EDITOR’S NOTES

SCHOOL OFFICIALS

My thanks to all of the people who took time and effort to produce content for this magazine. It is entirely a collaborative endeavour. Thank you to Liz Beech, Jackie Wilkie, Ann Saffery, Terry Ford and Sally Ridley for their help in locating photographs, fact-checking and proofreading. Thanks to Adam Scott for some of the event photographs. I am grateful to my colleagues for their patience in response to my requests for information and copy. On the production side, I thank designer Chris Covey for his technical skills and for his efficient handling of the project. Lastly, many thanks to Mr Fowler, who has championed the Aldenhamian magazine throughout his time at Aldenham. I hope you will enjoy this edition of the Aldenhamian. I am sure that its mixture of updates, reports, photo essays and special features offers you an interesting and informative impression of our school in 2021-22.

HEAD GIRL

HEAD BOY

Lorenza Bertacchi Riding’s

Toby Brown McGill’s

SCHOOL PRAEPOSTORS Beevor’s Romey Eccles-Meoded Jay Hammond

McGill’s Noah Booth Aaron Ghelani

Kennedy’s Sam Baxter Dan Ringrose

Paull’s Stephanie Bryer Eleanor McNeill Ellie Poulter Dasha Sokolova

Leeman’s Max Bustamante Max Delyfer James Walker Harry Higgins Christon John-Ahye

ANTHONY NELSON EDITOR

WELCOME

Please send your submissions via email to the address below. The deadline for the next issue is August 31st 2023.

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THE ALDENHAMIAN

EDITOR

TELEPHONE

Aldenham School Elstree Herts WD6 3AJ

Anthony Nelson

+44 (0)1923 858 122

EMAIL

WEBSITE

[email protected]

www.aldenham.com

Cover: Sanya Sehgal, Year 13 Riding’s, Best Performer, Aldenham Dance Awards 2022

Riding’s Clemency McQuoid Samah Rashid Sanya Sehgal Jess Walters Lily Zentner

procedures, our safeguarding protocols, our flexi and full boarding care and facilities, and our broad provision of education for all pupils. I’m delighted that once again we were found to be fully compliant in all areas. This is the 5th inspection in 12 years in which Aldenham school has achieved the best possible outcome and it is a testament to the hard work of both teaching and support staff.

WELCOME TO THE ALDENHAMIAN It is a pleasure to introduce this issue of The Aldenhamian and reflect on the last 12 months, which made up the first complete school year since 2019. It would be impossible to recognise the achievements of this year without acknowledging the considerable impact which Covid had on pupils, parents and families. In spite of the absence of overseas trips this year the vast majority of other aspects of school life were able to run relatively normally, and there was much to celebrate. Admissions This year Aldenham Senior school has established itself as a school of choice amongst local families; over 400 children sat entrance exams for Year 7. It is wonderful to know that parents and pupils increasingly recognise the benefits of an excellent all-round education, and this is reflected in the high quality of applications we receive from children who combine strong academic ability with sporting talent, prowess in the creative arts, and above all kindness, tolerance and respect for each other.

Return of live performance It was uplifting to see performances to live audiences take place at School again this year. We were able to enjoy a ‘proper’ House Music competition again, albeit with limited seating for parents, and pupils singing while wearing face coverings! In addition, we harnessed our enhanced technological skills to live-stream the performance to families who could enjoy the show from home. Musical performances were rich and varied and included the Carol Service in St Albans Abbey, The Beck Music Competition, The Spring Concert and the now much-anticipated Aldfest rock concert in the summer term. Now in its second year, Aldfest is already a tradition. Creativity was a driving force this year and pupils were keen to embrace the opportunity for performance again. The senior

Sport Aldenham is proud of the allround education it provides; fortunately, we were able to run a comprehensive programme of sporting fixtures which by the summer term was looking like a normal year of matches and competitions.  Once again, we took home numerous trophies in football, netball, hockey, tennis and cricket at local, county and regional levels. Development In terms of infrastructure, the fitness suite was refurbished with state-of-the-art equipment and now provides a superb facility for the whole community. The initial groundwork for the laying of a second ATP was completed and we look forward to this complementing the existing all-weather facilities for hockey, football and tennis, and for serving the sporting needs of the growing number of girls. As we reflect on the successes of another school year, we must give thanks to Mr James Fowler who has led the Foundation for the past 16 years. Mr Fowler’s vision, energy and commitment to the Foundation drove change in pursuit of success and ensured that the school can look forward to a bright future with confidence. We wish Mr and Mrs Fowler all the best in their retirement – I know Mr Fowler is looking forward to sailing their boat off the West Coast of Scotland and playing a few rounds of golf while still taking on a consultancy role in the development of further Aldenham schools overseas. ANDY WILLIAMS HEAD OF SENIOR SCHOOL

WELCOME

ISI inspection We welcomed the ISI inspectors in April for our standard compliance inspection which takes place every 3 years. The inspectors looked in detail at our health and safety

Results Academic results were again very encouraging this year. Year 13 had not sat public exams before, having been awarded teacher assessed grades (TAGs) for their GCSEs, so for all this was a new experience and it was therefore very pleasing to achieve in excess of 60% A* – B across the cohort with the top 25% of pupils achieving an average of A*,A,A and the top 50% of all pupils achieving an average point score equivalent to A,A,B. Students have gained places at almost all of the top universities in the country including Bath, Bristol, Edinburgh, KCL, Leeds, Liverpool, Loughborough, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Oxford, Sussex, Warwick, UCL and York. At GCSE there was a similarly impressive picture with a 95% pass rate, over 60% achieving A* – B and the top quartile achieving an average point score of 7.3 which is equivalent to 100% A*/A grades, while the top half of the year group achieved an average of 6 or more A*/A grades.

production of The Visit, an adaptation of the play by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, was a triumph and took to the stage despite much adversity. The lead was struck down with Covid just a week before the opening night, but despite some cast members, stage crew and technicians being sent home to isolate, and our having to draft in an OA from University to learn a vital role with half an hour to spare, the show went on!  It was on the final night of The Dance Show in March 2019 that the school originally closed its doors for Covid and so it was an emotional experience to enjoy the March 2021 Dance Show, which played to a packed house on three nights at the end of the Easter term.  

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CONTENTS

28

04

79

HOUSES

THE ARTS

SPORT

ACTIVITIES

08 BEEVOR’S 10 KENNEDY’S 12 LEEMAN’S 14 MARTINEAU’S 16 MCGILL’S 18 PAULL’S 20 RIDING’S 22 WOODROW’S

24 DRAMA 30 DANCE 34 MUSIC 38 ART

46 SPORTS DAY 48 ATHLETICS 49 CROSS COUNTRY 50 CRICKET 52 FOOTBALL 54 GOLF 54 FIVES 55 EROS RUN 56 HOCKEY 57 TENNIS

58 CCF 60 DUKE OF EDINBURGH 62 MATHS

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TRIPS

SCHOOL NEWS FEATURES

63 64 66 67

70 VISITATION DAY 72 ASPA 74 DEVELOPMENT 76 COMMON ROOM 78 CHAPLAINCY REPORT

DESIGN MUSEUM BATTLEFIELDS TRIP BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP WARNER BROS STUDIO

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TEACHING PARTNERS YEAR 9 READING CHALLENGE

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want to reflect here on some of the key achievements of James’ tenure, whilst also remembering a few less key but nonetheless important contributions. James arrived in 2006, and the school was a very different place. There were under 500 pupils on roll in the Senior School, and the Prep School had only recently been established. Martineau’s House was in the Near and Far Old Block (History, RS and CCF in modern parlance) and Martineau’s boarders had for a long time been looked after by one of the senior houses in the evenings and weekends. Co-education all the way through had come in only a few years before, but as was to be expected, there were hardly any girls at all, with one year group having only two. The financial picture of the school was more stable than a few years earlier and the uncertainty of a global recession in the 90s, but there was much to develop in terms of buildings and site. James arrived after a good five years from previous Headmaster Richard Harman, who had begun the critical process of injecting more self-belief, and James continued on this path with increasing momentum. In his opening speech to the Common Room, James told us the story of the two pupil successes of which he was most proud from his career to date. One was a pupil he supported in his A Levels and application into an Oxbridge college. The other was of a pupil who achieved some A Levels where others had believed it would not be possible. He ranked these alongside each other and wanted to reassure us that he had no intention of turning Aldenham into an academic hot house. Nevertheless, the prevailing attitude in the media and the area was still that league tables and examination performance were the only measures of a school, so James had to work hard to instil confidence into the Aldenham Community – that what we offer is valuable and high quality – in order that this message would then be communicated beyond the school gates. Slowly but surely, James went about making significant changes. These changes enabled Aldenham to improve, in the basic quality and professionalism of processes, in the fabric of the buildings and the site, in the attitude amongst all stakeholders (who enjoyed this positive trajectory), and changes which enabled the school to grow steadily. In 2006, just over 100 pupils applied to join Year 7. In 2022 – 420 pupils were competing for these places.

FEATURE

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PAUL DUNSTAN COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

JAMES FOWLER AN APPRECIATION

Whilst as educationalists we are used to change – and are often advocates for it – I know I speak for all when I say that the status quo of having James as our Headmaster was more than a comfort. It was a privilege. James has been extremely good for Aldenham, and as Aldenham is a living community, it is the case that James has been good for the pupils, the parents and the staff that make it up.

Here are some highlights in no particular order – but as was remarked upon by Head of History Ben Frais (who has looked into the History of the School) there are few other Headmasters in the last four centuries who have had as much impact in their time here:

? A brand-new theatre ? The division of Kennedy’s building into Martineau’s and Kennedy’s, enabling the junior boarders to have their own space, and the day pupils to have a more suitable facility. ? The ending of Saturday School, enabling the better recruitment of girls and a more attractive offering even to many boys – not to mention the impact on staff. ? The building of the Wells Centre ? The creation of the new coach park ? The creation of the brand new Vincent House – Prep School building. ? The readoption of the Woodrow building back into the senior school and the creation of Woodrow’s as a Junior Day House. ? Paull’s House switching from being a boys day house to a girls day and boarding House. ? Riding’s House switching from being a boys day House to a girls day House – both of these owing to the success of the coeducational programme. ? His use of his musical skills, singing to the school, playing the piano, and supporting part song performances year after year.

? House Music becoming probably THE major event in the School calendar. ? The cultivation of a more positive and proactive OA network. ? His ability to make all areas of the school feel valued – sport, music, art, drama, dance – so often in conflict in schools where the Head favours one area over another ? The institution of the trip to Malawi – such a significant thing for many staff and pupils. ? The transition of Aldenham into being a Foundation with the adoption of St Hilda’s school.

