected]. You can also contact them via the Development Office.

ALUMNI REVIEW118

MARRIAGES AND DEATHS

OS MARRIAGES

Laura Broese van Groenou (Sennocke 97) married Ramiro de la Rosa in June 2014

Meg Bruckmann (03) and Charles Keymer (03) were married on 9 November 2013

Orielle Clarke (GIH 04) married Matthew Walker on 26 July 2014

Jo Dixon (04) married Simon Middleburgh in May 2014

Claire Hazle (GIH 03) married Ross Baker on 10 May 2014

Zaneev Shirodkar (IC 04) and Clare Williams (Sennocke 04) were married in April 2014

OS DEATHS

Isabella Gräfin von und zu Arco-Zinneberg (Park Grange 93) died 23 January 2012

Peter Baistow (Johnsons 59) died 25 September 2013

Dick Carden (School House 39) died 5 April 2013

David Casiot (Sackville 58) died 29 January 2014

David Cockburn (School House 65) died 1 March 2014

Michael Coigley (Johnsons 41) died 22 July 2014

Henry John (Tim) Dark (Hardinge 41) died 5 June 2014

Mark Ellis (Grote 60) died 24 February 2014

Cecil Everett (Fenton 36) died 9 April 2014

Nicholas Goodyear (Johnsons 40) died 28 March 2013

Peter Gould (Johnsons 52) died 30 July 2014

Fred Vivian Griffiths (Johnsons 38) died 30 December 2013

Brian Hart (School House 53) died 5 January 2014

Peter Letchford (Wordsworth 35) died 17 December 2013

Jonathan MacDermot (Johnsons 55) died 11 March 2013

John Mollison (Fenton 41) died 24 April 2014

Michael Morley (former staff 56) died 27 March 2014

Adam Parker (IC 94) died 16 May 2013

Alessandro Pasotto (IC 95) died in May 2013

John Quinn (School House 51) died 2 April 2014

Richard Rayner (Johnsons 42) died 21 September 2013

John Ryman (Hardinge 59) died in 2014

Peter Sargeant (Wordsworth 60) died 3 December 2011

Brian Scragg (former staff 86 and former Governor)died 11 September 2013

Rex Sims (Johnsons 46) died 8 December 2013

David Youdan (Hardinge 53) died 21 April 2013

In Sennockian 2012-13 the list of OS Deaths incorrectly included the name of Peter Keating (Sackville 62). We apologise for the error.


OBITUARIES

BRIAN SCRAGG 1926-2013

Few have the depth of intellect, width of experience and sense of idealism that Brian Scragg brought to Sevenoaks for more than 40 years. Teacher, Undermaster, Governor and author of Sevenoaks School: A History, he had flown Mosquitos at the end of the war, served in India and spent four years in Paris, selling paintings, translating and broadcasting for the BBC. His ‘perfect command’ of French, as one referee put it, and his knowledge and love of French Literature made him a glamorous figure to generations of Sevenoaks pupils: many will remember hearing Brian recite Rimbaud and Verlaine in dark-hued tones. An excellent sailor, gifted film-maker and lover of literature, he made a deep impression upon all he taught.

His influence was considerable in the great years of Kim Taylor’s Headship, sharing as he did that spirit of innovation and intellectual excitement that marked the time. In 1962 Kim Taylor appointed Brian Housemaster of the new International Centre: his chapter in Experiments in Education conveys the energy and idealism of those years. And from Sevenoaks to Bombay, those early students speak of Brian with admiration and affection. Three years later he became Undermaster, a role he fulfilled with wisdom and humour until his retirement in 1986. He expected the best of colleagues and students, disdained mediocrity and laziness but was generous towards those in whom he recognised ability. A strong advocate of internationalism, he recruited to the school the brightest and most promising overseas students, in particular many gifted Greek students through the Schilizzi Scholarship programme, and consistently supported the International Baccalaureate in its early struggling days. His commitment to co-education, too, was of crucial importance, guiding its introduction with a careful good sense that reassured traditionalists.

A Deputy Head acts as a cushion between the Head and Common Room: successive

Headmasters relied on his exceptional skill in managing talented but sometimes wayward colleagues with humour and firmness. In a tiny office in Cottage Block – that now serves as a book cupboard – and later Claridge House, Brian’s door was always open. Surrounded by anthologies of French poetry, a packet of Benson & Hedges (these were indeed different days) and piles of reports, he would listen and advise. He was not driven by personal ambition but rather by subtle intelligence: this, his judgement and sense of perspective proved invaluable when later he became a School Governor.

Brian’s deepest love remained France, where in his later years he spent much time near Prades: on his balcony at Eus, snow-tipped Canigou in the distance, the orchards below in blossom, wine on the table, he was in his element. An extraordinary, gifted man, ‘C’était quelqu’un.’

John Guyatt Undermaster 1990-2003

ALUMNI REVIEW120

OBITUARIES

DICK CARDEN 1922-2013

Dick Carden was an accomplished linguist who carved out a career as an international salesman for several British companies. His success as an Export Manager even drew the attention of Edward Heath, then Prime Minister, who sought Dick’s advice on overcoming the obstacles in the way of increasing UK exports.

Dick Guy Harry Carden was born in Paris on 19 September 1922. His mother was French and died within a week of his birth. Widowed and with a broken heart, his father took his baby son to Australia. When Dick was in his teens he was sent to Sevenoaks School. Although a boarder, he was under the watchful eyes of two unmarried aunts and a step-grandmother who lived in Ightham. His first year was difficult. He was away from home for the first time, he had never studied Latin or English History and his Australian accent was mocked by his fellow pupils who nicknamed him Digger. He soon caught up academically and discovered his gift for languages, becoming the proud winner of the Spanish Prize. Leaving school, Dick was accepted into the Royal Corps of Signals. He served in Italy during the Second World War and relayed intelligence to Bletchley Park.

After the war, Dick trained as a weaver in Northern Ireland. His City & Guilds Diploma and command of languages led him to become the one-man Export Department of the linen company Moygashel. His global travel selling Irish linen came to an end when he married a French woman, a Roman Catholic. There followed a long stint at J Lyons, a short spell at English Grains, and 25 years at United Biscuits. On retirement he was convinced that computer work, long walks and bridge would keep him in good health. Holidays were active for Dick and his wife Françoise, who had taught French at Putney High School for 40 years. She had inherited a share in a property in the Dordogne and for years they ran a popular A-level summer school at the house. Aged 79, to prepare for a trip to Romania, Dick learned Romanian, his eleventh language.

Françoise died in 2012. Dick was bereft – they had been married more than 62 years. The cold winter of 2012-13 put paid to his daily walk on Wimbledon Common and he died on 5 April 2013 after a short illness. He is survived by his daughter Dominique, sons Philippe and Jacques, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Philippe Carden

DAVID CASIOT 1939-2014

David John Casiot was born in Otford on 31 January 1939. He entered Sevenoaks School in form 3A aged 11, and left eight years later in 1958. He was in Grote House which subsequently joined with Wordsworth.

David was a very keen and accomplished chess player and was playing at the Sevenoaks Chess Club the night before he died. His considerable ability at chess came to light at school when he was still quite young. The school chess club was revived in the Summer term of 1953 and according

David Casiot at his wedding

in August 1963 with David

Stuart-Smith (OS 1955), his

best man


to the Sennockian, ‘in it (the adjustable ladder competition) fourth formers are beating their seniors with devastating monotony’. The Summer 1954 Sennockian records ‘the present School Champion being DJ Casiot’. He won the knock-out competition in the Michaelmas term 1954 and was the first recipient of the Claude Hunter Trophy for chess awarded at this time. David was undefeated in inter-school matches and against the masters of Sevenoaks. He became secretary of the club in its second year. In the School Notes in the Michaelmas 1954 edition of the Sennockian, after recording notable academic awards, we read: ‘A fine achievement of a different nature was the winning of Section C of the Hastings Chess Tournament by DJ Casiot.’ At Speech Day 1955 David played parents and all comers on 6-8 boards consecutively and as far as I remember lost to none. He went on to play for Oxford University and, as time allowed, in national and international competitions throughout his life.

