Download pdf Newsletter - Autumn 2012

IN MEMORIAM
September saw the inaugural meeting of the Thomson Society - an exciting new
Harrodian initiative to extend the knowledge of our more inquisitive Senior
School students.
Held monthly in the auditorium, a typical Thomson Society session is one hour long and features
a combination of lecture-style presentation, visual accompaniment and student response. The
subject matter is outside of the standard school curriculum and represents the presiding teacher’s
area of passion and expertise. The aim is to stretch learning, pique interest and begin to prepare
students for a teaching style encountered in higher education.
The first session saw Mr Woodward, History and Politics, present on the significance and
morality of the Crusades. Mr Behan, Economics, followed with a talk entitled ‘Inside Job or
Botched Job? A trader’s view of how the 2008 financial crisis happened’. Ms Whiteson, English,
led the third session with a presentation about ‘Madness in Literature.’ All presentations were
attended to capacity and the student participation was enthusiastic and insightful. Everyone
involved is optimistic that this is the start of something set to become a fixture and a highlight of
the monthly school calendar.
WITH FLYING COLOURS
The winners of the Kids Company Art Competition were Sylvie Plaskow (PP3K) from Pre-Prep, Helena
Sinjan (10R) from the Prep School, Louis Norman (15P) from the Senior School and Mr Gledhill from
the Staff and Parents category (featured below left from right). The theme for the competition was beds, on
the basis that the money raised will help provide beds and much-needed essentials for the Kids Company
children. There were many creative interpretations of the theme, amongst which these four were chosen to
be outstanding.
colourscape
This term the 8s visited Colourscape Music Festival on Clapham Common, one of the UK’s most unusual
music festivals that combines colourful visual art with contemporary music, dance and science. The
Colourscape installation and performance space is a huge inflatable structure that consists of almost 100
brightly coloured and illuminated chambers. Before entering the structure, pupils were able investigate
rhythm by playing a large range of percussion instruments. They were then given brightly coloured capes
to wear as they explored the labyrinth and experienced the fusion of colour and sound created by world
artists and musicians. Afterwards the pupils discussed the science of colour and the effect that it has on our
senses.
A FIELD DAY
PEMBROKESHIRE
The two 15s Geography classes spent three days in Pembrokeshire on a field trip.
They collected data on the sand dunes at Freshwater Beach and conducted traffic
and pedestrian counts and surveys with residents and tourists in Tenby. Pupils had
to design questionnaires, environmental quality assessments and other ways to
collect geographical data. On their last day, the group went on a three-hour walk
along the Pembrokeshire coastline looking at lots of different features like blow
holes, arches and beaches, before heading back to London. Pupils will now spend
a number of hours writing up their controlled assessments which contribute to
their overall GCSE results.
JUNIPER HALL
The AS-level Geography students went on a Sixth Form field trip to Juniper Hall
in Surrey to investigate the River Tillingbourne. Throughout the day the students
worked in groups and collected data on the characteristics of the river, such as its
depth, width and velocity. Afterwards they went back to Juniper Hall to analyse
and write up their findings.
out of africa
Over the summer holidays, three Sixth Form students worked as volunteers in Africa.
Millie Owen (U6WI) worked for Projects Abroad in Ghana. She helped teach English and other subjects
as part of a summer school programme to a group of approximately 80 three-to-five-year olds. She also
helped to paint and decorate the school and went to the orphanage, where some of the pupils lived, to look
after them.
Charlotte Poulter (U6A, Head Girl) and Saskia Flower (U6A, Prefect) volunteered at the Happy House
Orphanage in Watamu, Kenya. Both girls taught Maths, Science, English, French, RE and Social Studies
to classes of about 15 children ranging between the ages of 8 to 12. They also supervised the Nursery
School children and younger infants. Their responsibilities varied from helping to feed and toilet-train
babies to entertaining and playing with toddlers.
All of the girls were shocked by the poor quality of resources and teaching materials. In addition to this,
communication was often a challenge which meant they had to be creative and imaginative in the ways
that they taught. Charlotte and Saskia often observed lessons and gave teachers helpful feedback and
advice. They also designed informative and educational posters on basic topics such as photosynthesis to be
displayed in the classroom, and they made ‘join-the-dot’ sheets for both letters and numbers which could
be kept, photocopied and used for future classes. They were both pleased to be leaving something practical
behind that would be useful for the teachers and children.
The Sixth Formers were most impressed with how efficient and organised the schools and orphanages
were and how much love the children and staff had for each other, as if they were one big family. They
all enjoyed getting to know the children and forming bonds with them, even though this made it harder
to leave. Their experiences also taught them never to take anything or anyone for granted, as the children
they had met certainly did not.