However, I think that what many if not most will remember James for is the way he conducted himself as Headmaster. We all appreciate his natural gravitas – something which cannot really be taught. We have always known that he could ably represent the school, but more than that, he could sell the school well and increase its capital – not something which all schools are able to say about their Heads. Beyond that, it is his personable nature which many will miss. James has managed to capture in all his 16 years a very delicate balance between being the boss and being a friend. This is hugely significant and has contributed to the lifeblood of the Aldenham we know. It is his sense of humour and fun but also his care, involvement, and interest in the lives of the pupils and staff which have marked out his time here. The pupils are pleased that he knows their names, and James has shown a genuine concern for those staff who have gone through difficult times with health or family challenges, and his support has been much appreciated. I cannot end this piece without also mentioning Charlotte, who has supported James and Aldenham throughout his time

here – attending function after function and coping with living on site surrounded by pupils and staff in a slightly surreal environment when not actually directly involved. Charlotte, we thank you for all that you have done, be it setting up the resident ladies’ book club, or welcoming people into your home regularly and graciously with all the associated disruption that such things entail. More than anything, we thank you for supporting James in his role – something he has really needed. And so we reach the end. I for one am pleased that James will still be working with me until the end of August 2022 as we open our first Aldenham internationally, and I am delighted that the Governors have stated that they want to keep James involved in supporting Aldenham in this capacity in the future. James, we are thankful for everything you have done for Aldenham over the last 16 years. The portrait now hanging in the dining hall is spectacular and captures you and your warmth exceptionally well. It is a great marker of your time here. We wish you and Charlotte a thoroughly well-deserved retirement.

? Leading the school through a pandemic and total lockdown with a switch to digital learning and managing the finances in a way that kept us afloat when other schools had to close. ? The expansion of Aldenham internationally, which, whilst still in its earliest days, could prove to be the most significant move of all – securing the financial prospects of the school well into the future and offering new and exciting opportunities to pupils and staff alike. This will truly take the Aldenham name to the global level. There are many more.

FEATURE

ABOVE Portrait of Mr Fowler, painted by Paul Brayson

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House Music: the  magic of a whole house singing together

fter years of restrictions, it was with great relief that we finally brought the House fully back together again! Beevor’s House felt alive, present and ready for the competitions and challenges that this year had to offer. Senior football was a success as always; we came first in the Lent term and second overall in the Boys shields. Romey Eccles-Meoded was once again a star performer. We also came second overall for Hockey with Otto WilkinsBucher being our standout performer. In Chess we came first, with Kane Exley bringing home the glory. Other notable highlights included our Middle team coming in second on Sports Day. It was refreshing to see House competitions at their best and I couldn’t be prouder of our students. It was not just in Sports that we performed well though. For two consecutive years now, Beevor’s House has won not only the Best Performance title for the Senior House Drama Competition, but also Best Actor. This year’s piece centred around the impact of war on three different soldiers from three different generations; PTSD, the complexities of love and also the fear of returning home with no purpose, were effectively explored by the strong group of 12 young people who represented our house. Jayden Prempeh brought home the glory as Best Performer with his outstanding stage presence and character portrayal. It was joyous to see our students so excited, humble and ready to continue this winning streak in the years to come. House Music in October of 2021 was

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Romey EcclesMeoded, Year 13, (here pictured at Sports Day) a star performer in Senior Football

another highlight for us all. Whilst not a winning selection, the song I Can Go The Distance made famous by Micheal Bolton in Hercules, really epitomised what we focus on as a House: taking part and not giving up until we achieve our best. It is this ethos that meant we fared well in the Business Challenge and the Public Speaking Competition. Oscar Turner wrote an outstanding speech with Max Toye delivering it to a packed chapel. Our Business Challenge was similarly as impressive with notable mentions being the video and concept. The hardworking and collaborative nature of our young people has really been elevated in the last few years and has meant that we have gone from strength to strength. It was similarly wonderful this year to be able to welcome parents back into the Beevor’s family fold. Fish and Chips Quiz night was back, as too were our parents’ reception and the Summer BBQ. The events brought such vibrancy back to the school site and reminded us all as to why we love working and sending our young people here. Seeing so many faces – familiar and new – was wonderful for both staff and students. Equally as beautiful was how much the Beevor’s boys rallied together during Charity Week to raise money for the people of Ukraine; cakes were brought in, money making initiatives were hatched and a large number of our young people worked together over the week to sell everything they could to support the struggles of others. Eventually we raised a whopping £800; it really was a “proud parent” moment to see so many of our young people working together for the greater good.

I couldn’t have loved our House any more than I did that week! As usual, we also had to say a number of goodbyes. Our Year 13s who have left, were some of the most caring young people I have had the pleasure of getting to know. They genuinely cared for the house, the younger boys, and the direction we were going in. I will miss their assistance and the genuine warmth they brought to our group. We also said goodbye to Mrs Richards and Mr Wildsmith this year. Mrs Richards has been at Aldenham for 11 years and had an enormously positive impact on our House. She has invested much of her time this year helping students with their UCAS applications. Her passion and care to support the boys has always been her strength, and she will be missed. Mr Wildsmith has been the voice of reason within our House, supporting both his form and all the staff to become better versions of themselves. He genuinely listens to the opinions of others, which can sometimes be a rare trait to have in our busy routines. He too will be missed by all. Ultimately in a year where there was much so much catching up to do, I am sure we can all agree that Team Beevor’s went the distance and achieved everything we wanted and so much more!

BEEVOR’S I CAN GO THE DISTANCE

SAM PENNYCOOK HOUSEMASTER

HOUSES

Harry Bilgora-Kelly, Year 9, wowing the audience at House Music

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HOUSES

KENNEDY’S STRONGER THAN EVER

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ABOVE Kacper Wrobel and Richard Elliott in House Music TOP RIGHT Taylor Johnson, who set a new Intermediate Boys 100m Hurdles record at Sports Day BOTTOM RIGHT House Music: the entire house singing together

hen the last edition of the Aldenhamian was published two years ago, Covid had struck. My parting words were: ‘We are a House that shows resilience and sticks together during the good times and the bad. If the last year has taught us anything it is the importance of family. In Kennedy’s we are a family, and we will come through this stronger than ever’. This has indeed proved to be the case and I am so thankful to all the boys and our staff for making this the special community that it is. I have been supported by a fantastic group of boys, terrific tutors, and an amazing House Team, led by Mrs Sumner. With such help and support, how could we not get it right?! We talk a lot in Kennedy’s about the need to work hard, develop resilience and show House spirit; the boys have demonstrated all three in abundance this year. There has been so much success, with notable victories in the House Public Speaking Competition, and in the Business Challenge, where our boys were intelligent, eloquent, and articulate. There were also some great sporting victories to be proud of, such

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as Junior House Hockey, Senior House Tennis and House Golf amongst others. Finishing second in the Brewers’ Bowl and second in the Sports Shield capped off a wonderful year for Kennedy’s, and I was immensely proud of our boys. What pleased me most though, was the atmosphere in House. There is great spirit and togetherness amongst the boys. They set ambitious standards for themselves and look out for each other – I can ask little more than what they have already shown me this year. This was on full display at our House Supper, where the boys were impeccable in their etiquette and behaviour. The House Supper was made extra special as we invited the esteemed magician Richard Pinner to perform. I thank all the tutors and our House Team for their dedicated work – the boys are incredibly lucky to have you. We are also lucky to have a superb group of Year 13 boys in the school, led by our House Captain Jacob Seimon. We held a great send-off for them at the Roundbush Pub and then the following day at the Leavers Ball. They will be missed. Kennedy’s will no doubt continue to flourish, and I wish all those connected to the House – students, staff, and parents – nothing but the best.

HOUSEMASTER

TUTORS

RESIDENT TUTORS

Mr JR Kerslake

Mr I Webber Mr Beling Mr Tanner Mrs Abdul-Karim Mr Riley Mrs Frost Mr Hurst

Mr Beling Mrs Faulks Matron: Mrs Sumner

ASSISTANT HOUSEMISTRESS Mrs Faulks

HOUSE CAPTAIN Jacob Seimon

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ith COVID having affected the previous two school years it was back to normality with all the usual competitions in place, and of course the Brewers’ Bowl and Sports Shield  to compete for. It seems an awfully long time ago now, but we shouldn’t forget that July 2019 saw Leeman’s win both cups and we waited until now for a proper chance to defend them. Success during Covid didn’t feel quite the same with so many major events missing. The House Captains Harry Higgins and Christon John-Ahye were determined to lead Leeman’s to victory. As usual the first 6 weeks of term were dominated by House Music. A Blur vs Oasis medley took us back to the 90s for the Unison, and after a wonderful performance, the luck that can be House Music did not go in our favour. We finished 2nd behind Riding’s. However, that was just part of an incredible night for Leeman’s, which

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saw us finish in the top two houses in every event. The Part Song group, supported by a number of Year 13s singing for the first time, produced a brilliant performance to take victory. James Gray came 2nd (again) in the Solo whilst the ensemble group, playing the music from Rocky Rocky,, also finished 2nd. The rest of term saw the return of House Football with two Leeman’s wins at Years 9-10 (Junior) and 11-13 (Senior). Wins in the House leagues in Junior Badminton, Chess and Senior Squash secured our place at the top of the Sports Shield at Christmas. The Brewers’ Bowl was a close fought affair with Kennedy’s and Riding’s close behind at Christmas. The dreaded Covid wave saw us postpone the House Dinner until Easter. The House Business Challenge and Maths Challenge saw 3rd place finishes, whilst Drama and Public Speaking saw 4th place finishes; these results kept us moving forward in the Bowl whilst a win in Senior Hockey continued our dominance of the Sports Shield. GRANT CORNOCK HOUSEMASTER

HOUSES

LEEMAN’S AN INCREDIBLE YEAR!

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Easter saw our annual House Dinner return for the first time since 2019. The boys had a great night and were thoroughly entertained by the excellent magician and the witty speeches given by students from each year group. With the Sports Shield seemingly in the bag after wins in the Junior and Senior Cricket cups, all the attention was on the Brewers’ Bowl. “The Bowl” pitches all six houses against each other and has more of an academic focus. Leeman’s had won the Golds prize at Christmas and Easter; and again, they finished as the best boys house in terms of effort for both terms. We’ve had a run of 7 years without another boys house beating us overall. The Leeman’s boys really care about the importance of their effort for academic achievement, which is great to see. Consistent finishes in nearly all events added to points total, and a 1st place finish in Junior Cross Country and 2nd place in the Seniors gained us big points. The Sports Shield was wrapped up with wins in the Middle (Year 9) and Senior (Years 12-13) Sports Day competitions and a second place in the senior Tug-of-War. With Kennedy’s close behind it went right down to the wire in The Brewers’ Bowl. However, with a 16-point victory it was Leeman’s that won the double again. There was more good news when Year 12 student Rahil Patel was named School Head Boy for the next academic year too. The house competitions provide the opportunity for every Leeman’s student to take part and they should all feel proud of their achievements this year.

TOP LEFT James Gray at the piano LEFT The coveted Brewers’ Bowl BOTTOM LEFT House Music: Part Song victory

TOP RIGHT House Music (L to R): Louis Thresher, Christon John Ahye and Jack Poirazi BELOW Team Leemans at Sports Day (L to R): Nicholas Kamara, Christon John Ahye, Tom Barrett, Max Bustamante and Mr Cornock

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MARTINEAU’S PARTICIPATION, ACHIEVEMENT AND FUN LOUISE GALL HOUSEMISTRESS

hen the Woodrow’s building was ready to accommodate their pupils and staff, we regained the Martineau’s building for ourselves. The pupils still mixed freely at break and lunchtimes and in fact they have all gained extra play areas and spaces to socialise. We started the year with our Year 7 trip to GoApe in north London. Pupils enjoyed the various high rope challenges, and the zip wire was particularly popular. By the end of the day the pupils got to know each other more and the staff got to know the pupils more, so it was a valuable day all round. The House competitions continued to be a close battle throughout the year. Everyone represented their House in at least one event, so well done to all, and congratulations to Griffin

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who were the overall winners. The Girls had a separate competition and participated in some very close House matches and events this year. The Martineau’s Girls came out on top in the first Martineau’s v Woodrow’s competition. Well done girls, and well done Captain Lucia Fazzini-Jones! We had a lovely Christmas Tea with great entertainment from each House. House ties were awarded and the pupils took the opportunity to give thanks to House staff and the catering team. Cross Country was run in very good conditions this year. Joe Copplestone won the Junior boys individual event and Poppy Goodkind (Woodrow’s) won the girls event. The overall House Boys group winners were Swayne (Martineau’s) and Martineau’s won the girls event. Well done to all who took part.