David was also a very keen and committed Christian from his school days. This led him to read theology at Oxford following two years National Service in the army and then to the ordained ministry of the Church of England. Following two years at Clifton Theological College in Bristol, David served his title in Drypool, Hull (York Diocese) with a second curacy in Barking (Chelmsford). He followed on with two incumbencies: St Edmund’s, Whalley Range (Manchester) 1971-84 and finally St Michael’s Southfields, Wandsworth (Southwark) 1984-2000. In 2000 he retired to the village of his childhood, Otford, and continued in a very active ministry as an honorary curate at St Nicholas Sevenoaks and helping out at St Bartholomew’s, Otford. David also ran a successful weekly men’s luncheon club in Otford to promote the Christian faith, drawing on a wide range of visiting speakers.

In 1963 David married Hilary Melly; they celebrated their ruby wedding anniversary in 2003. Hilary died in 2004. They are survived by two children, Jonathan and Joy, and five granddaughters. David married Helen McGowan, also widowed, in 2005. They were extremely well

matched and happy. Among other things they enjoyed bird watching and lots of walking, especially where they lived just off the North Downs Way in Otford. David was a great encourager, always cheerful and full of joy.

David died following a stroke on 29 January, two days before his 75th birthday.

David Stuart-Smith

PETER GOULD (1934-2014)

Peter Charles Breakspear Gould acquired instant fame on his first day at Sevenoaks by going missing on a conducted tour of the school. Discovering that practically everywhere was out of bounds he ventured into a private garden where he was immediately accosted by an imperious middle-aged woman: ‘Boy! Come here. Take your hands out of your pockets and hold these for me. Stand up straight, boy!’

It was Mrs Higgs-Walker, the Headmaster’s wife, who wanted someone to hold the roses she was cutting. She was une dame formidable and totally ignored Pete’s protestations that he was required elsewhere urgently. His absence transformed masters and prefects into a frenzied panic mode. Later that same day he was summoned into the Housemaster’s study to receive instructions about his duties in the prefects’ boot room, to which he quite brazenly replied that he was unable to perform these duties due to the fact that he had already been appointed as Mrs Higgs-Walker’s flower-bearing attendant! He continued in this role for most of that Winter term until all the roses had been picked or they had died off, then he promptly

ALUMNI REVIEW122

OBITUARIES

RICHARD RAYNER 1924-2013

Richard Noel Rayner was born on Christmas Day 1924. His family lived in Knockholt. Richard entered Sevenoaks School as a boarder in Johnsons at the age of 13, and left in 1940. During the Second World War he served in the army with colonial forces; his service is recorded in the school’s Memorial Book. After the war Richard read Theology at London University and entered the Church. He lived a full and faithful life. Shortly before his death in Ilminster in September 2013, he reminded his family of the words of Romans 8:38.

Marjorie Rayner

REx SIMS 1929-2013

Rex John Sims was the only child of Alfred and Elizabeth Sims. He was born on 20 March 1929 in Uxbridge. At the age of 12 he passed the Common Entrance exam and was accepted into Sevenoaks School. He entered as a boarder in Johnsons, at the start of the Michaelmas term 1942. Rex loved his days at Sevenoaks. He took his studies seriously, but it was the sports and fellowship of his teammates which he really enjoyed, graduating through the age groups to play both cricket and rugby union, at stand-off half, for the school 1st XI and 1st XV respectively, winning his school colours at both sports. When he left the school his various offices and achievements included school commissioner, captain of cricket, hockey and gym, secretary of rugby, Sergeant in the ATC and sub-prefect.

became her dog walker, managing two Pekinese that required daily exercise around the school grounds, for the remainder of that term.

By this time his skills as a rugby player were being noticed and he was selected for the Colts XV. He soon graduated to the 2nd XV where he became an excellent scrum-half. In 1950 Pete was promoted to the 1st XV and then in 1951 he became captain of the 1st XV as well as Head of Johnsons and a prefect. He carried on playing active rugby for Beckenham Veterans until he was over 50 and was then elected as President of the Beckenham RFC, a position which he held for most of the 1980s.

After leaving Sevenoaks Pete became an engineer and was happiest when tinkering with motor cars, especially his own Jaguar XJ6, a Mini Cooper and a Fiat Cabriolet. His garage was like an Aladdin’s cave, filled with all manner of mechanical devices, hydraulic ramps, pumps and gauges. He was a wizard with a welding gun and his electrical wiring had to be seen to be believed, but he always managed to coax old motors back to useful life.

Pete was a remarkable man, generous, quietly spoken and a modest genius with a dry wit that provoked much laughter on the rugby tours. He was a lifelong friend whom I shall sorely miss. He married twice and leaves a widow, a stepson and many friends.

John Lay

JOHN MOLLISON 1922-2014

John Charles Hornby Mollison was born in 1922 and joined Sevenoaks School in 1936. He was captain of Fenton and a prefect, librarian, secretary of the Arts Society, sub-editor of the Sennockian and winner of school prizes for Greek and Latin. Sevenoaks gave him an all-round education. He gained his Higher Certificate and left in 1941. He joined the West Kents, transferring to the Intelligence Corps where he rose to the rank of Major in India and served behind the lines in Burma. He died in April 2014.

Brenda Mollison


Press obituaries are available for the following Old Sennockians:

Peter Baistow, graphic designer (Johnsons 59): The Times, 29 October 2013

Vivian Griffiths, London GP and Second World War fighter pilot (Johnsons 38): BMJ 26 April 2014; Telegraph 16 January 2014

Brian Hart, Formula 1 Engine builder (School House 53): Independent 3 April 2014, Telegraph 6 January 2014

Rex left Sevenoaks in 1946, aged 17, and entered the Bank of England as a junior clerk. In 1949 he started to go out with Peg Trim. They became engaged in 1951 and married at St Mary’s, Denham, in April 1953. During his long career at the Bank he progressed through the ranks, making many lifelong friends. He was also responsible for training many young men and women, including one Mervyn King! Rex was a very active man who lived a long life to the full, and enjoyed it to the maximum. He fulfilled all the ambitions he set himself, perhaps with one rather flippant exception; to be retired, drawing his pension for more years than he had worked at the Bank; he drew his pension for 31 years, just five years short of that target! Rex passed away quietly on Sunday 8 December 2013, aged 84 years. He truly did die peacefully, after a short illness; he would not have wanted it any other way.

Chris and Tim Sims

ISABELLA STEFANOVICH

(NÉE ARCO-ZINNEBERG) 1973-2012

Isabella-Gabriela Gräfin von und zu Arco-Zinneberg was born on 5 December 1973 in Munich. After elementary school, she went to high school in Munich and then attended Heimschule Kloster Wald. For the Sixth Form she joined Sevenoaks School, where she was a boarder in

Park Grange and took the IB Diploma. Isabella was bright and well-liked at Sevenoaks. She enjoyed sport and was particularly strong in curricular and co-curricular art. She left Sevenoaks in 1993 for a short period of study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, followed by two and a half years in Florence where she studied Fine Art at the famous Charles H Cecil Studios, a private atelier.

To further develop her skills, Isabella moved on to Brussels to study trompe l’oeil at the Institut Supérieur de peinture Van Der Kelen Logelain, and then to London to study architecture with David Nightingale Hicks. She finished her studies as an architect with top grades and began work at the architect Stam in Munich. In May 1999 she married Alexandre Stefanovich and they settled in Brussels, and in the same year she had her first major exhibition in Reichersberg, Upper Austria, which was a great success. In Brussels and in many other places and private homes Isabella worked as an artist and trompe l’oeil painter. On January 23, 2012, she died from an incurable cancer. She left behind a husband and three children.

Katharina Countess Arco-Zinneberg

Rex Sims, above and left, in

the 1st Cricket team 1945.

ALUMNI REVIEW124

PHILANTHROPIC LEADERSHIP

Kate Aboagye

Abbad Al Radi

Dr Mohamed Al Yousef and Batool Hassan

Mr J Alam

Mark Allen

Simon Allocca

Marco Alverà

Roger Alwen

Mr Y and Mrs K Ando

Anthony and Ceilia Andrews

Lucia Appleby

Mr A Arnold

Suveer and Surekha Arora

Aleksey and Olga Avanesov

Captain Jake Backus RN

Robert Backus

Gordon Bassett Baldwin

John Barber

Giandomenico Barcellona

Roger Barnard

Mark Barnes

Phillip Barnett

Rachael Batyka-Williams

Roger Beales

Sandy Bell

Helen Bennett

David and Michele Bicket

Duncan Binger

Philip Bird

Michael Birtwistle

Kenneth Blezard

Omamofe and Nwakaego Boyo

Charles Breen

Michael Brett

Michael Brew

Robin Briars

Cicely Brown

John Brown

The Head, Governors and Foundation Trustees wish to sincerely thank the following donors for their support of the school over the past year.