Millie is looking forward to volunteering again, either for the entire summer or as part of a gap year.
Charlotte and Saskia, who raised nearly £1,000 for the Happy House before they left, will be returning
at Christmas with various materials that they found the orphanage was lacking. All Sixth Form students
have the full support of the Harrodian to organise fundraising events at the School for the Happy House
and similar organisations and to spread awareness so that more students volunteer for such good causes.
SUMMER 2012
london olympics
Following their studies on the business and
economic value of the Olympic Games, Mrs
Drummond-Chew arranged for pupils from
the Senior School to attend various events
during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The 13s and Lower Sixth watched the first
football match of the games at Wembley
Stadium where GB Ladies beat Brazil. In the
evening, the 14s went to the Olympic Park
to see the GB basketball team beat Canada
in an exciting game, followed by the USA
demolishing Angola. The next venue was
Earls Court to watch the USA beat Turkey
at volleyball. During the break, hundreds of
spectators crowded around the giant screen to
watch Usain Bolt storm to victory in the 100m
final. The Upper Sixth managed to attend
one day at the Paralympic Games, where they
watched David Weir speed to victory in the
800m selection and Pistorius receive his silver
medal for the 200m. The overall opinion of
the pupils, was that although the games did
not deliver as much as hoped to the gross
domestic product, for sheer thrill factor and
national pride it was priceless.
dr Parmley and the jubilee
bells
The Royal Jubilee Bells are a set of eight new
bells that were cast for the Church of St James
Garlickhythe, City of London. They were
seen on television around the world hanging
from the herald barge which led the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee River Pageant down the
Thames this summer. Sponsorship of the new
bells and the funds raised to hang them at the
church were organised by our Head of Seniors,
Alderman and Master Musician Dr Parmley.
The bells, which were cast at the Whitechapel
Foundry, the oldest factory in the country,
bear the royal crest and each is named after
one of the eight central members of the royal
family.
ASSEMBLIES
pre-prep harvest festival
In the Pre-Prep Harvest Festival Assembly, (above right) Bailey Reid (PP3M) and Haaris Sana
(PP3K) introduced all the songs and explained the meaning of harvest time to the children.
Each year group performed a song together, including Reception, for whom it was the first time
on stage. There were also two poetry recitals from PP3K and PP3M. All the children brought
a contribution for the harvest table. Their tins of food, together with the potatoes and flowers
grown on the school allotment, went to St Stephen’s Church in East Twickenham, from where
they were distributed to the elderly and homeless.
reception
This term both Reception classes performed their first assemblies. Reception B enacted the
popular children’s story Aliens Love Underpants. With a washing line of underpants setting the
scene in the auditorium, the Reception B aliens revealed the reasons why they love human
underwear so much! Reception M performed a festive rendition of Julia Donaldson’s Stick Man
in which the dangers of being a stick were depicted. Siblings from PP3 helped to narrate the story
which even included a cameo performance by Santa Claus! Congratulations to all the children
and their form teachers for such a colourful and entertaining stage debut.
prep school
The theme of this term's assemblies
has centred on the character strengths
and virtues which Professor Martin
Seligman, Director of Positive
Psychology at the University of
Pennsylvania, identifies as helping
us lead the 'good life' and foster
wellbeing. The presentations have
focussed on the key strengths
that help us build communities,
those that allow us to accomplish
goals in the face of opposition and those that provide meaning. Mr Rossetti spoke about
persistence and Mr Woodward about courage; Rev Hardie encouraged us to engage in random
acts of kindness; Charlotte Poulter (Head Girl) and Saskia Flower focused on the importance
of citizenship, talking about their work over the summer in an orphanage in Kenya; Gabriel
Seite (Head Boy) reflected on teamwork, drawing on his experiences in achieving the
Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award. The cycle ended with Mr Wilson, Head of History of Art,
talking about the appreciation of beauty by leading an analysis of Velasquez’s painting The
Spinners. The term was concluded with inspiring musical performances by Prep School pupils.
prize giving
The Summer Term’s annual day
of graduation and prize giving
ceremonies, is now firmly established
in the Harrodian cycle of celebrations.