The Dance Show included a large number of the Martineau’s girls. Dance styles included everything from Street and Tap to Contemporary. There was a very high standard of performance, and it was great to see the Martineau’s pupils performing some great dances including Revolting Children, Marvellous Party, Uh Oh! and Nicest Kids in Town. The pupils worked very hard, and although many of them faced nerves on the night, they all enjoyed the performance and being part of the show. Music is always a big part of school life for our students. Many have individual music lessons and many sing in the choir. Martineau’s sang: You’re Welcome extremely well in the whole school House Music event. The Christmas Carol Service at St Albans Abbey was a lovely event, capturing the excitement and wonder of

HOUSEMISTRESS

TUTORS

GRAS

Mrs LM Gall

Miss Meister Mr Breeze Mr Hoskins Miss Brooks Miss Birchall-Sampson Miss Lang Miss Copsey Mr Harrison Miss Silver

Mr Cuttle and Mr Travis

ASSISTANT Mr SG Dawe

MATRON Carmen Castro

Danye Abbey

HEAD GIRL Iris Shand

this year; it was a keenly fought, good-spirited competition. The overall House team winners were Elliott (Martineau’s) with the Victor Ludorum going to Lewi Richards (Woodrow’s). The girls’ House winners were Martineau’s with the Victrix Ludorum going to Kimora Mariappa (Woodrow’s). Well done to all who took part! The Martineau’s play was this year was Noughts & Crosses, and it formed part of activities-based iWeek. The whole cast performed very well, and it was such a pleasure to see so many Martineau’s pupils involved, learning so many lines and playing their part. During the year Ms Copsey went on maternity leave and welcomed the arrival of Leon in February. At the end of the year Miss Meister moves on to take up the Resident tutor role in Paull’s and Mr Harrison moves on to work in McGill’s House. Both Miss Lang and

MIDDLE Danye Abbey LEFT Noughts and Crosses, the Martineau’s play

Miss Silver are due to get married over the summer break, so we wish them all the best for their Weddings. We say goodbye and thank you to Mr Cuttle and Mr Travers who finished their GRA year with us and we wish them every success in their future ventures. Thank you also to Mr Dawe, and all the tutors for their continued hard work in Martineau’s. Thank you to Iris Shand, Danye Abbey and all the House Captains. Laila Nour will be Head Girl next year and Rafi Steiner-Cudner will be Head Boy. We wish them success in their new roles. Lastly our good wishes go to Year 8 moving up into Year 9 and their new Houses.

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the season. The Spring Concert in the chapel at the end of the Lent term included a large contingent of Martineau’s pupils. The Beck Music Competition also involved a number of Martineau’s pupils. Congratulations to Danye Abbey who won the Classica/Jazz Junior Section. We also had a Musicals Concert in February and “Aldfest” in June which were both amazing and well-attended events. At the end of each year, we have to say goodbye to Year 8 pupils, but before they left this year, they had an action-packed day at Thorpe Lakes, a water sports centre, and Thorpe Park. Great fun was had on the knee boards, Ringo rides and Inflatables as well as the more traditional rides at Thorpe Park. The weather was very good and all the pupils had much fun. Sports Day took place at Woodside stadium

HEAD BOY

ABOVE Iris Shand, centre stage in the junior production of Gargantua

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t was great to welcome the new Year 9s with our annual induction trip to Stubber’s Activity Centre. The new McGillians had, as usual, a wonderful day of learning new skills and team building; they also had a chance to bond with our new House Captain Noah Booth. McGill’s were fortunate enough to also have the School Head Boy, Toby Brown, among our ranks and he was part of the Sixth Form team who helped teach and mentor the new young McGillians. Mr Buckland, Assistant Housemaster, and Mr Stewart, Resident Tutor, also came along on the trip. I would like to thank both for their huge contributions to McGill’s throughout the year. They have ably supported me and the McGillians, and their good-humoured approach helps McGill’s continue to be the happy place that we enjoy! ‘Fortress McGill’s’ has traditionally performed well at House Music, and this year was no

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exception. We were placed in every competition, which shows true determination and dedication to being the best that we can be. Joe Phantis in the solo was superb (3rd place), our Part Song group were placed second, while the Ensemble in true style won that competition. We played Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and The McGill’s Vortex was in fine sound. I like to have a large group of musicians playing in our House Band, and they were brilliant on the night. The Unison You will be Found was outstanding, and with competition growing stronger every year, our third-place finish was a real delight. House Music is such a great competition; it really binds the house together. The fact that every boy in the House learns the words, practises hard, and performs is a real testament to the dedication that every McGillian shows to their House. One of our strengths during this year was in the Academic Cups. Our Business Challenge, on the topic ‘Changing Workspaces and the Challenges post-Covid’ was outstanding. We placed second. Thanks to Jed Davis and

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MIKE YEABSLEY HOUSEMASTER

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Max Hart for helping with the video shoot for this. The McGill’s Wizards competing in the Maths Challenge went one better, leading the Competition and taking first place. Thanks to every team member, but a particular thanks to Head Wizard Kevin Cheng who led the team in his final year at the school. In Public Speaking a robust performance from Dylan Bakshi and Tom Cushion meant that we secured second place behind a strong Kennedy’s outfit! Surprisingly, we only managed third place in House leagues this year. However, the House Chess team bodes well for the future with three Year 9 boys competing against the Sixth Formers of other houses. Look out for Mirxan Dogan, Zain Khan and Ayaan Asif next season! The Sports Cup was keenly contested across the Year but without doubt the highlights were the Senior and Junior Tug of War. The Junior battle was never really in doubt; our team obliterated all houses in some style! However, the Senior competition was much more tightly contested. McGill’s,

MCGILL’S LONG LIVE MCGILL’S!

ABOVE House Music

being small, were certainly the underdogs, but with a display of strength, determination and outstanding teamwork, the McGill’s team won the competition quite superbly. It was a pleasure to watch the joy on the face of every boy in McGill’s as they supported the team, and it really summed up the unity that we had nurtured throughout the year. I want to thank the tutor team for their dedication and commitment to McGill’s House and their tutees. In Year 9 Mrs Pandya and Mr Chandler helped set the tone for the Year. Mr Stewart ran Year 10 with great skill, whilst Mr Sarson ran Year 11 with strong guiding hand. The Sixth Form was led by Mr Frais, Mr Reaney and Mr Shead. Thanks to them our Year 13s performed extremely well with their A Level results. We have a talented team in McGill’s but sadly this year has seen us lose Mr Frais (to Paull’) and Mr Reaney (Retired). Mr Buckland returns to the ranks after four years of great service as Assistant to the Housemaster and I wish Mr Stewart good luck as he takes on this

prestigious role. I also thank my wife Clare and seven children, who allow me to spend more time in McGill’s than I do at home! I could not do this job without your love and support so thank you! Despite such a successful year in many ways, our effort grades have dropped, and our gold collection has dipped. It is vital that next year all the boys address this concern; If we maintain our point collection in both sport and academic endeavour, we could well return to the top of the Houses next year! The McGill’s motto of always looking forward, never standing still, and endlessly searching for new adventures, is epitomised by the quantity and breadth of activities that the students take part in across the year. At the Christmas Supper I read out a list of what activities we have taken part in over the year and the list extends to over two pages of A4. It is incredible, and for those boys who put in the necessary effort their attainment and fun at school are boundless!

A big Thank You and congratulations must go to Henry Abbey on winning the Shelton Cup for his outstanding contribution to McGill’s over the year. This year saw the creation of a new tradition: Friday Celebration Call. Each Friday at 2.00pm call we now sing the School Song; McGill’s proudly recognises its place as part of the Aldenham School Foundation, which has been going strong for over 400 years. We also nominate a McGillian of the Week, and the nominee spins ‘The Wheel of Fun’ to determine what prize he will win. Prizes range from the famous Yellow-Bellied Snake, through to a pair of House socks or even a tuck shop voucher, but the most valued prize of all is the MIY handshake. Occasionally the handshake is given out to rapturous applause and our McGillian of the Week is applauded out of the famous old Assembly Room. This is great fun and something that the boys really enjoy – long may it last and long live McGill’s!

McGill’s Senior Tug of War team on their way to victory on Visitation Day

Miles Ohene, Year 9, Middle Boys Victor Ludorum, leading the field at Sports Day

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Jared Syed Year 13, Ensemble Captain, lifts the Ensemble trophy at House Music

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t has been a wonderfully fulfilling year for Paull’s House. The year began with Paull’s firing on all cylinders after a year of lockdowns and ‘bubbling’ of year groups. It was wonderful to welcome back a full house and to see overseas boarders return. We also welcomed Mrs Tekin as our new Assistant Housemistress. Many new girls started to flexi-board and House events started in earnest. The new Year 9 girls had an induction trip to Stubbers Adventure Centre and forged new friendships; they tried sports such as Paddleboarding and it was fun to get to know the girls as we ran about playing Laser-Tag! There followed a delicious BBQ with new parents and staff in the Paull’s Garden. The first House Competition of the Autumn term is always House Music and Paull’s offered a strong entry based on the trending musical Everyone’s Talking about Jamie conducted by our House Captain, Ellie Poulter. The girls sang beautifully, and the Part-song, Solos and Ensemble performances played to our strengths. As it turned out, the girls showed true house spirit in defeat. Never mind girls, 2022 will be our year! Riding’s and Paull’s have a close bond as sister houses and the girls enjoyed a trip to see Mamma Mia! in the West End that was great fun. We then held a joint Christmas Concert full of music and dramatic performances with lots of parents, staff, and girls in attendance. This was a very festive affair by candlelight with both houses fully represented and the evening was rounded off by Mr Fowler taking control of a rousing and memorable performance of the Twelve Days of Christmas. The term was not only full of academic and sporting success in Hockey against other schools, but Paull’s girls were also represented across the school as School Praes and in various committees, ensuring that the girls’ voices were heard. The Christmas term ended on a high as we all enjoyed the sense of house spirit returning after a fractured Covidstruck two years. The Spring term saw Year 13 and Year 11 perform well in mock examinations, and effort scores soared across the year groups. Many new House trips took place to Escape Rooms, Pottery workshops and Pizza/ Pancake/ BBQ nights as the boarders and Day girls enjoyed developing their friendships. Paull’s gave a whole school Assembly at the start of International Women’s Month and this year the theme was Break the Bias; girls went to form rooms and asked all students and staff to discuss bias in society that women experience. Paull’s girls took part in House Drama, achieving fantastic success, and many girls took part in the School Dance Show and School plays. In House Cross Country we saw outstanding performances from Alex Fraser, and from Year 9 Alexandra Yeabsley, with the whole House putting in a wonderful effort, taking part and running for Paull’s. Cake sales helped to raise awareness for GOSH, a charity dear to our hearts, and later in the year we held

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REBECCA CASSELL HOUSEMISTRESS

PAULL’S BACK TO A FULL HOUSE!

a raffle for Chiltern MS Centre, raising muchneeded funds at our Spring Concert. An Easter egg hunt in the gardens around the House rounded off the last day perfectly. The summer term was a scorcher, and it included the welcome return of the Girls’ Spring Concert, with many outstanding performances which were later repeated at Aldfest. Paull’s girls proved their strength and won Tug of War for Juniors and Seniors in a show of great unity and House strength at Visitation Day! OAs returned for the events and helped to motivate and

TOP LEFT House Music: instrumental soloist Hannah Cushion, Year 10

cheer on the girls alongside staff and parents. New records were created, and Sports Day proved that Paull’s girls have some talented athletes both on and off the track. In August, Year 11 and Year 13 moved on to new adventures. We wish them well after a summer of success in their examinations, as many head off to university or return for the Sixth Form. I would like to give special thanks to the parents and girls for their support this year and share my gratitude to the hardworking staff for their House loyalty.