Paul and Jessica Brown

Michael Burden

Paul and Susan Cain-Renshaw

The late John Carrie

Helen Casiot (in memory of the late Reverend David Casiot)

Michael Cauter

Alfred and Winnie Chan

Bernard Chang

Alexandra Charlton

Dr Paul Chatrath MRCS

Sim Eng and Lee Chen Cheong

Warren Wang Yan Cheung

Andrew Childs

Dr Ching Te Chow and Shuk Fan Fung

John Clark

Trevor Colgate

Thomas Cookson

James Coomber

Adam Cossey

Nicholas Cotterell

Eamonn and Fenella Cournane

Simon and Jane Court

John Crane

Stewart Cresswell OBE

Peter Curtis

John Cutting

Paul Davis

Alan and Linda Day

Richard Day-Lewis

Steve De Bonvoisin

Mark Deagle

Olivier and Pia Descamps

Frank and Michele Desmond

Peter Donia

Richard Douglas RICS

John and Julia Douglas

Grant Douglas

David Downing

Alexander Dray

Michel and Edmee-Marie Driessen

Alexander and Inna Dulerayn

John and Lesa Elgar

Chi Fai Paul and Yik Tze Matilda Fan

Norman Fearnside

Helmuth and Irene Fellner

Andrew Fenton

John and Veronica Fenton

Count Alessandro Feroldi and Countess Francesca Calissoni Bulgari

Dennis Filkins

Amanda Ford

Peter Foreman

Dr Ian Forgacs

Carl-Peter and Dietlinde Forster

Edward and Clare Foss

Norman Fox

Kenneth Fresson

Ian Friend

Robert Froy

Dr Yuk-Kwan and Lindy Lai Bing Fung

Liana-Georgeta Gabor

David Giampaolo

Michael Giffin

Andrew Gilbert

Sean Gilchrist

Brian Gilchrist

Christopher and Kristin Gill

Simon and Lindsay Gilliat

Bradley Gold and Jai White

Mark Gomar

Dr Armando Gonzalez-Ruiz and Pilar Gonzalez

Michael and Dorotka Griffin

Andrew Guest

Richard Gunner

Richard Guntrip

John Guyatt

Arun and Sharmila Gwalani

Dr Dominique Haiart

Oliver Hall

David Handley

Aldo Hanson

Bruno Hanson

Philip and Lesley Hardaker

Paul and Louisa Harrison

Jonathan Heilbron

Malcolm Hepburn

Charles Higson

Peter Hirschmann

Joanna Hodgkinson

Dr Michael and Johanna Hogan

Michael Holman

Michael Holmes

Michael and Laurel Holt

Timothy Holt

Brian Hussey

Maho Imanishi

John Innes

Dr Khalid and Nasim Ismail

Babak and Lili Jahanbani

Matt and Katherine Jarrett

Anthony Jenkins

Martin White and Dr Rita Joarder-White

Reverend David and Pat Johnson

Peter and Gillian Jones

Leo and Judith Jorgensen

Michael Joyce

Dr David Kear CMG

William and Alison Kendrick

Charles Keymer

Nicholas Khan

Bharat and Kimberley Khosla

Donald Kings

Richard Kirby

David and Sally Knox

Petr Kochevrin and Olga Dadasheva

Yu Yee Benjamin Lam and Dr Virginia Lee

James Lambert


Christoph and Angela Lampert

Charles and Fiona Lane

Zoe Lang

George Langdon

Dr Edward and Dr Katherine Langford

Jonathan Lattimer

Hung Ho Lau and Yuen Fun Li

Chi Wah Lau and Man Yee Lau

Kwong Yau Lau and Kit Ching Lai

Alan Lawrence

Alma Lawrie

Thomas and Winsome Lee

Dr Nikki Lee

Serge and Pamela Leibowitch

Tony Leong and Sue Chang

Philippe and Marie-Odile Lerasle

Gun Lim and Sunghee Bang

Yun Bonn and Candy Cheuk Lai Liu

Chek-Han A Liu

Robin Lock

Michael and Kathleen Low

Keith Luxford

Dickson and Agnes Mak

Ramesh Mangaleswaran and Meenakshi Ramesh

Andrew Marchant

Michael Marchant

Prosper and Annabel Marr-Johnson

Charles and Lesley Marshall

Tamsin Martin

William Mason

Mr B and Mrs A McGillivray

Anton and Rossy McGovern

Andrew and Debra McQuin

Arun and Simrit Mehra

Mark and Ruth Merson

Anna Messervy-Evans

Nicholas Mills

Constantinos and Karen Miranthis

James Mitchell

Benedetta Montesi Prati Lucca

Michael and Jessica Morelle

Hugh Morgan

Richard and Marian Morris

Professor Alexander Morrison

David Moss FRSA

Neil Muir

Colonel Hector Munro TD

Dr Stephen Neubauer and Dr Angela Neubauer-Heuts

Dominic and Miriam Nevill

Michael Neville

Robin and Susan Newman

John Newsham

Joni Ng

Alastair and Sybil Nicholas

Robert Nicholson

Colonel James Ogilvie OBE TD DL (ADC)

Jim Oldroyd

Alan Olley

Claire O’Neil

Michael Orr

David and Joanna Osborne

Geoffrey Osborne

Reverend Canon Brian Osborne

Helen O’Sullivan

Nilesh and Soha Parekh

Ian Peacock OBE

Alan Pemberton

Alastair Perry

Andrew and Heather Phillips

Mr JR and Mrs CM Piggott

Robert and Anne Pinchuk

Kirill and Tatiana Pisarev

Nicholas Polkinhorne

Duncan Pollock-Gore

Stephen Pook

Peter Post

Neil Powell

Nathan Preece

Barry Preston

Marco Previero

Anthony Pui

Kenneth Quinn

Charles Ramus

Paul and Joanna Reynolds

John and Alison Riches

Andrew Richford

Nicholas and Caroline Roberts

Arnold Rogers

Charles Rogers

John Rowland and A Cipolla Rowland

Julian and Beverley Rudd-Jones

Professor Philip Ruffles CBE FREng FRS

Brian Geoffrey Russell

John Sadler

Michael Sarkesian and Oksana Mul

Michael and Ulrike Seiters

Brian Shaft

Suraj Shah

Anthony and Alison Shamash

Peter Sherrard

Saiko Agnes Shimada

Pratap Shirke MBA and Sarita Shirke

Shankar Sikri

Christopher Singleton

An Man Siu and Kam Choi Ho

Brigadier John Skinner MBE

Simon Slater

Edward and Jennifer Smith

Richard Smith

Graeme and Lesley Snell

Patrick Southon

Magnus and Elizabeth Spence

Dieter and Elizabeth Spethmann

Jennifer Stearn

Anthony Stevens and Young Sil Yun

Alan Stewart

Nigel Stirk

RJ and AM Stocker

Stephen Surgeoner

Roderick and Sophie Sutherland

Anthony Tayler

Paul Thompson

David Toser

Philip Townshend

Malcolm Toye

Dr Jitendra Trivedi

Frederic and Myriam Vander Elst

Dietrich and Annabel von Boetticher

Jonathan Wale and Natalya Maslova

Derick Walker and Fiona Walker

Reverend Christopher Ward

Ian and Elizabeth Warne

Commander Eric Warnecke

Richard Watters

John Watts

Richard and Catherine Weber

Steven and Melanie Weller

Laura Wells

Wei Shao Wen and Ying Huang

Gordon Wheeler

Dr Philip Whitbourn OBE FRIBA FRTPI

Wynyard Wilkinson

David and Claire Williams

Graham Wilson

Colin Wilson

Bonnie Wong

Jonas Wong and Lee Ching Liu

Leslie and Jane Wood

Peter and Olive Woodward

Oliver Wright

Stephen Wu and Tina Du

Reverend Peter Wyard

Michelle Yong

We would also like to thank those donors who wish to remain anonymous.

ALUMNI REVIEW126

1950-59

Graham Brill (School House 51) I was in School House which was the home of Headmaster Mr Higgs-Walker and his wife. I have only been back to the school but a very few times. I am now in my 82nd year and remember very little of my time at the school, other than being so very fond of sport that I possibly wasted considerable amounts of my father’s money (in those days possibly £300 per term?) by spending most of my time in the nets or on the practice fields.