The day commences with the
jubilant graduation of the 10s as
they prepare to face the rigours of
Common Entrance. Our guest of
honour was Hector Macleod, CEO
of
Glassworks
Post-Production
Agency and father of Blake (9B), who
inspired the audience by describing
his commitment to walking wherever
he goes for the next twelve months. The 12s graduation followed with a surprise visit from Dr
Parmley in his alter ego as an Alderman of the City of London, wearing velvet knickerbockers
and scarlet gown! Dr Parmley described life in the Senior School and the all-important task of
playing a full part in our community, both in and out of school. The Senior Prize Giving was a
huge celebration of all that our 13s to Upper Sixth have achieved during the past year. Guest of
honour, Ruby Wax (above pictured with Camilla Lesser, winner of the Beyad Shield), delighted
the audience with her (far too) honest description of her own time at school. It was a splendid,
sunny day, perfect for celebrating the many outstanding achievements of Harrodian pupils.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
visual arts trip
Mr Wilson, Mr Murray and Ms Heller took 19 Sixth Formers on a four-day cultural
tour of New York’s galleries, historical landmarks and design studios. Visits to MoMA,
the Guggenheim and the Frick were accompanied by short and insightful lectures by Mr
Wilson, who brought each carefully selected work of art to life with social and historical
background information. Mr Murray was also an imperative source of knowledge, not
only regarding works of art, but also graphic design and photography. He also took
his own students to the Museum of Arts and Design and Empire Design Studios where
they learned about the role of graphic design in film and television advertising. Other
highlights of the trip included a visit to the Empire State building, a harbour tour of
Ellis Island, the company of Mr Hooke for a day and meeting up with Dr Parmley, Ms
Reynolds and the Senior Choir in the Hard Rock Café on Times Square.
senior choir tour
During October half term, Senior Art and Music pupils had the opportunity to go
to New York.
Ms Reynolds organised the Harrodian’s first ever choir tour abroad to one of the world’s most
exciting capital cities. 34 students from year groups 13s to Upper Sixth, had prepared for weeks
and took part in a range of formal concerts and flash mob performances of both modern and
classical pieces. The choir had the opportunity to perform in many different locations: the
prestigious Trinity School in central New York; right at the top of the Rockefeller Centre, where
tourists and security guards were surprised by their rendition of ‘New York’; in a concert at the
UN Building on National Peace Day; and at Ellen’s Stardust Diner where waiters serenade
customers at their tables. The final day of the tour included a formal concert in St Paul’s Chapel
at Ground Zero. The choir sang beautifully and were accompanied on the piano by Dr Parmley.
It was a moving occasion that a few parents were lucky enough to attend. A special mention goes
to Ella Davenport (L6B) and Sofia Donavan-Lafuente (L6NL) who performed outstanding solos
over the course of the tour.
As a special treat for all their hard work, students attended a workshop with a musical director
and cast member of Jersey Boys and were then taken to see the musical on Broadway afterwards!
The last and most impromptu performance of the whole tour was on the plane before takeoff back to England, when the friendly BA cabin crew invited Harrodian pupils to sing their
fellow passengers to sleep with their arrangement of ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’. Once again their
performance was met with delight and applause and it was the perfect conclusion to a successful
tour organised by Ms Reynolds.
Above left the Senior Boys Choir singing in St Paul’s Chapel at Ground Zero, above centre the
Senior Choir and staff outside Central Park and above right the Sixth Form choir performing at
Trinity School.
SPORTS DESK
independent schools’ football association (isfa)
The Harrodian School is very proud to be the venue for the Independent Schools’ Football Association training sessions
in the London area. This is the third year that the trials and training have been held at the School in recognition of our
good-quality playing surfaces and experienced coaches, Mr Cleevely and Mr Swindlehurst. The ISFA programme this
term consists of three Saturday training dates for U11-U14 London Academy players. The best players in the London
squads will be selected for the Repton National Festival, a competition for all county sides. Depending on their
performance in the Festival, individual players may be put forward by their coaches for possible selection to an England
Independent Schools side. Previously Old Harrodian Tom Joslin and current pupils Dan Darbyshire (14ST) and Jamie
Autorino (13MB) have achieved the honour of playing for their country through this programme. Above left is the first
eleven Captain Ned Hawkins (U6D) with coach David Swindlehurst and on the right, Patrick van Breugel (U6D),
centre forward and leading goal scorer.
sports leaders
Each week, Ms Gorski and Mrs Sehgal train a group of 15s pupils in their Level 1 Sports Leadership qualification. In
order to lead fun and interactive sporting activities for younger children, the 15s have been learning the importance
of the following skills: creativity, organisation, verbal and non-verbal communication. A number of leaders have
also acted as team managers for the Prep Intraschool football and netball tournaments, helping to score matches and
presenting awards to players afterwards. The Sports Leaders have also been working in pairs to deliver fun exercises and
teach essential sports skills to small groups of Pre-Prep children. Later on this year, the Sports Leaders will be assisting
in the organisation of small hockey and rugby tournaments for the Prep School.
extra-curricular
glasgow to edinburgh in 8
hours
padstow to putney
In October, Frederik Scheske (L6DC) and his partner
Isaac Blackman (both from Richmond Canoe Club)
competed in a kayaking race along the Forth and Clyde
and Union canals across Scotland. On the first day of
the non-stop challenge, both boys kayaked 21 miles
with four portages. This meant they had to get out of
their boat four times in order to move around the locks.