LEFT Music (L to R): Sophia Kay, Jess Binstock, Mia Jenner and Lillie Henchley

TOP RIGHT Group huddle: Paull’s girls before winning the Tug of War

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ABOVE LEFT Paull’s kitchen: in a home from home for the girls

ABOVE A Paull’s picnic on the grass (L to R): Abigail Hammond, Ellie Poulter, Stephanie Bryer, Freya Jones and Eleanor McNeill

And finally, Paull’s House would like to thank Mr Fowler for all of his support over the years that he was Headmaster of Aldenham School. He has always been a champion of Girls’ education and fully supported our House; we wish him much happiness with his wife Charlotte in his retirement and look forward to welcoming him back to Paull’s soon so that we can award him his Honorary tie!

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Jess Walters prepares to wow the audience with her singing at House Music

LOWRI JONES HOUSEMISTRESS

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RIDING’S WELL DONE US! 20

nother school year and another great year to be part of Riding’s! September always brings a buzz of excitement, nervousness and anticipation as school life takes over. This year it was great to welcome a large group of Year 9 girls who slotted into the House as if they had always been here! They instantly settled in, and the House was again full of laughter and energy after the long summer holiday. An afternoon at crazy golf, followed by pizza and meeting all the new parents was a great start to the term. It was also great to take the Year 11 girls to Top Golf and the Year 13 students Go Karting before the intensity of GCSE and A Levels. As ever, House Music dominated the first half of the Christmas term and once again, Riding’s worked tirelessly to create a performance to be proud of! Jess Walters was instrumental in our success, teaching, refining and encouraging the students throughout. The hard work paid off and Riding’s were victorious. Mrs Southgate finally got the Mamma Mia unison she’d been campaigning for, and the joyous, upbeat medley was the outright winner. The Riding’s success continued as we placed second in Part Song and Jess Walters’ outstanding solo left the audience spellbound! There was barely a dry eye in the house and the entire audience were on their feet. Well done to the Ensemble who worked hard to produce an excellent piece; unfortunately, on the night, things did not go as planned, but the students enjoyed it and worked well as a team. The annual theatre trip this year was to Mamma Mia. This was a great opportunity for the Paull’s and Riding’s students to enjoy a wonderful night of silliness, drama and theatrical delights! We all had so much fun; a special thank you must go to to Ana for making a bag of treats for everyone! The Girls’ concert at Christmas was a lovely event and a wonderful opportunity to welcome parents back into school after such a long time away. The varied set of performances was beautiful and really showcased how talented many of our students are. As a bonus, we also made £360 for our house charity, ‘We Can’t Wait’. The Summer concert was another highlight and a lovely way to bid farewell to our Year 13s. Business Challenge this year took a new format with a

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LEFT House Music – All of Riding’s singing together BELOW LEFT Scarlett Kagalwala, Year 10, Intermediate Girls Victrix Ludorum at Sports Day

cricket, tennis, Tug of War, Cross Country and the final event of the year, Sports Day. We got off to a winning start with the Seniors and Year 10 teams winning the hockey with the Year 9 girls narrowly losing. All three games were really exciting and the players worked well as a team. Juniors won Cricket and Tennis Juniors and Seniors lost both, but Rounders was won by both. Cross Country was a fantastic event with every single Riding’s student taking part. The seniors came in third and special mention must go to Maya, Lily and Scarlett who performed particularly well across the year groups. Unfortunately, we were no match for Paull’s in Tug of War but the girls enjoyed the novelty of the competition. Sports Day was a roaring success as we won both age groups convincingly; we had an almost exclusive clean sweep of events! What a wonderfully talented group of students! As always, we must bid farewell to Year 11 and Year 13. The Year 13 girls hold a particularly special place in my heart as they were the original Year 9 group, meaning they did the full five years. These students have set the standard for the ethos and happy runnng of the House. I am immensely proud of these young adults and wish them all the best as they move on. Of course, I must say a huge thank you to the House leaders. I’ve known Lily Zentner for seven years and she was a natural House Captain. She has a kind way of encouraging the younger students and was a great role model. Clem McQuoid was an excellent sports captain who kept me organised all year. Her motivation and desire to get the best out of people were endless and her leadership has most certainly shaped the younger girls. I knew Jess Walters for less than two years but wow what an impact! Jess is one of the most talented girls I’ve taught,

and it was a privilege to call her a Riding’s girl. Her audition for solo left the girls spellbound and certainly inspired the students to be the best version of themselves. Thank you to the three of you – you will certainly be missed! Riding’s continue to be supported by a wonderful pastoral team. The tutors, Mrs Southgate and Mrs Wilkinson have the students’ wellbeing at the forefront of everything they do and care enormously about the success of each individual. Quite simply, Riding’s would not be Riding’s without the staff so thank you for all you do to help me and the girls every day. Sadly, this year we bid farewell to Dr Mepham and Dr Paterson, though I do hope they look back on their time in Riding’s fondly and know how much I value their hard work over the last few years. Houses compete in all manner of events here at Aldenham but the two that every single pupil contributes to every single day is their effort in class and the number of golds attained each year. Riding’s have held the Effort Cup for many years but this year we slipped down the podium. This is such an important house competition as it directly links to academic success – Riding’s work hard and obtain good grades as a result. Well done to Year 10 and 13 for having unbeaten effort for multiple years now! A massive well done to all the students for retaining the Girls’ Sport Shield. Everyone contributed in one way or another and this underlines the importance of not just the big events throughout the year, but the smaller, quieter actions of every single student. The Brewers’ Bowl eluded us this year but we’ll be back to challenge next year... remember, with blue and black running through your veins, anything is possible!

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video entry on ‘How workspace has changed’. The girls worked hard on this and had some exciting ideas. This is the first opportunity for younger students to represent the house, and I’m very grateful to Sanya and Izzy for mentoring Lucy, Hadassah, Layla, Dilara, Maria and Ore. Riding’s runs on the generosity of time and the patience of students learning new crafts, and developing their management and leadership skills. These skills are vital as they leave school and those willing to give their time now will benefit as they get older. House Drama, like Ensemble, didn’t quite go to plan! But we brush ourselves off and try again! An enormous amount of work went into the production, and it was brilliantly directed by Jess Walters. There was disappointment and there were tears, but it was an important lesson as not everything always runs smoothly and sometimes, just sometimes, we must let others win! House Public Speaking was an opportunity for Lorenza Bertacchi and Jess Walters to retain their trophy. They worked tirelessly to produce an outstanding speech and learn their script. Jess spoke with the necessary eloquence and confidence that you’d expect and Lorenza answered tough questions with accuracy and intelligence. This year we narrowly missed out and came a very admirable second. House Maths challenge was a tough competition made even harder by our main mathematicians being unavailable, but once again the girls stepped up and tried their best. These competitions are the ones that build house spirit and show others that effort and working as a team – not necessarily the result – are what count. House sport takes place throughout the year in a variety of formats. Hockey, netball, rounders,

ABOVE Ruby Hutton (Left) and Ruth Babajide at the Year 9 Beer Money ceremony, May 2022

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ur second year as a House and we finally had a building to call home! This year was full of memorable ‘first’ moments as we left the restrictions of Covid behind and were finally able to enjoy things as a House. Ms Grange and I were delighted to welcome the pupils into the newly refurbished Woodrow’s building in September, an amazing space for the Junior pupils to enjoy and in which to develop. The year started with a fantastic induction trip to GoApe where the new Year 7s took to the skies and got to know each other, and their tutors. Soon after came the House Drama competition, with Foster awarded 2nd Best Play, Best Director, and Best Performer for Nathan Welply. December was a busy month, with House Football and House Hockey competitions up for grabs. The final of the A team football match saw all the Junior pupils crowded around the

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pitch for a tense penalty shootout between Collier and Neale. We all stood in anticipation for what felt like the longest penalty shootout in history before Collier finally took the title! December was also the time of the first Junior Production, a musical 90s take on Gargantua. Particular praise goes to Emily Armit and Isabelle Willis for their starring roles in this slightly absurd comedy about a gigantic baby. We also enjoyed our first House Dinner, with House ties awarded to pupils and staff (including the first House tie Mr Williams had ever been awarded) and a brilliant chance for every single pupil to perform or participate in some way. We were all surprised by the arrival of a dinosaur for one performance and were also treated to a guest appearance from the McGill’s Bell Battalion! The new year saw us enjoying more House Competitions, with Lewi Richards and Raghveer Malhotra winning the Year 8 Public Speaking Competition with their hilarious speech to

WOODROW’S SETTLING IN NICELY

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NIAMH BREWER HOUSEMISTRESS

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convince us that Bigfoot exists! More sport in March, and this time it was the return of the House Cross Country competition. I ran alongside the Junior pupils for this competition and was very much impressed by the attitude and determination each and every one of them displayed around the course. Well done to Poppy Goodkind who was the first girl back, and Dylan Roberts who was the first Woodrow’s boy back. Special thanks to Sophie Tollman and Amit Mehta for motivating me around the course too! Charity initiatives have been a running theme throughout the year, with Woodrow’s pupils organising and running a range of events to support different charities of personal importance to them. I was particularly delighted to see the amazing efforts of Beck tutor group this year in organising a Martineau’s vs. Woodrow’s charity football tournament, an excellent event that was entirely student-led. Musical performances have been a key feature of school life for Woodrow’s pupils this

TOP RIGHT Woodrow’s induction trip to GoApe RIGHT Foster start the year looking smart LOWER RIGHT Public Speaking finalists

BOTTOM RIGHT House Football Penalty Shootout winners Beck ready for House Football BELOW Woodrow’s success at the Beck Music Competition