Duncan Foster (Park Grange and School House 55) At school, I enjoyed the ACF (CCF). Afterwards I joined the Army but got a severe infection in both feet, nearly losing my right one. I then worked at Castrol Head Office and was married in St Budeaux Church in 1963 to my wife of 50 years. I have a daughter and a son. I am now retired, living close to Guildford. I have had a fantastic and happy life and look forward to attending a reunion. Names I recall are Chris Pallant (OS 50), Bags (Michael) Crawford (School House 54), Richard Tobitt (OS 59) and Robert Short (School House 55), who was a fantastic ghost story teller in the dorm.

Rev John Ellison (Johnson 56) Some OS may have seen the An Island Parish television series about Sark. They have been seeking a priest for two years and have now appointed a woman vicar from July. I will be acting as the last locum vicar on this lovely island next month. Most of the time I am very busy and active as an assistant priest in the Winchester Diocese in and around Selborne and Chawton which are the former dwellings of Gilbert White and Jane Austen. I am now 77 but keep fit and well and act as captain of the Diocesan tennis team. I am always pleased to see OS in this part of Hampshire.

1960-69

Chris Birch (Wordsworth 60) Kim Taylor was Head for most of my school years – an inspirational choice by the school at that time. I also have very fond memories of Brian Scragg

who taught me French which I still speak pretty well. On the arts front, I have been a professional actor since 1981 after graduating from Rose Bruford College as a mature student. At the time of writing I am appearing in The Bodyguard at the Adelphi.

Roger Barnard (Wordsworth 62) I retired in April 2014 from Tama Art University in Hachioji, Tokyo, where I taught general and art and design-related English, and due to advancing age and the changing nature of the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) publishing business, my textbook writing career has also entered a quiet patch. I’ve continued painting over the years and am now preparing for an exhibition of recent paintings at a Tokyo gallery in early October. Some years ago I was fortunate to get back in touch with some old Art Room comrades: Richard ‘Jake’ Jacoby (Johnsons 62), Tim McArtney (Johnsons 61), and Peter Chamberlain (Johnsons 62), and through Jake, Bob White. We’ve met for some very enjoyable lunches in London, and I hope there will be more. I’ve also met Bob and Lesley Millar a number of times in Tokyo, and had the great pleasure of showing Bob around the Tama Art University campus during my final year. I hope to visit the UK at least once a year for the foreseeable future, as long as I can afford the fare and survive 12 hours in economy class (or premium economy, depending on royalties). www.rogerbarnard.com

Dr Peter Keating (Sackville 62) After leaving Sevenoaks, I spent a year on VSO teaching in Swaziland. On my return to England I trained at the London Hospital, qualifying in 1968. I started training as an orthopaedic surgeon but after my wife became pregnant for the second time decided to settle in General Medical Practice. In 1971 we moved to the pleasant Georgian market town of Pershore and have been here ever since. I was exceedingly fortunate to spend two-thirds of my time in General Practice and the other third doing Orthopaedic Surgery at Worcester Royal Infirmary. I was also heavily involved in medical politics being Chairman of our Local Medical Committee and also Vice-Chairman and medical adviser to our Family Health Authority.

NEWS FROM HOME AND ABROAD


I finally retired from medicine five years ago and now spend my spare time playing golf or looking after grandchildren. I was very sad to hear that Kim Taylor had died as he had just become Headmaster of the school when I was a new boy in Park Grange. He and Suzanne were two of the most remarkable people that I’ve ever met, with their liberal views and the ability to instil the values of public service into all their pupils.

Rev William Allberry (Sackville 66) William has just returned from another five-month stay in India. Having recently retired as Rector of Esher, he is now free to teach English to the students at Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary in Madurai from January until May each year – which he has been doing each May for the past five years. He was delighted to meet a Tamil professor of English teaching in Hyderabad who believes that ‘English is the birthright of every Indian child’; certainly it is vital for the students’ theological studies to be able to access English books in the library, as well as equipping them for later ministry. For the rest of the year at home in south-west London he is discovering how true it is that clergy never retire!

Jon Fay (Wordsworth 67) In the last year, I became the Ambassador for InterNations Palm Beach, a worldwide expatriate networking organisation, and President of our community Wine Club, and my wife is a Florida licensed realtor. We return to Somerset every year to visit my mother and family, and also to Sevenoaks to meet with a couple of old OS friends and Sevenoaks Rugby Club members. If there are any OS, especially the class of 1967, living in Florida, we would love to get together!

Ian Brinton (Fryth 68; Head of English 1988-91) Over the past year I have co-edited two poetry magazines, Tears in the Fence and SNOW. In addition I have been central to the setting up of a new Poetry Archive at the University Library in Cambridge. I run the Bookmark Series for the English Association and assist in the promotion of the WW1 website that the EA set up recently. I am

also on the Secondary Schools’ Committee for the EA. My translations of the prose poems of Francis Ponge have recently been published in a variety of poetry magazines. The five years since I retired from full-time teaching at Dulwich College have been very busy!

1970-79

Philip Bird (Caxton 70) I’ve just finished in the run of Sunny Afternoon at Hampstead Theatre, and it looks set fair for the West End in the autumn. As a Kinks fan in the 60s I never dreamed I would be working with Ray Davies and playing some of his songs onstage. I started out playing in bands at school and, encouraged by Fuzz Townend, began writing songs. He was inspirational.

Jonathan Samways (Caxton 70) Jonathan is in active retirement, still living near East Grinstead and still a Parish Councillor. He celebrated the birth of his second granddaughter in November (Amina, sister to Zeina, aged four). He was moved by Kim Taylor’s memorial service and reception, particularly his words about education. He did a lot of work for a new Free School application bid in the Sussex Weald area. He also took a few steps forward (and nearly as many backward) towards starting a microbrewery.

Chris Gibson-Robinson (Fryth 71) Chris is currently Director of Exploration and Production for KrisEnergy in Singapore and would be happy to chat with anyone of his Sevenoaks era.

Michael Stephens (Fryth 71) A year ago I was made redundant from the job I had as a director of one of the large construction companies – such is life. At the same time my son was getting itchy feet with his job as a recruiter working in Kent. We decided to take the plunge and start our own recruitment company with some of the proceeds of redundancy and, hey presto, Harbourne Associates was born. We started trading a month later on 1 March 2013, got our first employee on 1 April, moved to an office in Tunbridge Wells on 1 August and now have eight

ALUMNI REVIEW128

people working with us after 15 months. We have a vibrant, if noisy, office and a growing list of excellent clients mostly dealing with salespeople in hair and beauty, FMCG, drinks and construction products, although we are extending sectors all the time. It is stressful, hard work but very rewarding, especially seeing an office of young(er) people having fun. It is also wholly unexpected at a time when I was thinking of hanging up my work clothes. www.harbourneassociates.com

Richard Holme (Hardinge 73) Richard is now a trustee of the Canterbury Cathedral Trust and newsletter editor of the Naval Dockyards Society. He works in Tunbridge Wells as a tax partner at Creaseys.

Matthew Diebel (Caxton 74) Matthew moved in May to USA TODAY, America’s largest newspaper. As Senior Headlines Editor, he is working to improve headlining and other presentational aspects, both in the paper and online. The job involves much travel between New York, where he is based, and the suburbs of Washington DC. Later this year, he is likely to be doing more travelling, helping with presentation at Gannett’s chain of local papers and TV stations. Meanwhile his wife, Barbara Zakin, continues to work at the philanthropic arm of Citigroup and his children, Lydia (15) and George (13) are hard at work at Hunter College High School, near their home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Please feel free to get in touch.

William Cuthbertson (Caxton 75) William is an international pianist, piano teacher, and masterclass musician. He was taught piano at Sevenoaks by Bernard King, before studying at the Royal Academy of Music. He was a regular Sevenoaks Festival performer. He is married with three children, Clara, Louis and Johann, and lives in Waldkirch, Germany.