Travelling 31 miles, they found the second day was much
more intense. There were no portages, which meant
the boys were not able to move from their seats for a
whole 4 hours 47 minutes! When they finally crossed
the finishing line with their winning time of 8 hours
3 minutes and 44 seconds, they could barely stand or
walk, let alone sit! It was all worth it when they lifted the
trophy and learnt that they were the first juniors ever to
complete the 23-year-old race.
Over the summer holidays, Guy Padley (15C) undertook a remarkable feat. He and three friends, their fathers,
a cousin and a grandfather all cycled from Padstow to Putney in three-and-a-half days - a total of 320 miles. The
highlights of their route were the Camel Trail, the big climb to Bodmin, the Mendips and the 30-mile home stretch
from Windsor to London. They raised almost £20,000 for the Royal Berkshire Hospital cancer centre, of which
Guy alone raised almost £2000. The money will go towards maintaining the hospital’s robotic surgery unit, which is
essential in the treatment of prostate cancer.
dance around the world
The globe has only just stopped spinning after Miss Edward’s annual dance show heaved and
hurled its way across the Harrodian stage. 135 students from the 8s to the 15s performed dances
from South America to South Africa, with a bit of Bollywood thrown in to spice things up. A
wonderful whirl of an evening, the highlight being that many of the students had choreographed
their own performances.
romeo and juliet
Balloons, bad boys and beauties littered the
Harrodian stage in an abridged version of
Romeo and Juliet. Students from the 8s-12s
performed the bard’s best known love story,
with Uma Goldsmith(12K) as Juliet, Will
Taylor (12H) as Romeo and Chloe Symonds
(11SU) as a manic Mercutio. With its physical
interludes, choral commentary and additional
characters, this really was an ensemble at work.
christmas concert
For the first time, the school Carol
Concert took place at St. Paul’s Church
in Hammersmith. The Harrodian has
maintained strong links with the Church since
the memorial service for our late Principal, Mr
Thomson, was held there in June 2011. The
large, festively-decorated Church welcomed
and accommodated the numerous parents,
staff and pupils who attended. Carols such as
O Come All Ye Faithful, Once in Royal David’s
City and While Shepherds Rocked were sung
and enjoyed by everyone in addition to both
sacred and secular readings by staff and pupils.
As well as carol singing, the school choirs
performed a varied repertoire of choral pieces
from The Lord’s Prayer from African Santcus
through to the The Twelve Days of Christmas
(Bob Chillcott). The highlight of the evening
was the small ensemble of Sixth Form students
who performed The Lamb (Taverner). The
Carol Concert was a great start to the festive
season and it also communicated the message
of Christmas that many may otherwise forget.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
the changeling
The brute force of desire leads to disaster in this mad, mean and melancholic physical adaption
of Middleton and Rowley’s Jacobean tragedy. Three nights of tongue-twisting text was exquisitely
performed by our senior students, who managed to entertain and enchant a packed house.
Alongside some superb individual performances, there was a strong sense of a company at work,
from the comic pogoing to the grace of the glove worship.
THE OHA
www.facebook.com/groups/OHAmembers/
In September the Harrodian hosted a reunion for Old Harrodians
Guests gathered in a marquee on the school grounds for drinks and a selection of delicious tapas
and canapés prepared by school chef Josef and his team. Mr Hooke welcomed everyone with a
warm address, which encouraged all Old Harrodians to stay in contact on leaving the school.
Afterwards the Staff Band played various popular numbers, to which their avid fans danced
for the remainder of the evening. Nearly 150 Old Harrodian staff and students attended the
event. There was a great mix of Old Harrodians representing a wide range of year groups. Much
to everyone’s delight, the event was attended by some of the School’s very first students. They
included Stephen Dubbs, who was featured in last term’s newsletter, and also Isabel Nicholson
and Katie Potter (above left). Many current and former members of staff also attended the event,
including Mrs Joan Speddy (above centre) who taught English and History at the school for
many years.
katie potter
Katie Potter attended the Harrodian for four
years and left in 2002. After studying
Psychology at university, she recently
completed a Counselling and
Psychotherapeutic
Practitioning
Course. Katie is now employed
by Ingeus, a company which
helps individuals with mental,
physical and social problems to
find and remain in employment.