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year, and we have enjoyed seeing them perform at the Musicals Concert, the Carol Service, the Beck Music Competition and at Aldfest. Emily Armit, Sariah Miah, Frankie Boggett, Isabelle Willis, Sebastian Oliveros, Arthur Sansom, Zac Gunasekera and Arjun Solanki have all taken centre stage as part of these performances, proving that the musical talent at Aldenham is definitely based in the Junior Houses. Into the Summer Term: House cricket took place in the beautiful sunshine and was a wining afternoon for the Woodrow’s girls and boys, with success for the As and Cs for the boys, and Bs and Cs for the girls. The final four weeks of term were the busiest for the Woodrow’s pupils, with iWeek this year focusing on BAME. We were all impressed by the thought-provoking production of Noughts and Crosses, and were delighted to see Simi Sonaike in the starring role as Sephy Hadley. Year 8 also enjoyed a trip to Thorpe Park and Thorpe Lakes, particularly the chance to push staff off the inflatables! As a fitting end to the year, we enjoyed a wonderful day at Sports Day, with Lewi Richards winning the Victor Ludorum and Kimora Mariappa winning the Victrix Ludorum. As we move onto a new year, I want to say a huge thank you to all those who have been the first ever pupils to go through Woodrow’s House – I couldn’t have asked for a better group to launch Woodrow’s as a force to be reckoned with in the school. I know that the Year 8 pupils leaving us will have a fantastic time in their Senior Houses, where they will continue to go from strength to strength. Thanks in particular to Isabelle Willis and Lewi Richards who have been outstanding House Captains, leading the team with determination and compassion. A final thanks must go to the Woodrow’s staff who have gone over and above this year to support their tutees: Miss Cooke, Mr Harte, Miss Ferry, Ms George, Madame Picquart, Mr Goss, Mrs Sherman, Miss McCrae and Mr Stephenson. I am sad to have to say goodbye to Ms Grange who has been an outstanding Assistant and has designed such an amazing building for the pupils to use. We also say farewell to Mr Cuttle and Mr Travers who have been inspiring GRAs, and we wish them well in the future.

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Gargantua, the big, brash, Gargantua, and bonkers production, featuring Years 7 and 8

MR E D AVDJIAN DIRECTOR OF DRAMA

Gargantua: Emily Armit and Charlie Newman

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Gargantua: Danye Abbey (left) and Yuvraj Tulsiani

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YEAR 7 AND 8 PRODUCTION

GARGANTUA

E FUN NEVER STOPS! ur Theatre triumphantly reopened this year with not one, nor two, but three amazing productions! Kicking off this season of shows, Years 7 and 8 performed the bizarre and bonkers production of Gargantua by Carl Grose. Set in the 1980s, the play opens when a giant baby is born to the ordinary Mungus family. When government hear of this miracle, they concoct a plan to kidnap the child and use his DNA to create the world’s strongest army. Nothing is as easy as it seems, though, and along the way many hilarious mishaps take place which eventually lead to an atomic bomb being dropped. It was as ambitious, ridiculous, and humorous as any play we have done, and students spoke of the pure enjoyment they had putting on such a farcical performance in November 2021. The use of a puppet, controlled by three of our students, to represent the giant baby was a first for Aldenham School and would often leave cast and crew laughing aloud. A particularly hilarious moment was the night before our first performance, when we walked into our green room only to find that someone had accidently dropped and broken our giant putter, leaving us scrambling late into the evening to reconstruct our baby Gargantua.

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SENIOR PRODUCTION

THE VISIT

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Flo O’Byrne (with Lia!)

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Following on from this production, the senior students immersed themselves into an equally hilarious tragicomedy called The Visit by Friedrich Durrenmatt. Reimagined in a Greek Village which has fallen to ruins, their most successful and now richest export Claire Zachanassian returns with the desire to repair and restore to village to its former glory, on one condition: in exchange for the sum of money the villagers desire, she asks for the life of the village’s most loved citizen, Anton Shill. Whilst the village is rightly horrified by this ghastly

request, as the play reaches its climax, we see each citizen concoct an absurd reason as to why Anton Shill deserves the death sentence. Money eventually rebuilds the village but destroys the community that had for so long kept the village alive. It was without doubt the most complex play to stage, and that was before the adventures of Covid resurfaced during the show’s opening week. In the week leading up to our show, the principal lead caught Covid, as did our live Bouzouki player and two other cast members. Comically, we

began swapping cast roles to fill the huge gaps in our performance. It was tremendous to see just how courageous, resilient, and willing our young people were to take on such huge challenges and get the play ready for show week. Even during show week when we lost another eight cast members to Covid, the show went on with a former A Level Drama student, my colleague Miss Brooks and myself taking on the roles that could not be filled by the remaining cast. We laughed, we cried but we never stopped! This is the Aldenham way.

Senior production of The Visit:: Full cast The Visit

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YEAR 7 AND 8 PRODUCTION

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NOUGHTS & CROSSES

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As summer approached and our year was coming to a close, the department put on one more fantastic and necessary show: Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman. Exploring the issues of racism, segregation and true love, Years 7 and 8 created an emotive, thrilling, and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Set in a dystopian future where white people were racially segregated and oppressed by black people, this Romeo and Juliet piece played out with maturity and deep understanding. The Banksy-inspired graffiti for the set design and the moveable cage on stage made for an even edgier performance piece. In collaboration with iWeek, this piece opened for our young people much needed conversations around racial profiling, racism and the shared history we must all learn about. Whilst this has been a super-packed year, our other events were also in full swing. Both

Junior and Senior House Drama took place in their usual spots. Griffin won the glory of Best Performance for the Juniors, with Nathan Welply taking the Best Actor accolade. The winning performance explored the dangers of technology in our modern world and questioned our ability to switch off when everything around us is permanently switched on. Beevor’s House won the main prize for a second year running, with Jayden Prempeh winning this year’s Best Actor award. Choosing to look at the impact of war on soldiers throughout the ages, this hugely engaging piece included a range of styles making a punchy and powerful piece of drama which the judge believed “showed the damage caused with such authenticity and beauty”. It felt so great that after many years, all restrictions were lifted, and creative freedom was once again allowed to flourish.

Our department’s focus on “exploring the issues that matter,” also continued once again. Year 10s created educational pieces considering topics such as poverty, sexual assault, domestic violence, and the refugee crisis. Audiences were left in tears and determined to make change. Year 12s successfully created a performance piece, inspired by the theatre company Complicité. It grappled with the topic of grief and observing what grief might look like in its different forms. It was mature, thought-provoking, saddening and humorous. It was a performance piece wise beyond its years; its impact will remain with those who watched for a long time to come. Aside from all the work though, Drama again had to say a few farewells this year. Saying goodbye to our Year 13 cohort, whilst always difficult, was particularly painful this year. This group of young people have been

Danye Abbey

Iris Shand

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trailblazers in their approach to Drama education. They have brought so much fun and laughter to the rehearsal room and the Theatre block which will truly be missed. It was fantastic to see all students achieve their potential this summer, with 50% of the cohort receiving an A* in their Drama A Levels. Another huge farewell this year was given to Miss Burn who moved to Berkhamsted School. As the longest serving member of our department, she was the queen of policy and creativity. Her passion and dedication in all aspects of work, and her love for working with young people, made her the perfect Drama teacher, and she will be sorely missed. Equally as talented, Miss Brooks has now joined us and has made such an impact already. Overall, this year placed Drama and Theatre firmly back in the limelight. The work made us laugh and equally cry; It reminded us why an all-round education is still the best form of education we can provide our young people.

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DANCE THE SHOW IS ON AGAIN

LM GALL DANCE DIRECTOR

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Fasina Bamigboye and Sanya Sehgal

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he last Dance Show was actually the last school event before we went into lockdown in March 2020. It was touch and go in the lead-up to the event whether the show would take place at all, as the pressure was building for all events to stop due to increasing concerns about Covid. In the end the show was performed to a restricted and socially distanced audience, which was very strange, as we are used to full houses for each performance. It was amazing that it happened at all. The last night was extremely emotional for everyone – performers and audience – as that afternoon the country had received the news that we would go into Lockdown the following Monday, and the school would be closed for an indefinite period of time. The show did go on, and it was as joyful and varied as ever, with solos, group dances, street and musical theatre, contemporary and tap. The Leavers’ dance was full of fun, and only just about happened; a few pupils pulled out last minute to travel home before Lockdown or had to go home unwell, so others were trying to learn the routine at the last minute. Well done Zoe Freedman and Jack Vera! 45 girls and boys put on a great show, had a wonderful experience, and marked a very poignant moment in both Aldenham’s and the Country’s history. Covid brought about several lastminute changes but the true spirit of Aldenham shone through, and we put on the best show we possibly could. For Milly Rees (Year 13) and as it turned out for Milly Gall (Year 12) it was their last Dance Show, having been a major part of every Dance Show since they were in Year 7. They performed a very moving duet together; each did a solo and performed in several group dances. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching them develop as dancers and they will be greatly missed. It is fantastic that Milly Rees went on to train in Dance at the London Studio Centre. There was no Dance Show in 2021 but this year we were able to put the show back on, which was wonderful! The Show was performed to packed audiences at the matinée and two evening performances. 46 dancers ranged from Year 7 to Year 13, with the usual range of Dance genres and the joy of being back dancing in front of an audience was clear for all to see. Well done to all! Particular mentions need to be made: Josh Conway-Brown, Lily Zentner and Clem McQuoid danced in every Dance Show since they were in Year 7. They each brought a different but equally wonderful ability, enthusiasm, and joy to the shows.

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White Flag

Lily Zentner

Emily Armit Solo

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Street Dance

Sanya Sehgal

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Josh Conway-Brown

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Geoff Berrisford

DANCE AWARDS 2022  Juniors/Years 7 and 8 Best performer: Emily Armit Most improved: Izzy Willis and Lucia Fazzini-Jones Inter/Year 9 and 10 Best performer: Tara Bottin and Eliza Cambei Most improved: Louisa Freedman and Roxie Baxter Senior/Year 11 12 and 13 Best performer: Geoff Berrisford and Sanya Sehgal Most improved: Mia Werter Tap Beginners Best performer: Frankie Boggett Most improved: Savannah Durling Intermediates Best performer: Ellie Poulter Most improved: Clem McQuiod Advanced Best performer: Lily Zentner Most improved: Ellie Morrow All That Jazz

Choreography: Josh Conway-Brown Special Achievement Awards: Fasina Bamigboye, Josh Conway-Brown, Millie Insua, Clem McQuiod, Ellie Poulter, Sanya Sehgal and Lily Zentner

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MUSIC A FULL PROGRAMME he year started with the return of House Music in its usual four sections: Part Song, Ensemble, Solo and Unison. The afternoon began with the Part Song, which this year was a three-part arrangement of The Beatles’ I saw her standing there. Some competent harmony singing from all the houses made it a hotly contested section, but Leeman’s House won with their power and energy, which impressed the adjudicator. Next, the Ensembles gave the instrumentalists a chance to shine, with a mixed bill of chamber and film music ranging from Riding’s House Jurassic Park Theme to a heavy rock medley from Kennedy’s House. McGill’s continued their form in ensemble by winning

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with a funky interpretation of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, led by the charismatic trombone playing of Jared Syed. The Solos followed with some breath-taking performances, notably James Gray’s Liebestraum No.3 by Liszt on the piano, and the winning She used to be mine from Waitress the musical, sung by Jess Walters; this received a standing ovation. Due to health concerns the Unisons were recorded earlier in the day and broadcast via streaming to parents and pupils in the evening, but this did not take away from the passion each house displayed. Leeman’s House challenged the audience to choose a side in the ‘Battle of Britpop’ with a medley of Blur and Oasis. Paull’s gave an emotional rollercoaster ride through a medley from Everybody’s talking about Jamie.