Giles Falconer (Sackville 75) After leaving Sevenoaks, I studied at Jesus College, Cambridge and then for an MA at Lancaster University before I embarked on a career in teaching, which took me from the Medway towns (Rainham Mark Grammar School), to the south coast (Chichester High School for Girls), then to the west country (Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School) before returning to Kent for eight years as Assistant Head at Dover Grammar School for Boys, and then on to Lincolnshire as Deputy Head and Acting Headteacher at Carre’s Grammar School. For the last few years I left school leadership and returned to my real love, teaching History, and undertook a number of short-term contracts at a variety of excellent schools, both state and independent, in and around London before retiring after 32 years last July. Now based in Deal just two minutes’ walk from the sea, I am enjoying retirement with Marie-Christine, my wife of 30 years, travelling, watching Kent play at the St Lawrence Ground, Canterbury and keeping up with our two children, Adrian (a research scientist currently working at Newcastle University) and Véronique (a pastry chef in London). Early retirement has a lot to recommend it!

Andrew Ingram (Groves 75) I have started a second (third?) career which might interest some of my contemporaries. I have set up Better Business Writing with a colleague, and we train people in how to do er, better business writing. The Sevenoaks education has been valuable in this of course, although I have had to determinedly unlearn the old rule about split infinitives! We find that most of the people we train have had presentation training, but have never really been shown the basics of clear writing. www.betterbusinesswriting.biz

Guy Lancaster (Wordsworth 75) Guy is a web systems developer, working for Manchester Metropolitan University (previously with the NHS). In his spare time, he is a keen cyclist. He is married to Chinghoih.



Gavin McGillivray (Park Grange 76) I am presently living in Burma (Myanmar) heading the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID’s) programme in the country.

Tim Procter (Taylor 76) I have a challenge to the Old Sennockians – my son Henry is just finishing his first year at Sevenoaks in Year 7 and thoroughly enjoying it (particularly cricket!) but can I claim to be the oldest old boy who has a new boy at school?

John Lancaster (Caxton 77) John is a solicitor, currently FD, for GHP Legal based in Wrexham.

Alex Timms (Fenton 77) I held a reunion earlier this year in Bath for my best friends (and their wives) from Class 1X of 1970.

Dr Philippos Papadopoulos (IC 78) Philippos is Dean at Perrotis College, American Farm School in Thessaloniki, Greece. He is a grandfather of four and wonders if there are any other OS involved in the agri-food sector.

1980-89

Professor Tom McLeish (Fenton 80) Tom has had a new book published by OUP. Faith and Wisdom in Science claims that we urgently need a long cultural narrative for science. It draws together the political troubles we have debating genetic modification, fracking, climate change etc, with the strange cultural compartmentalisation of science and its artificial restriction to the modern period. It also looks at the strained debate of science with religion, and asks what ancient wisdom literature might bring as resource today, in a fresh approach to answering ‘What is science for?’

Simon Wergan (Hardinge 82) Currently Head of Talent Development at Sport England, I am enjoying life in Curdridge, Hampshire, and running a vineyard with my brother.

Amali De Silva (GIH 84) I am working in British Columbia, Canada at the Ministry of Forests as a senior accountant in the pricing area and have been now for several years. Before that I was with Shared Services BC (IT). It is a beautiful province, especially on the coast and well worth a visit for all the outdoor activities and the perhaps little known, but incredible variety of global cuisine available. It has been great to keep in touch with alumni over the years – it keeps me grounded. Please feel free to get in touch if you are visiting, or how about an alumni reunion over here?

Maurice O’Driscoll (Taylor 84) After many years of making money for others, I have finally branched out on my own to run and deliver IT Enabled Change Projects for clients globally…scary and fun all wrapped up in one! Currently I’m working in North America and looking forward to a possible reunion at the OS Dinner in November. Catch me on LinkedIn.

Emma Slade (monastic name Ani Pema Deki) (GIH 84) I have recently been ordained as a Buddhist nun in the Himalayan country of Bhutan. You never know where a good education can lead!! Still asking questions!

Nicholas Wergan (Hardinge 86) Nicholas is now Headteacher at Steyning Grammar School, West Sussex.

Helene Delstanche née Reinders (Wordsworth 88) Helene is married to Mark Delstanche and they have two sons, Louis (two) and Harry (born this year). They live in Mayfield, East Sussex. Helene remains in the yachting industry and has worked for Superyacht Brokerage Firm, Burgess for the last 11 years.

ALUMNI REVIEW130

1990-99

Colonel Marcus Evans (Tammadge 90) Marcus has been promoted to Colonel in the British Army and is posted to the US Army War College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, as an International Fellow.

David Garcia-Pawley (IC 90) I was very happy to visit Sevenoaks in May with my girlfriend Elena Gvozdeva. We spent a night at the Royal Oak and had the opportunity to visit Knole Park on a beautiful sunny day. It was the perfect place to propose and Elena accepted. We plan to get married around mid-2015. Sevenoaks has always been a special place for me and will always be. It has been wonderful to meet up with Samir Varma in Chicago as well as with Kinner Lakhani in London recently, and it would be great to hear from other Sennockians from my time or anyone passing through Madrid.

Elizabeth Guyatt (Taylor 90) I have recently returned to translation after nearly 20 years. This is far more family friendly than my previous role as a social worker in London! I’m also working with others to promote additional language learning from as young an age as possible – there is so much untapped potential for this in the UK. I would love to hear from other Old Sennockians with an interest in languages as well as anyone who just wants to catch up.

Sophie Llewellyn Smith (GIH 90) My husband Alan Weekes (Fryth 90) and I moved to Brussels in September 2012; I have returned to work full-time as a conference interpreter at the European Commission, and he has taken a career break to look after our children Nicolas (six) and Alice (four). These are interesting times to be an interpreter at high-level meetings, where Ministers and Heads of State discuss the situation in Ukraine and the future President of the European Commission. Brussels is a capital on a human scale, and we are enjoying being in a multilingual environment.

Janneke Saebo (Caxton 93) With her partner Duncan Gunn, Janneke had a baby boy on 12 June 2013, whom they have named Henrik Saebo-Gunn.

Helen Ibbotson (GIH 93) I am still Principal Counsel with the International Finance Corporation, currently on assignment to Johannesburg where I have now been for three years. Living here has meant that I have become a big running (road and trail) fanatic and I am travelling all over South Africa to race, as well as doing the occasional race on stopovers in the UK (most recently at Bewl Water which took me back to my Sevenoaks rowing days with Mr Watson!!). I still regularly travel for work (globally as well as within Sub-Saharan Africa) as well as for fun and I am currently planning my next mountain climb with my dad, who accompanies me on my various adventures (Mount Kili, Mount Kenya so far) when he and Mum are not on their boat. We all still sail regularly, and they are based in Croatia now and Naples (Florida) in the winter.

Chris Rodgers (IC 94) Chris is a London-based composer who has written the music for over 50 election campaign films for the recent Indian elections. Additionally, this year, Chris has composed music for the Seychelles Tourist Board and is currently scoring the music for an eight-part television show to be launched later in the year. www.chrisrodgers.eu

Ross Carmichael (Groves 96) Ross has recently moved to Sevenoaks from Clapham Junction, having spent a lot longer living in London than he ever thought he would! He married Louise in 2012 and they are currently enjoying getting the new house ready for the arrival of their first child, due in October. Ross is working for a trading software firm in Blackfriars whilst his wife is based in Victoria working in medical research with the Department of Health.



Gemma Baggot (Plender 97) Gemma became engaged to Kobie van der Westhuizen on 5 March 2014, and will be married on 28 February 2015. She is still working as an HR Business Relationship Manager at the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

Laura Broese van Groenou (Sennocke 97) Laura married Ramiro de la Rosa in June, making official their family including two-year-old son Joaquin.

Ali Klevnäs née Draper (Wordsworth 97) Ali has moved to Sweden with her husband and sons and is doing postdoctoral research in the Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Stockholm University.

Stanley Pignal (IC 99) Stanley and his wife Elvira are enjoying parenthood following the birth of Axel in September 2013. Despite the ensuing sleep deprivation, he was appointed banking editor at The Economist in June, after two years of contributing to its finance and economics section.

Oliver Randall (Plender 99) I started as an Assistant Professor of Finance at Emory University in Atlanta, USA, in August 2013, teaching undergraduate Economics, having graduated with a PhD in Finance from New York University. My research on liquidity in the corporate bond market has been featured in the Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and Bloomberg. I am particularly grateful to my A-level Maths teachers at Sevenoaks, Doc Williams and Mrs Stevens.

Andrew Smith (Fryth 99) After working as a management consultant in Australia for five years (Sydney and Brisbane), Andrew completed his MBA at IE Business School in Madrid in 2013-14 and now works for easyJet in the UK.