As a mental health advisor she will
liaise with other psychologists, general
practitioners and occupational therapists in
order to assess and create tailor-made plans for
people to find employment that is suited
to their needs and strengths. Katie
has always maintained ties with the
Harrodian and regularly comes back
to visit us. At the Harrodian she
felt that her individual strengths
and characteristics were always
recognised and valued, and that
she had many opportunities to
explore and be creative, whilst also
being part of our strong community.
isabel nicholson
Isabel Nicholson left the Harrodian in
2004 and then attended the University
of Edinburgh where she was awarded
an MA in French and History. With
a couple of gap years along the way,
she trained as a ski instructor in
Canada, worked for the BBC and
volunteered on a reef conservation
project in the Philippines. Isabel
is currently working for Slaughter
and May, a city law firm. She has fond
memories of The Harrodian, in particular,
she will never forget her first Maths
lesson, during which Mr Harley,
Head of Mathematics, performed a
headstand on his desk! She feels that
the Harrodian prepared her well
for what she went on to do, both
in terms of academic achievements
and by giving her confidence,
enthusiasm and many life-long friends.
HOUSE NEWS
The overall winner of last year’s House competition for the second year running was Thames. Over the
course of the 2011/12 academic year, the Prep School held various House competitions and Sports
tournaments, each of which gave the four school houses- Lonsdale, Ferry, Bridge and Thames- an
opportunity to win points. Events that generated house points included a General Knowledge Quiz, Book
Character Day, Public Speaking, Science Week, Drama, Poetry, Music (Bridge pictured above left in the
House Fusion singing competition above left), Photography (the winning photo above right by Jamie
Lucas 12T, Lonsdale), Running,
Sports Day andSHAKESPEARE
Swimming Galas. Merits and
exam averages were also
HARRODIAN
SCHOOL’S
FESTIVAL
added to the overall House totals, with points for detentions being deducted. In the final weeks before the
end of the summer term, there was a close race to the finish line. Both Thames and Lonsdale battled it out
in the final stages. It wasn’t until the final assembly that Thames was declared the winner. As a reward,
SENIOR
PRODUCTION
Thames
House was
treated to a barbecue lunch and movie afternoon at the School. The competition for
the House Trophy has started again for this academic year - let battle commence!
european languages day
On Wednesday 26 September, the Prep School
celebrated European Languages Day. Each
pupil created a poster on a particular aspect of
a European Country and then presented their
work in class. The children created posters with
information about monuments, customs, food
habits, traditions, products, famous people
and useful words from different European
countries. The posters were then displayed in
the Main Hall. Afterwards there was a fun quiz
which brought together everything they had
learnt over the course of the day.
pre-prep viking architecture
This term, to support their History studies, both PP3 classes took part in a Viking Architecture
Workshop. Pupils worked in small groups to build various 3D objects with bamboo sticks and
rubber bands. Using square-based pyramids which they had made in their groups, they slowly
pieced together their Viking Longship. The children worked well together and enjoyed watching
the Longship slowly come together.
GEORGE MACKAY
RUPERT SIMONIAN
TAKING PART
cycling proficiency
Mrs Burton (Head of 9s) organised Cycling
Proficiency courses for both the 9s and 10s
this term. The 9s completed their Level 1
proficiency course in the School grounds. This
course taught them the basics of how to ride
a bicycle, from looking behind to signalling
without loss of control. The 10s are in the
process of completing their Level 2 proficiency
course. They will be covering the fundamentals
of safe on-road cycling: awareness,
communication and positioning (starting and
stopping, passing on side roads and by parked
or slow-moving vehicles, left and right turns
and sometimes small roundabouts) conducted
on quiet roads near the School. The Harrodian
actively encourages staff, parents and pupils to
cycle to school in order to reduce traffic and
pollution.
TOM
STURRIDGE
esu schools mace
The first round of this year’s English Speaking
Union Mace debate took place at Putney
High School this term. Max Friend (above
left) and Max Burt (above right) represented
The Harrodian opposing the motion that
‘This House Regrets hosting the London
2012 Olympics’ against La Retraite School,
Ibstock Place and Putney High. A victorious
Harrodian team progressed comfortably to the
second round which will be held in the spring.