MATTHEW HALLAS DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

ABOVE Aldfest: a joyous festival of Aldenham musical talent ABOVE LEFT The Carol Service at St Albans Abbey

Kennedy’s delivered an upbeat medley of Avicii with the leadership of Jacob Seimon winning the Conductor’s Cup. McGill’s hit a heartfelt note with You will be found from Dear Evan Hansen, while Beevor’s inspired the audience with You can go the distance from Hercules, and Riding’s took the big prize with a joyous selection of Abba tunes. This year’s adjudicator was Miss Judith Bridges, Head of Music at Watford Girls’ School, who said, ‘The standard of performance was incredible, the joy on the faces of the musicians, the sense of ownership and belonging and the professionalism at all levels was remarkable.’ After a busy first half term there was no time to rest, as December brought the annual Carol Service at St Albans Cathedral. Many pupils

the Fugue for Tinhorns, and the beautifully sung duet from Wicked, For Good, performed by Issy Willis and George Stephenson. The second half of the term brought the return of the Beck Music Competition, which gave all individual musicians a chance to shine. A new format this year had separate sections for Classical/Jazz performers and Popular/Musical Theatre performers across the three age categories. Professional singer and composer (formerly of The Swingle Singers) Joanna Forbes-Lestrange was this year’s adjudicator. The standard was incredibly high across all year groups, making Joanna’s decisions exceedingly difficult. At the top end of the competition, the Popular/Musical Theatre category was won by Amber Yebovi singing

I dreamed a Dream, with the Beck Shield being awarded to Sam Vickers for an expressive performance of the Rondo from the Mozart Bassoon Concerto. The last week of term saw the first Spring Concert for three years and it was great to see the larger department ensembles in action. The Orchestra kicked off with a dramatic performance of the 4th movement from Dvorak’s New World Symphony and the Wind Band followed with the challenging Mandalorian Theme. The Chamber Choir sang the contemporary Ubi Caritas by Ola Gjeilo and the Senior Choir kept on the theme of musicals with a rambunctious Sit Down You’re Rockin’ the Boat from Guys and Dolls. Some light relief was provided by the Boys’ Choir

THE ARTS

were involved in our various ensembles, which included the Senior Choir, Junior Choir, Male Voice Choir and Brass Group. Highlights were the opening solo of Once in Royal David’s City sung by four Year 7 boys: Lucky Arumugam, Sebastian Oliveros, George Stephenson and Zac Gunasekera, a rousing a capella God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen by the Male Voice Choir, and a joyous Ding Dong Merrily on High to end the service. In the Lent term we held what will hopefully be the first of many ‘Musicals Concerts.’ Pupils from all years of the school sang a variety of solos, duets, trios and group numbers from stage and screen musicals. Highlights were Revolting Children in the Junior Choir, the comedic Year 12 boys arguing over horses in

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THE ARTS

Spring Concert: choir

36

singing The Moustache Song – with appropriate facial attire – and rock bands from all ages of the school performed to a delighted audience. At the end of the year the department was delighted to put on the second ever Aldfest in the marquee on top field. Rock and pop bands formed from all year groups brought an end to the musical year in spectacular fashion. Choreographed routines to a Britney Spears Medley and Abba from Emily Armitt, Emily Craven, Frankie Boggett, Issy Willis and Sariah Miah stood out, as well as stunning performances from Year 9 pupils Molly Hosier-Beeson, Zane Hart, Norien Sanomi and Harry Bilgora-Kelly. The show closed with Geoff Berrisford and Eliza Cambei duetting on Ain’t no mountain high enough, and being joined on stage by all performers. The music department looks forward to an even more packed programme next year.

House Music: whatever it takes to support your house...! 

BECK MUSIC COMPETITION – WINNERS JUNIOR CLASSICAL/ JAZZ

SENIOR CLASSICAL/ JAZZ

Danye Abbey Arthur Sansom Lucky Arumugam

James Gray Sam Vickers Katie Munn

JUNIOR POPULAR

SENIOR POPULAR

Issy Willis Emily Armit Sariah Miah

Amber Yebovi Evan Richards Geoff Berrisford

INTERMEDIATE CLASSICAL/JAZZ

BECK CUP Sam Vickers

Abi Kacki Nick Lleshi Ruth Babajide

INTERMEDIATE POPULAR Harry Bilgora-Kelly Zane Hart Saskia Kalms

House Music: it’s about giving expression to your talents

House Music: musical creativity in all its forms

THE ARTS 37

Skye Obiora – A Level

THE ARTS

ART ANOTHER BUSY YEAR!

KATIE NICHOLSON HEAD OF ART

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LEFT Skye Obiora – A Level

ABOVE Lola Luchford - GCSE

Ralph Ritchie – GCSE

Barney Donoghue – A Level

ART

A LEVEL AND GCSE EXHIBITION

Barney Donoghue – A Level

Barney Donoghue – A Level

THE ARTS

The A level and GCSE Art Exhibition 2022 showcased student work from the Y13 and Y11 class of 2022. It was well attended at both the Private View Evening and on Visitation Day by staff, students and parents. Thanks go to all the staff and students who worked hard putting the show up.

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ART

TATE GALLERY TRIPS A Level Art students travelled to London to visit the Tate Modern and Tate Britain. Students explored the collections, undertook research, sketched, and took photographs. They will use the contextual research to inform their coursework projects and develop their own art work.

THE ARTS

Aldenham students at The Tate Modern

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Exciting art installation at Tate Modern

ART

LIFE DRAWING Year 12 A Level Art students spent a day with a practising Artist and life model developing figurative drawing skills and learning about working from real life. They ‘worked big’ and with a variety of media including charcoal, chalk and graphite. Everyone had a brilliant time, and all made significant progress. These Art skills can be incorporated into their coursework projects.

Drawing from life develops an artist’s eye

ART

ZOOLAB EXPERIENCE Year 11 Art pupils, in support of their GCSE coursework, participated in an animal experience workshop with Zoolab, during which they had the opportunity to get up close to a variety of animals. During the workshop, pupils photographed, handled, and learned about the animals. We all had a great time and cannot wait to make some art inspired by the experience.

Reclining Figure

ART

HENRY MOORE TRIP THE ARTS

These students are going to create art from experience

Year 10 pupils had the opportunity to visit the Henry Moore Foundation in Perry Green. The sculpture garden features a selection of Moore’s monumental bronzes, including King and Queen, Large Figure in a Shelter and Family Group. During a guided tour pupils visited Henry Moore’s studios, and the Aisled Barn where the artist’s tapestries are displayed.

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Intermediate Second Place: Amelie Cockburn

Intermediate Third Place: Amber Yebovi

ART

LETCHMORE TRUST ART PRIZE The Letchmore Trust is a charity which has stewardship over works of art displayed at Aldenham School, with a fund to support the arts within the School. The Trust holds an annual Art competition, to encourage students to enjoy and explore all aspects of art. This competition has a different theme each year. The submissions are judged by members of the Committee, and prizes are awarded.

THE ARTS

2022 RESULT

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Intermediate Third Place: Amber Yebovi

SENIOR 1ST Skye Obiora – Year 13

SENIOR 2ND Cammren Mahendra Kumar – Year 13

INTERMEDIATE Gabriel Alalouff – Year 11

JUNIOR Phoenix Fertleman – Year 7

SENIOR 3RD Tony Zheng – Year 13

THE ARTS

Intermediate First Place: Gabriel Alalouff

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FEATURE 44

WHAT A LOT WE’VE LEARNED!

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING

arly in 2020, a few dozen teachers gathered on a foggy morning to hear Mr Hoskins extol the virtues of a strange online platform. His presentation certainly provoked an interesting discussion, but few of us expected we would be using this thing called Microsoft Teams any time soon. Who would have dreamt that, just a couple of months later, a global pandemic would make Teams the medium of delivery for every Aldenham lesson? Fast forward to September 2022 and every student will be equipped with a Surface device; in preparation for this leap forward, Aldenham’s teachers have worked hard to deepen their digital skills. For many teachers, the last couple of years have been characterised by a rapid rate of technological learning. But though technology provides exciting new ways to communicate, it does not replace the art and science of teaching. Whether online or in person, and regardless of the technology involved, great teachers continually reflect on and improve how they teach. Learning has always been central to teaching.

Research tells us that the best professional learning happens when new ideas are encountered in a social setting and then embedded in our daily work over an extended period. This is hard to achieve with the traditional model of teacher in-service training: the ‘all in the hall’ session on some aspect of teaching. That approach is too passive, too separate from the classroom, too easily forgotten. So last year, a dozen teachers volunteered to take part in our trial of ‘teacher triads,’ an approach to professional learning that involves reciprocal lesson observations and coachingstyle feedback. After many iterations and adaptations, we developed our own version which we have called Teaching Partners. Teaching Partners will launch to the Senior Common Room in September 2022.

ALDENHAM’S HOME-GROWN MECHANISM FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING LUKE HARDING ASSISTANT HEAD – LEARNING HEAD OF 6TH FORM

AN ALDENHAM TEACHING STYLE

Every teacher is paired with a colleague from a different department. At least once a term, we observe each other’s lessons and meet for a developmental discussion. Our initial focus is on the use of questioning. Expert teachers ask questions for many reasons. One of the most important reasons is to find out what students have or have not understood and to use that information in planning the next phase of teaching. There is a huge benefit to be gained from a colleague offering a second perspective on how questioning supports the learning in the classroom.

Our work in Teaching Partners integrates leading ideas from educational research. For the focus on questioning, we are using materials based on Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction. But Aldenham has never mandated a single teaching style or required the use of specified classroom techniques. We believe that students benefit from the passion of subject experts and our teachers’ diversity of approach. Teaching Partners aims to help every teacher develop without having to conform to an imaginary ideal. It will be exciting to launch something so particularly suited to Aldenham and which may form the basis of professional learning for years to come. We have seen how hard it is to predict the future but, whatever happens, we know it will have learning at its heart.