2000-09

Hayley Smith née Jenkins (2000) Hayley and Steve Smith are delighted to announce the arrival of Theo in March 2014, a brother for Honor.

Marina Nogales (GIH 01) I got married in July 2012 and I have been happily living in Madrid for the past seven years. I am currently a director at K2 Intelligence, a strategic consulting firm, working on anti-fraud and anti-corruption cases.

Matt Brown (04) Shameless self-promotion here, but I’ve recently started a branding agency called Dover Ellis. I’m actually working with Old Sennockian Chris Porter (04) as one of my designers and we’ve helped another Old Sennockian brand his start-up business. I’ve also spent the past year travelling Italy writing about beer, which might be more up your street! But that’s not paying the bills, somewhat unsurprisingly! www.doverellis.com; www.birrapioneer.com

Jo Middleburgh née Dixon (04) After graduating from Sotheby’s Institute of Art, I joined International Art Consultants in London where I trained to be an art consultant. I enjoyed a great deal of success and I even met my future husband, Simon Middleburgh, who was completing his PhD in Nuclear Physics at Imperial College London. Simon got a job working for the Australian government at ANSTO in Sydney and I promptly followed him out there into a world of sunshine and killer spiders. We were married this year at Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex. I am now Mrs Middleburgh! All my old school friends were in attendance and I consider myself very lucky to have found and kept such a strong friendship group from my time at Sevenoaks School. The move to Australia gave me a chance to develop my career and I am now training to be a visual arts educator. I was asked to consider why I wanted to teach and the two inspirational

ALUMNI REVIEW132

teachers that came to mind were Mr Chris Thomas and Mr Oliver Barratt who encouraged me to explore a career in the visual arts. Simon and I are now looking forward to our future together whilst fending off the local wildlife with dogged determination.

Clare Williams (Sennocke 04) Clare Williams and Zaneev Shirodkar (IC 04) married in April 2014 at Nonsuch Mansion, Cheam. Old Sennockians featured in the wedding party as well: Emma Williams (Park Grange 07), Laura Arthur, Melissa Constable, Marie Le Hur and Hannah Peat (all 04) were bridesmaids; Keong Shyan Yeoh (IC 04) was a best man, and Ross Williams (School House 10) was an usher.

Casper ter Kuile (05) Just a little bit of news from me – I’m still at Harvard, now combining my Masters in Public Policy with a Masters of Divinity, where I am preparing for ordination with the Unitarian Universalists to become a minister for non-religious people. My partner Sean and I are based in Boston, Massachusetts and are likely to be here for another two to three years at least before hopefully returning to the UK.

Tom Sain (School House 06) Tom recently became a qualified skydiver and has done 130 jumps in the last year.

Romi Sumaria (IC 07) I graduated from UCL in 2010 having read Economics and Geography. Since graduating I have been working at HSBC in Debt Capital Markets. I cover all major global banks, and advise them on their debt refinancing needs. Most recently my brother and I have started our own company called Oblique, a lifestyle brand focussed on giving you the most exciting and unique social experiences. Based in London, we have launched a multifaceted social platform to help people connect. We specialise in large daytime brunch parties but also host a variety of smaller, more intimate events. The events we organise are


complemented by the Oblique blog which provides our community with articles about food and drink across different cuisines, our thoughts on London’s trendiest spots as well as an insight into our events and social experiences. www.obliquelondon.com

Marta Szczerba (GIH 08) Marta has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship for her two-year MBA studies which she has just started at Harvard Business School. Marta previously worked as a consultant in the London office of The Boston Consulting Group and as the head of a £6M nutrition business while employed by the UK’s largest and one of the fastest growing online retailers, The Hut Group.

Hans Kern (IC 09) I’ve just graduated from Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, upstate New York. I received an A- on my thesis: ‘Omnilegitimacy: From Representative Democracy toward Emerging Alternatives’ earning me a Bachelor’s in Political Studies.

Joanne Sy (Sennocke 10) Joanne Sy was commissioned to compose ‘Flung’, a piece written for Royal Academy of Art’s Sensing Spaces exhibition which was performed to the public in March. The piece was then featured on BBC Radio 3 in April. www.joanneclara.com


NICHOLAS HENSHAW

The Chaplain has been both at the centre of the life of the school, engaged with every individual, and yet as a priest in Holy Orders, he has stood outside the school. It is precisely this that has enabled him to offer so much of value to our community.

Ordained 40 years ago, in June 1974, Nicholas Henshaw was curate at Beaconsfield in the Diocese of Oxford and was then Senior Chaplain at Wellington and Assistant Priest at St Peter’s Eaton Square. Appointed by Richard Barker, Nicholas joined the staff at Sevenoaks in 1982. For 32 years he has given weekly school assemblies for the Lower, Middle and Upper School, to promote an understanding of all religious traditions as well as a sense of school community. He will be remembered fondly for his familiar trademark in the Aisher Hall; the repositioning of the lectern set to the words, ‘Well, it must be Tuesday...’

VALETE

Nicholas’s quiet authority and inner calm have characterised the 96 beginning and end of term services he has given, in addition to numerous services to mark important moments in the school year. Intrinsic to these services has been the part the pupils have played, both in words and music; these contributions have been made possible by both the Music department and the immensely supportive relationship Nicholas has built with St Nicholas’ Church.

In addition to his public face on big school community occasions, and his academic role as Head of Religious Studies, his pastoral work behind the scenes has been tireless. He has given weekly communion services and confirmation classes, organised Lent visitors, retreats to West Malling Abbey, and boarding house visits. His weekly services at St Nicholas’ Church moved into the Sunday at 8 programme, with boarders arriving back in time to hear a range of visiting speakers. He has fostered connections with the wider Christian community; the monthly communion service in Knole Chapel has been a privilege for him and a much cherished tradition. He has undertaken interregnums in local parishes, and regularly preached in local parishes and local schools. Pastoral connections with pupils and their families often remain long after pupils have left the school and have resulted in him conducting many weddings and subsequent christenings. He developed a connection with the wider community by organising weekly visits to the St Botolph’s project for the homeless in London, and he has found time to be a Governor of St Michael’s School and a Trustee of the Almshouses.

In short, his contribution has been deeply valuable and we have all benefited from his unique presence. He has the art of putting everyone at their ease and his ministry has been characterised by the value he places on listening to others. He has embodied service to our school community and his patience, professionalism and sense of humour have made him an absolute pleasure to work with. We offer him our deepest and sincerest thanks for all that he has done to guide and inspire us.

Wendy Heydorn

ALUMNI REVIEW134

NEIL TETLEY

The arresting first impression generated by seeing Neil Tetley is of someone very tall and authoritative. The authority is easily worn, and a more enduring impression is that this is someone you would follow into a fire.

After studying History at Cambridge, Neil went to work in Japan, where his height must have conferred on him a god-like status. Stints in Brussels and at King’s College Wimbledon followed before Neil joined Sevenoaks in 2010 as Co-curricular Deputy Head. He gave new coherence and strategic direction to this role, overseeing sport, drama and music, as well as offering a commanding voice on key management committees.

As fellow Deputies, we worked in offices opposite each other for three years, and discussed school business on a daily basis, but my most enduring memories of Neil are at lunch, where his appetite was only matched by the speed at which he consumed his food, and on the squash court where his grace and power made him comfortably the best player on the staff. Schooled on the courts of Epsom, Neil could dispatch my gawky efforts with ease. Tactfully, however, he would extend the matches, keeping the ball in play, while I searched for the single deft drop shot – lobs were a hopeless proposition – that might elude his reach.

In a more general sense, little is beyond Neil’s reach. Clear-sighted, consistent, persuasive, Neil marries managerial calm and administrative exactitude with human warmth and a keen sense of humour. His lordly suavity is mixed with genuine humility and a willingness to listen. In short, Neil is a born leader, and his elevation to headship at Woodbridge School in Suffolk comes as no surprise. His intelligence, compassion and communication skills, together with his integrity and innate kindness will see him thrive as Head. We wish him, his wife Laura, and their two sons, every success, and best wishes for the future.

Chris Greenhalgh

TIFFENNY CARDON

Tiffenny joined Sevenoaks in 2008 and quickly settled into life in the Biology department. Her lively personality and passion for her subject enthused her students and she became a popular, knowledgeable and dynamic force, ensuring that her charges looked forward to their Biology classes and gained much from the experience.