FEATURE

TEACHING PARTNERS

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n Thursday 30th June, Aldenham’s students and staff took the short trip to Woodside Athletics Stadium for the school’s annual Sports Day. With the end of term upon us, and a plethora of outstanding athletes on show, Sports Day made for a more than happy atmosphere. The house-based competition was, as usual, to be contested between the four senior boys’ houses and the two senior girls’ houses. The two junior houses Martineau’s and Woodrow’s were split into their 8 forms for the boys with the girls competing for Martineau’s or Woodrow’s. Major Individual prizes were also on offer, including medals for the winner of every event, the Hugh Kelly Memorial Cup, and a Victor or Victrix Ludorum for the outstanding athlete of the day in each age group. These combined with team prizes, such as the relay winners, and of course the coveted house awards, made for a special atmosphere on the day. The Junior girls category saw some great races and events with both houses winning some medals. Kimora Mariappa won the 100m, the 200m and anchored Woodrow’s to relay victory. For her efforts Kimora picked up the Victrix Ludorum. However, with a number of wins and strong finishes in the other event, Martineau’s won the event overall. Notable performances came from Emily Craven (800m and Discus), Lucia Fazzini-Jones (300m), Laila Byron-Nour (Long Jump), Towa Ogunseye (High Jump), Kiana Rabadia (Javelin) and Jamaica Ogilvie-Charleworth (Shot) who all won events for Martineau’s. The Junior boys event was won by Elliott, with wins for Ollie Eve-Raw (Triple Jump) and Marley Francis (Javelin) and a plethora of strong finishes from the other athletes. Lewi Richards was the individual standout performer with wins in the 100m, 200m and Long Jump and picked up the Victor Ludorum for his efforts. Another notable performance came from Sass Elias, who broke the Sports Day 800m record as a Year 7. The Intermediate girls event saw Riding’s win overall, as well as winning the relay. Scarlett Kagalwala picked up the Victrix Ludorum for her wins in the 800m and 1500m, whilst breaking the record for the 1500m. Another highly notable performance came from Tara Bottin, who won the 100m and High Jump. Norien Sanomi broke the Sports Day record with her victory in the Shot. The Middle boys event saw a standout athlete in Miles Ohene. Miles won the 100m, Long Jump and Triple Jump, while also breaking the 100m and Triple Jump records as he did so. Miles’ efforts were not quite good enough to beat Leeman’s to the team event, and they were also relay winners with Oliver Bustamante picking up his 3rd gold medal after wins in the Javelin and 800m. Hayden London also broke the Hurdles record, and joined Oliver in the relay team that broke the Sports Day record. The Intermediate boys event saw more impressive performances throughout the day with nearly every category being won by an outstanding athlete. Jack Swales picked up the Victor Ludorum for his wins in the 100m, 200m and Long Jump, which led Kennedy’s to a team victory. Ben Craven (K) won two individual events - 800m and 1500m. Taylor Johnson (K) broke the Hurdles record, while Shareef Okoya (Discus) and Irese Osaze (High Jump) rounded off a great day for Kennedy’s at this age group, winning 8 events. However, McGill’s did beat them to the relay gold!

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SPORTS DAY Lewis Lavin, Year 13 Kennedy’s, winner of Senior 800m and1500m

COMPETITION

RELAY WINNERS

VICTOR/VICTRIX LUDORUM

HOUSE WINNERS

Junior Girls

Woodrow

Kimora Mariappa

Martineau’s

Intermediate Girls

Riding’s

Scarlett Kagalwala

Riding’s

Senior Girls

Riding’s

Alina Cofie

Riding’s

Junior Boys

Collier

Lewi Richards

Elliott

Middle Boys

Leeman’s

Miles Ohene

Leeman’s

Intermediate Boys

McGill’s

Jack Swales

Kennedy’s

Senior Boys

Leeman’s

Tom Barrett

Leeman’s

The senior girls event saw Riding’s win 10 of the 12 events. Alina Cofie won the Victrix Ludorum for her four wins in the 100m, 200m, Long Jump (new record) and relay. Maya Delyfer also won four gold medals in the 800m, 1500m, Javelin and relay. The Senior boys event saw Leeman’s finish as overall victors after winning 8 of the events. Tom Barrett won the Victor Ludorum title and the Hugh Kelly Memorial Cup for his triumphs in the 200m, Hurdles, Long Jump and relay. Lewis Lavin won both the 800m and 1500m for Kennedy’s, whilst Max Bustamante won the High Jump and Triple Jump for Leeman’s. Overall, it was a very enjoyable day, supported in some way by every member of the senior school; it once again showed the fantastic spirit in which house events are contested by Aldenham students.

Tara Bottin, Year 10 Paull’s, winner of Intermediate girls 100m and High Jump

At Sports Day (L to R) Ellie Poulter, Year 13 Paull’s, Clem McQuoid, Year 13 Riding’s and Alina Cofie, Year 12 Riding’s. Alina won the title Senior Victrix Ludorum

9 SCHOOL SPORTS DAY RECORDS WERE BROKEN ON THE DAY: Haydan London Middle Boys 80m Hurdles: 11.88s

Norien Sanomi Intermediate Girls Shot: 8.28m

Miles Ohene Middle Boys 100m: 11.94s

Leeman’s Middle Boys Relay: 49.94s

Taylor Johnson Intermediate Boys 100m Hurdles: 17.31s

Miles Ohene Middle Boys Triple Jump: 12.11m

Scarlett Kagalwala Intermediate Girls 1500m: 5m.40s

Alina Cofie Senior Girls Long Jump: 5.07m

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Sass Elias Junior Boys 800m: 2m25.40

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HERTS COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIPS

Herts County Championships: Dijani Barnor

At an individual level we had a successful day at the Herts County Championships. 12 of the schools most talented athletes competed. Each athlete had reached a qualifying standard, and they were competing against the best athletes in the county. Seven of our athletes secured medals with Year 7 students Dijani Barnor (200m) and Sass Elias (800m) winning gold medals.  Dijani also finished 2nd in the High Jump, whilst Year 9 students Oliver Bustamante (Javelin) and Miles Ohene (Triple Jump), Year 11 Myles Lewis-Skelly (Shot), Year 12 Alina Cofie (Hurdles) and Year 13 Nicholas Kamara (100m) also won silver medals for their performances. Hayden London also ran a national qualifying time in his 80m Hurdles heat and went on to compete at the National Championships in July, where he ran a personal best. Haydan also competed in the South of England Indoor Championships at Lee Valey Hertfordshire, securing a silver medal in the 60m Hurdles event.

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ATHLETICS

48

GRANT CORNOCK

DISTRICT ATHLETICS

GOLD MEDALS

At the end of the school term, we entered the district athletics and fielded our largest ever squad, with girls competing in all four year groups for the first time. We had an incredible day, winning 14 gold medals, and the Year 9 boys won their overall competition. They became our first ever year group to win an age category at the event. The Year 7 boys and girls teams, and the Year 10 boys team, also finished second in their age groups. This saw us finish second in the boys overall event. The girls finished a very credible 7th overall (12th was our best before) and finally we finished 4th in the overall boys and girls combined.

Myla Christofis – Year 7 Shot DJ Barnor – Year 7 200m Sass Elias – Year 7 800m Norien Sanomi – Year 9 Shot Jensen Ross – Year 9 Long Jump Oliver Bustamante – Year 9 Javelin (also won Year 9 Boy Athlete of the Day) Miles Ohene – Year 9 100m Shareef Okoya – Year 10 Discus Shaun Shen – Year 10 Triple Jump Myles Lewis-Skelly – Year 10 Shot (also won Year 10 Boy Athlete of the Day) Jack Swales – Year 10 100m Haydan London

The start of the annual Cross Country event is always quite an occasion

HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY As has been the case for a number of years now, the weather was again ideal for the House Cross Country. There had been relatively little rain for some time so that the ground was dry for spectators and race officials without being excessively hard and difficult for the runners.

The races themselves were keenly contested in a good spirit with the following results. JUNIOR BOYS 1st – Martineau’s Swayne

JUNIOR GIRLS 1st – Martineau’s 2nd – Woodrow’s Individual winner – Poppy Goodkind (WO)

2nd – Woodrow’s Neale

MIDDLE

3rd – Martineau’s Elliott

1st – Leeman’s

4th – Woodrow’s Beck

2nd – Kennedy’s

5th – Woodrow’s Foster

3rd – Beevor’s

6th – Martineau’s Griffin

SENIOR

7th – Martineau’s Mason

1st – Beevor’s

8th – Woodrow’s Collier

2nd – Leeman’s

Individual Winner – Joseph Copplestone (MAS)

3rd – Riding’s SPORT 49

Tom Cushion (Year 12) Player of the Season

CRICKET

MR JA COLEMAN HEAD OF CRICKET

22 saw a return to normality for the cricket programme, with over 140 boys representing the school at cricket, playing in well over 100 fixtures. History was made in the First XI, as Steph Bryer (Player Number 964) became the first girl to represent the side. The First XI had a successful season, the highlight, undoubtedly, of which was beating the MCC. Aldenham prevailed by 1 wicket in a tense encounter, with Player of the Season Tom Cushion scoring 50. The U15, U14, U13 and U12 sides all had runs to the latter stages of the County Cups. After a good season the senior squads look forward to their UAE tour in September.

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50

Aldenham First XI, with (extreme right) Steph Bryer, its first female member

GIRLS’ CRICKET n the Summer term, the senior girls played equal amounts of rounders and cricket, including the annual adventure to Kimbolton, which culminated in a very competitive and enjoyable Saturday cricket fixture against Mill Hill School At the younger ages, the balance was more towards cricket, and the U15 team had some excellent victories, producing a 75% win ratio, whilst the U14 team were unbeaten. At Junior level there were some excellent and tight games against Haileybury, and the new Year 7 group finished unbeaten in the summer term. With the acquisition of new cricket nets, it is hoped that the transition to playing some hardball cricket will be possible next year. We were also delighted to host an inaugural junior cricket festival in the final weeks of term, and the excellent weather was matched by the positivity of the girls as they responded to all of the challenges they were given.

I

ANDREW STEPHENSON

Enjoying the summer Cricket Festival: Daya Gordon (left) and Sophia Mujan

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he First XI reached the Elgin Trophy final before losing on penalties to Brentwood, despite dominating the game. This was a very frustrating end to the school football careers of a number of boys who won the ISFA Cup at U15. The Second XI made it to the semi-final stages before losing to a strong City of London team. The U15s, who earlier had somehow managed to lose in the ISFA quarters to Eton, went on to lose 6-5 in their County Semi-final. Missing England international Myles Lewis-Skelly through injury was obviously not helpful. This team have had no luck since COVID denied them an ISFA and County Final at U13, and they had no football at all at U14. Their last opportunity to win some silverware will come next year. The U14s had an outstanding season; they won all but one of their 23 matches, with their only defeat coming in the ESFA Elite School semi-final. Leading 2-1 with less than 10 minutes to go the referee gave a soft penalty to the other team, and they went out in extra time. Despite this the team went on to reach the Elgin final, which they won, defeating Hampton 3-0. They also

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won their county final 4-0 against Longdean. The U13s had a successful season, but they came up against strong opposition in all their cups, and unfortunately bowed out. Dulwich, who beat them in the ISFA Cup, went on to win the competition. However, Aldenham gave a good account of themselves in that game, giving grounds for hope of improvement at U14/15 level. The U12s reached the Herts County final, but they lost 1-0 to St Clement Danes. The team improved immensely throughout the year and brushed aside several strong schools en route to the final. On an individual level, Myles Lewis-Skelly (Year 10 Leeman’s) and Scarlett Kagalwala (Year 10 Riding’s) have both represented England at U17 level this year. A few boys from Year 9 and Year 10 have been chosen to represent ISFA National teams: Marley Francis, Joe Copplestone and Jamie Agasee (Year 9), Christian Swaby, Marcel Hall and Charlie Smith (Year 10). Lewis Lavin (Year 13 Kennedy’s) represented the ISFA National U18 side against the ESFA National side. Lewis has represented the ISFA side since U15.