Always keen to push her boundaries, Tiffenny has involved herself in many aspects of school life beyond the Biology department, as she taught the SEHS course, became a resident boarding tutor in Sennocke, and helped run the CCF Navy section – enjoying it so much she considered a change of career on the back of her experiences. She has also been involved with sailing and climbing, and accompanied numerous school trips around the globe. She recently took up the mantle of HE Science Adviser and was a well-respected Lower School tutor. A keen sportswoman, Tiffenny loves competitive triathlons and has persuaded her partner Eddie to get involved too!

Her organisation is legendary and she fuels her daily workload with a selection of carbohydrates, of which she keeps a ready supply in her office desk! She has been a tremendous colleague, who we will miss very much, but we know she will make a fantastic Head of Biology at Guildford High School. We wish her every happiness and success in her new post.

Kerry Pitcher


ELAINE CONNELL

Elaine is a wonderful colleague. She first joined Sevenoaks in 1984, and taught for six years, returning for a second stint in 2000. Pupils love being taught by her and the IC boys simply love her. She is endlessly patient, caring and thoughtful. Members of the Maths department have really missed her since she stopped teaching. She found her niche teaching Maths Studies, helping and guiding teachers new to the IB and working collaboratively on projects in particular and correcting all the mistakes in the draft exams! Elaine has worked for five heads of department and all have described her as a ‘dream teacher’: undemanding, cooperative, efficient and simply superb with her students, a teacher who is calm, unflappable and reliable.

Her creativity and resourcefulness have benefited the department too, making mathematical models to show latitude and longitude by tying hula hoops together! Her preference not to be the centre of attention and her resourcefulness extended beyond the classroom too. When the department put on a musical, Elaine was fantastic backstage. Always safety conscious she even made an apple from a sponge to drop on Newton’s head!

It is arguably in the IC where many will have appreciated Elaine the most. She has certainly notched up many hours helping boys with their Maths, of course, but the boys really think of her almost as their mother. She is always there for them, ready to greet them in the afternoon. She knows every single boy well, their strengths, their weaknesses and aspirations. She is happy to give them her time whether sick, upset or simply in need of company. She is also a very talented writer and her end-of-year songs always incorporated the names of everyone in the house. She will be sorely missed.

Helen Tebay

NIGEL CONNELL

A hugely talented and charismatic colleague and friend, it is absolutely no surprise that Nigel spent a season with the National Youth Theatre on leaving school. Following various acting and music projects, and a degree at Exeter University, where he met Elaine, Nigel taught French at Millfield and Bristol Grammar School before arriving at Sevenoaks in 1984. He was Head of French for five years, started up the Lyon exchange and ran it for many years, and directed two French plays. He also taught English, Drama and TOK and coached rugby, football and tennis. In 1993 he was appointed Sixth Form Registrar; for ten years he travelled the world recruiting students for Sevenoaks and making lifelong friends in many countries.

Meanwhile he developed a reputation as a performer, playing guitar with the staff band, The Elderly Brothers, in the Sevenoaks Festival, and later in 46 Points. He performed music by his idol, Bob Dylan, in assemblies and concerts; his on-stage banter delighted audiences packed with Sevenoaks pupils, and his Anti-Smoking Roadshow was eagerly anticipated each year.

He and Elaine ran the International Centre with warmth, intelligence and great good humour, genuinely caring about the boys as their own, and going well beyond duty in their care of them. The boys’ parents recognised the extraordinary effect Nigel had on their sons: the way he inspired deep loyalty and affection through his ability to empathise with them. Every year he would assure the new parents: ‘You give me the boy and I’ll give you the man!’ And this he managed to do, supremely well.

We look forward to more evenings of music and laughter with him and Elaine as they retire in Sevenoaks to spend more time with their adored daughter, Becky, and granddaughter, Saskia.

Tony and Arabella Stuart

ALUMNI REVIEW136

VALETE

EMILY FRANCIS (NÉE BOULTON)

Emily came to Sevenoaks in 2006 as a newly qualified History teacher. As the daughter of a History teacher and Deputy Head of Bryanston School, Dorset, where she grew up and was herself a pupil, she already had a true appreciation of the demands of a busy boarding school.

Immensely kind and impressively calm, Emily was one of the hardworking faithful of the History department. Completely unflappable and always flexible, Emily taught all year groups with carefully prepared and creatively crafted lessons. Her students appreciated her patient, personal attention and gentle manner. Her generosity in sharing her resources, time and expertise benefited us all; in particular those newly arrived in the department. Although it was not in her nature to take command, Emily expertly led numerous Year 9 Battlefields trips, ran the Debating Team and was a stalwart of the Year 8 Normandy Trip.

With quiet capability and unquestioning commitment, Emily made a full contribution to the wider life of the school. She spent three years in Park Grange as a boarding tutor to Year 9 and was later a Lower School Tutor. A dependable coach of hockey, netball and rounders, Emily was invariably managing the non-squad or lower teams on a Saturday afternoon with understated proficiency. In 2010 Emily escaped to London to live with her new husband Richard. Somehow she managed to commute from Putney for four years and still maintain her calm poise and good cheer. With the birth of Beatrice in September Emily left us to enjoy her new family and moves with them to Esher, one small step on the way back, perhaps, to her beloved Dorset. We will miss her in the History department but wish her, Richard and Beatrice every happiness.

Rachel McQuillin

LAURA HARDWICK

Proud of her Macclesfield heritage, Laura has brought a breath of fresh air, style and lively northern sense of humour to the Modern Languages department over the last two years. A fabulous colleague, always generous with her time and ready to share her ideas and creative resources, she has always been the first to volunteer to cover classes and help her colleagues out. Coming from teaching Italian and French at KCS Wimbledon, then Benenden, Laura brought a wealth of experience as well as a love for the languages. Both staff and students have profited enormously from her warmth and enthusiasm.

As teachers we will miss her friendly and caring companionship (and her book trolley!) and the students will miss her extraordinary professionalism. Laura was always ready to help when students were finding things difficult and her lessons were meticulously and faultlessly planned; she found an interesting and original approach to each topic, embracing all types of technology to make grammar and vocabulary learning fun both for younger students and the Upper Sixth Higher Level. She seemed to have a video or a song for every teaching occasion.

We will miss Laura and her family hugely but wish her very well in Woodbridge, where we hope that she has the chance to share her talent for teaching, in addition to juggling the demands of her two lovely sons Charles and Henry and her new role of Head’s wife.

Alison Maynard


MELANIE BEDFORD

Mel joined the Classics department here at Sevenoaks in September 2005 and it was very quickly apparent that we had gained the services of one of the kindest and most thoughtful Classicists in the country, soon establishing herself firmly in the affections of colleagues and pupils alike. She had more than her fair share of rumbustious classes, but she dealt with all in the same patient, even-handed way. She gave of her time very generously, preparing her lessons with meticulous thoroughness and always making herself available for those seeking extra help. She showed herself four-square in support of our project to provide local primary schools with a little tuition in Latin and she was a valued addition to the Learning Support department and to the Duke of Edinburgh programme. She contributed a great deal in terms of assistance and fun to departmental trips to Pompeii and to the Year 7 trip to Greece.

In her decision to change career the world of Classics has lost a very fine teacher, but the profession of Occupational Therapy has gained a treasure. We already miss her very much from the department, but wish her very well in her course at Canterbury Christ Church University.

Simon Carr

YURI KNOTT

Yuri built Japanese up from scratch and leaves her Schemes of Work in such a healthy state that teachers from other schools are desperate to get their hands on them!

In the classroom Yuri has consistently overseen a set of excellent grades at IB ab initio level. She was particularly attentive to those who struggled with the intricacies of kanji and the sheer weight of new vocabulary to be mastered. She was popular with her students precisely because she had their best interests at heart. As a result she was a regular at GIH Leavers’ suppers.

Yuri has single-handedly raised the profile of Japanese culture within the school. She instigated many drumming workshops and led her own popular sessions on floral design and ikebana. Such was her expertise at instructing the uninitiated in the finer skills of origami that one year there was a plethora of staff Christmas cards in the form of trees, and Valentine cards in the form of hearts! She led many trips to performances of Kabuki and Noh theatre, and one colleague particularly valued Yuri’s insights into Japanese texts he taught for the World Literature course.

Yuri was a brilliant guide on the Design Technology trip to Japan and exemplified the perfect host as she relished introducing the students to her culture. This was true of the international evenings of years gone by, where she would serve sushi, dressed in the most exquisite kimonos.

We shall miss Yuri’s infectious giggle and her ability to laugh at herself. She has a huge heart and will continue her charitable endeavours in Malawi as she enters retirement. We hope we might still see her next year in the capacity of visiting language tutor to the small network of students that value her tuition skills so highly.

Navaneethan Kunaratnam

ALUMNI REVIEW138

VALETE

ROWAN THOMPSON

Rowan arrived in the Design department 13 years ago with a wealth of experience under his belt. Having lived and taught in South Africa and Botswana, Rowan has always had a fascination with different cultures. Taking an active role in the school’s co-curricular life he set up and led the Aikido club. Design VSU also went from strength to strength under his stewardship, with many varied projects to support the local community, from bird boxes for a local nature reserve to wheelchair access onto sailing boats.

Rowan’s interest in Japanese and African culture led to several sensational departmental trips which staff and students will never forget. There was a trip to Japan with 38 students, for ten days, travelling across the country to see the most amazing architecture, technology and manufacturing industries. There was also a department charity project to build an education centre in the village of Mulamula, in the Limpopo province of South Africa, which is making a life-changing difference to those that live in the area. His influence, drive and motivation towards this project were an inspiration, and he helped raise over £20,000 towards building materials and land acquisition. After three years’ hard work, liaising with the government in the region, raising funds, visiting the area with several successful student trips, the buildings now stand proud on the landscape. A large community centre and crèche, alongside new toilets, water towers and landscaped gardens have made a real difference.

Rowan leaves us to join his family in Durban and to further his work with the Mulamula project. Rowan will be missed by pupils and staff, but I know he will be ‘over the moon’ to be permanently with his family again, and we wish them all every happiness for the future.

Graeme Lawrie and Andrew Day

ALISON WERTHEIM

As Senior Nurse, Alison has developed and expanded the role of the Medical Centre to the extent that it has become a central element in the life of the school – taking care of the needs of all, from the residents of the Almshouses to support staff, teaching staff, day pupils and their families and the boarding community at large.

As well as providing first-class practical care and advice on issues as varied as the travel vaccinations needed for far-flung school trips, to the care of the perhaps ill-judged piercing, Alison has taken many vulnerable students under her wing and during their most difficult times has provided them with the support and encouragement required to get them back on their feet. Testament to Alison’s compassion and expertise is the number of letters of thanks to be found in the Med Centre at the end of each school year from grateful youngsters.

Alison has taken on many roles at school, and has brought great warmth, energy and enthusiasm to them all. She has contributed significantly to the pupils’ PSHE programme and has overseen and encouraged the increased provision of excellent counselling services in school. Latterly, Alison’s vision and determination have been instrumental in working towards improving and extending the Medical Centre facility itself. She has been a highly regarded team leader to those who have worked with her and is a greatly valued colleague to all. A hard act to follow, Alison is greatly missed but we wish her happiness and every success in the future.

Kate Ellis


JULIA DOUGLAS

In October 2013 we said farewell to Julia Douglas who had worked at the school for nearly 16 years as a careers adviser and Head of US and International University Applications. Over her time at Sevenoaks Julia helped to give impartial and very well-informed information, advice and guidance to hundreds of students. Dedicated and expert in her dealings with students she will be remembered for her attention to detail and her caring approach. The email extract below from a grateful Old Sennockian bears witness to her professional dedication and instinctive expertise:

‘I just finished my freshman year at Stanford, and looking back on the past year, I really wanted to write to thank you again for all your help and advice during my college application process. I’m not sure if you remember, but I always think back to how I really wanted to apply to Yale, and you suggested that I consider applying to Stanford because you thought it would be a better fit for me; I am really so grateful that you suggested Stanford. I think enrolling here has perhaps been the best decision I have made in my life – and I know I could never have been accepted without your guidance!’

Julia saw two of her own three children go through the school – Bruce and Mia will be remembered by many. Now a grandmother, she goes on to a retirement full of new and pleasant challenges with the next generation. We wish her every happiness.

Ruth Greenhalgh

We also say goodbye to the following members of the Academic and Support staff :

Thomas Bell

Nicola Benson

Julia Bevan

Lucy Billings

Andrew Bishop

Juan Bolado Herrero

Chris Cakebread

Anson Cheung

Elaine Clayton

Christopher Collard

Eva Csiki-Szasz

Hannah De Quincey

Tessa Donaldson

Adèle Fitchett

Laura Garcia Catone

Juan Manuel Gonzalez Trujillo

Minela Hadzic

Nick Johnson

Ingrid Kelly

Vicki Lyons

Elizabeth Moore

Louise Porter

Caroline Sarfaty

Juan Tellechea


Friday 14 November 18.45 Annual Old Sennockians Dinner, Grocers’ Hall London

Friday 21 November 14.30 Junior Knole Run

Tuesday 2-Thursday 4 December, Saturday 6 December 19.00 Upper School Production, Our Country’s Good, Sackville Theatre

Friday 5 December 19.30 Crash into Christmas, Pamoja Hall

Tuesday 9 December 19.00 Service of Readings and Carols, St Nicholas’ Church

Thursday 11 December 14.30 End of Michaelmas term

Wednesday 7 January 08.30 Beginning of Lent term

Saturday 10 January 14.30 41st Knole Run and 19th Girls’ Knole Run

Monday 9-Thursday 12 February 14.00 Transformations Festival (Year 11 SSC Drama Public Productions)

Friday 27 February 18.30 OS 10 Year Reunion Dinner for the Class of 2005, Sevenoaks School

Monday 2-Friday 6 March Science Week

Tuesday 17-Saturday 21 March 19.00 Middle School Production, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Sackville Theatre

Thursday 19 March 12.00 Old Johnsonians Annual Reunion Lunch, Sevenoaks School

Thursday 19 March 19.30 Sevenoaks Swings, Pamoja Hall

Tuesday 24 March 19.30 Music at Sevenoaks Choral Concert, Pamoja Hall

Friday 27 March 14.30 End of Lent term

Wednesday 22 April 08.30 Beginning of Summer term

Thursday 23 April 19.30 Sevenoaks School Jazz Club, Sackville Theatre

Tuesday 28 April 19.30 The Alan Adler Memorial Concert, Pamoja Hall

Saturday 2 May 11.00 OS Five-a-side Football Tournament, Sennocke Centre

Saturday 16 May 18.30 OS 20 Year Reunion Dinner for the Class of 1995, Sevenoaks School

Saturday 23 May Leavers’ Day

Friday 12 June 18.30 OS Summer Drinks, Central London

Tuesday 16-Saturday 20 June 19.00 Lower School Production, Animal Farm, Sackville Theatre

Monday 22 June 12.30 Middle School Sports Day

Monday 22-Wednesday 24 June 19.00 Classics-Drama department collaboration: Hecuba

Wednesday 24 June (TBC) 09.00 Lower School Sports Day

Saturday 27 June 12.00 Founders’ Day Picnic and 50 year reunion for the Class of 1965, Manor House Lawn

Saturday 27 June 14.00 End of Summer term

Friday 4 September 08.30 Beginning of Michaelmas term

Saturday 5 September (TBC) 12.00 OS Rugby tournament

Michaelmas term (date TBC) Lambardes 50th Anniversary Reunion

All dates are correct at the time of going to press, but may be subject to change. For Old Sennockian events please see the events page of OS Online for the latest information: www.osonline.sevenoaksschool.org

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY: SCHOOL AND OLD SENNOCKIANS

Editorial team: Arabella Stuart, Navaneethan Kunaratnam, Charlotte Hails.

Photographs by David Merewether, Jannick Fjeldsoe (OS 2013), Matthew Caiger (Year 9), other students and staff, or as credited.

Front cover shows student art by Clare Cooke (Year 10).

Designed by Nick Darke.

Printed by the Caxton & Holmesdale Press Ltd. on paper from a sustainable source approved by FSC, the Forest Stewardship Council.

Sevenoaks School, High Street, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1HU

Telephone: +44 (0)1732 455133 Fax: +44 (0)1732 456143

Email: [email protected]

www.sevenoaksschool.org

© Sevenoaks School. A Company Limited by Guarantee (4908949). Registered in England and Wales. Registered Charity Number 1101358

Sevenoaks School Foundation. Registered Charity Number 307923

Documents

NEWS AND REVIEWS FROM THE SCHOOL AND ALUMNI 2013-2014