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FOOTBALL

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Right Aldenham U14 squad: County Cup winners! Bottom Right Scarlett Kagalwala, Year 10 Riding’s Bottom Aldenham First XI

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53

fter the disappointment of Covid, the Aldenham School golf teams were back in action this year. A wide selection of players represented the school in the West Sussex tournament, the OA match, the Brewers’ triangular match, Hertfordshire Schools Rose Bowl Scratch Championship and The ISGA match play competition. The House competition and School championship were also held. The students all played very well and this year the A team managed to reach the semi-finals of the ISGA match play competition before narrowly losing. Fletcher Masterson won the school Scratch Cup and Finn Mclennan the Handicap Cup. It was great to see Captain Fletcher Masterson gain a place in America to play golf and study. We wish him all the best. The A team consisted of Fletcher Masterson, Ben Prior and Ben Armit. Other students who represented the school include Josh Newman, Rahil Patel, Finn Mclennan, Danny Francis, Joe Hime, Jasper Wax, Hibah Yousef, James Bailey, Gabriel Rayner, Harry Edler and Uday Sharma.

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Aldenham students at the tee

GOLF

FIVES

he pandemic had a considerable effect on the game of Fives. It was unfortunate that many of our regular opponents were not able to match up with our own age groups during this time. Our seniors were strong, but they did not manage to play enough opponents to merit seeding, thus finding the nationals

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ANDREW STEPHENSON

a tough proposition as they met high ranked opponents in the early rounds. We hope that Noah, Lewis, Sam, and Tom will continue to find ways to get on court in the future. For the middle school, numbers were few, and arranging teams to play the Sunday tournaments was difficult. However, we managed to qualify for the final stages of nationals in these age groups,

and the experience gained can only stand the group in good stead for the future. There is some real promise at junior level; the new Year 7s really embraced the opportunity and played excellently, developing quickly. Again, our top pairs qualified for nationals and if they can match last year’s efforts, there is a good future ahead.

Cameron Mahon, Year 10 McGill’s, first student home

EROS RUN

NAME

YEAR

TIME

Kira Buttinger

Pupil

2.43.41

Paul Cheetham

OA

1.27.42

Ben Frais

Staff

2.12.12

Iain Fraser

OA

1.38.43

Abigail Green

Other

2.26.26

Philip Green

Staff

injured

Emma Harvey

Staff

2.52.35

Henry Johnston

OA

2.16.36

Sarah Livingston

Parent

2.45.28

Cameron Mahon

Pupil

2.08.15

Douglas McNeill

Parent

2.10.08

Joss Peel

Pupil

2.36.17

Alex Sinani

Pupil

2.49.05

Ann Suffield

Prep

2.17.49

Jeff Suffield

Other

2.17.49

Jon Tobias

Parent

2.06.22

Christine White

Parent

2.26.21

Lily Zentner

Pupil

2.27.51

TAF

everal decades ago, the Daily Mirror had a cartoon strip called the Perishers which chronicled the adventures of an orphan, Wellington, and his dog Boot (along with their friends). Every summer they would go on holiday to the seaside and Boot would stare into a rock pool and cause consternation among the crustacean inhabitants of the pool who could only see the eyes in the sky. It must be very similar for the pigeons in Piccadilly Circus. Every year their home is descended upon by a motley looking crew of runners from Aldenham School taking part in the Eros to Eros Run. This year’s event took place on the 1st of July, the last day of the school year. The weather was again very kind, dry, not too hot and with very little wind. 17 participants were present and between them raised nearly £700 for the charity EYE Nepal (Early Years Education Nepal). The principal finishers are set out above.

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Paul Cheetham, first runner home

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Lily Zentner, Year 13 Riding’s, first girl home

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HOCKEY his year has seen the return of competitive hockey fixtures for both girls and boys. We are lucky to have a team of committed hockey staff who give a huge amount of time and effort to fit in matches both during the week and on Saturdays. Our return to competition for girls hockey has been hugely positive, with fixtures against a wide variety of independent and state schools including Mill Hill, Queenswood, Dame Alice Owen and Parmiters. We entered teams into every age group of the Hertfordshire County tournaments. Playing against schools with much larger numbers, the challenges

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56

TINA HOBDAY

are good for our girls. For the first time we launched ‘C’ teams in Years 7 and 8 (7-a-side) and a ‘B’ team (11-a-side) in Year 9, which meant that every girl in each of these years had the opportunity to play a competitive fixture, and the majority of girls represented Aldenham in at least two matches. We entered both girls and boys teams into the London Indoor League. Our outdoor programme provides opportunities for all pupils to play and develop their hockey with their peers, while the indoor programme allows our top players from different years to experience a performance environment with training and competition, along with the additional technical and tactical challenge

ABOVE U14 boys London champions who qualified for National finals in Nottingham

BELOW OAs (in yellow) and Aldenham first XI (in blue)

that comes from indoor hockey. Both teams performed brilliantly in the first pool round. Unfortunately the girls were not able to capitalise on their hard work and seize opportunities, but the boys came second in their group to qualify for the London finals on Sunday 5th December. This was the first time that an Aldenham team has made it through to the regional final in indoor hockey. Boys hockey this year has involved 16 teams over Years 7 to 13, with over 332 students representing the school. Fixtures were against a variety of schools including Mill Hill, Merchant Taylors, Harrow and Haileybury, and we entered teams into every age group of the London region tournaments. Our U16, U13b and U14 teams all qualified to the London Finals in Tier 2 competitions. Our U16s finished second, and the U14s were crowned champions, going on to Nottingham on March 20th for the England Hockey National finals. Attending Nationals is a huge opportunity for our boys to see high level hockey, and a hockey tournament set up with overnight preparation was a fantastic experience for them. They have made excellent progress with their game and are an exciting prospect for Hockey at Aldenham. We continue to form links outside of school. We have run a coaching session at York House prep school, and on Wednesday 16th March, our boys First XI played against an OAs team. The event was organised by Tom Ripper, and included pizza and a social.

he Senior Students (Years 11 to 13) Tournament was played in the Christmas term; our senior boys played matches both locally and as far away as Stowe. They played very well and improved over the term. It was a mixed bag of results with some wins and losses. They didn’t go through to the knockout stages of the tournament but enjoyed the matches and the whole experience.

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THE SENIOR HOUSE COMPETITION WAS WON BY KENNEDY’S The Junior (Years 7 and 8) tournament was played in the summer term. The team played very well throughout with some great performances and improvement by all players. The team won all their matches. By winning their group they qualified for the County Finals Day, where they would have played the winner of another group (semi-final) and then go on to either play the winner of the other side of the tournament or play in a 3rd/4th play-off match. Unfortunately, the finals day clashed with Sports Day, so we were unable to play, but our opposing school agreed for us to continue the tournament in September, and our team emerged victorious – well done boys! THE JUNIOR HOUSE COMPETITION WAS WON BY SWAYNE Year Middle (Years 9 and 10) tournament was also in the summer term. This team also played very well throughout with some great performances and improvement by all players. The team won all their matches. By winning their group they also qualified for the County finals day where they would have played the winner of another group (semi-final) before going on to either play the winner of the other side of the tournament or play in a 3rd/4th play-off match. Unfortunately, the finals day clashed with Sports Day, so we were unable to play and sadly our opposing school did not want to continue the tournament in September. We therefore had to withdraw from the finals. HOUSE COMPETITION The Middle House Competition was won by Leeman’s TENNIS AWARDS Player of the year U13 Samuel Hostiuc U15 Charlie Smith Emerging player U13 Taran Harte U15 Essen Khan

B Division County Champions

SPORT

Contribution to Tennis Luca McNeil, Jasper Wax

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ACTIVITIES

CCF

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SQN LDR L.M. FLINDALL CONTINGENT COMMANDER TOP Field Day at IWM Duxford ABOVE Summer Camp 2022 – ready for all eventualities

CIRCLE The overnight expedition at Challenger Troop included archery practice TOP RIGHT Overnight expedition – Aldenham group

MIDDLE RIGHT Remembrance Sunday 2021 BOTTOM RIGHT Summer Camp – group

FIELD DAY, IWM DUXFORD In December, the contingent, approximately 90 cadets from Aldenham and Queens CCF, visited Imperial War Museum Duxford. The site is very large with many hangars, containing decades worth of military aircraft and vehicles. The last hangar is dedicated to American aircraft, housing a B52 next to an SR-71 Blackbird – the only one that resides outside of the USA in the entire world! The cadets thoroughly enjoyed themselves for the day, learning about the history of warfare avionics and taking in what the museum had to offer.

SUMMER CAMP In August 2022, Aldenham CCF visited Nescliff Army Base for their annual camp. The camp consisted of fieldcraft training, air rifle shooting, full bore shooting, run-and-guns, close quarter battle training, and an overnight exercise. This five-day camp was the first since lockdown, and it was great seeing the cadets back in action on an army base, conducting training to such a high level. The 16 cadets who attended displayed an enormous amount of enthusiasm, maturity and commitment, with some promotions gained at the end of the last day. Many thanks to all the staff who assisted with this very worthwhile event.

OVERNIGHT EXPEDITION On 25th March, the CCF contingent conducted an overnight expedition at Challenger Troop in Kent. The Exercise included: Obstacle Course • Shooting • Cooking in the Field • A Navigation and Orienteering exercise • Camping • Archery • Laser Tag.

The Army was combined with the RAF for this event. This was the first overnight expedition since the lifting of lockdown. It was a resounding success, with cadets learning many new skills as they completed a demanding training programme.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY In November, the CCF paraded for the first time in three years at Letchmore Heath, with an impressive strength of nearly 90 cadets in full uniform for both RAF and Army sections.

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CHRIS CHANDLER DofE LEADER

DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARDS

ACTIVITIES

It has been a very full year for Aldenham Duke of Edinburgh (“DofE”). In the Bronze Award section, we held a weekend training expedition on 5th and 6th March, Navigation/ Trekking Training on 23rd and 24th April, and the Bronze Qualifying Expedition on 7th and 8th May. In the Silver Award section, there was the Practice Expedition, on 25th to 28th March. In addition, there were the usual skills and volunteering activities, which award candidates must go thorough towards qualification.

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SILVER PRACTICE

This involved some very practical practice skills and experience sessions – mostly in the field – in preparation for a Silver Expedition.

BRONZE QUALIFYING EXPEDITION On Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th May the 37 Bronze DofE students successfully completed their qualifying expedition to the Chiltern Hills.  Across both days the groups encountered excellent weather and beautiful scenery as they trekked across the terrain. In the evening, the groups all managed to prepare and cook their own meals and had a restful night’s sleep.

BRONZE PRACTICE On a weekend in March, the 36 Bronze DofE students successfully completed their navigation training in preparation for their forthcoming qualifying expedition. On both days the excellent weather, great teamwork and positive attitude meant that all five groups were able to complete the training relatively easily. The DofE instructors were very positive about all those involved and praised the students for their behaviour, ability, and approach to the training. As a bonus, one group bumped into the boxing World Champion, Tyson Fury, and his brother Tommy, who were relaxing and preparing before their big fights that evening.

TOP LEFT Bronze Qualifying Expedition: A quick group photo before setting off ABOVE Silver Practice: map-reading skills session BELOW Silver Practice: some beautiful but challenging scenery

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Beevor’s House Team

Paull’s House team

MATHS

Kennedy’s House Team

CATHERINE FULFORD Head of Mathematics

HOUSE MATHS

TOP INDIVIDUAL PLACINGS:

UKMT INTERMEDIATE MATHS CHALLENGE

Seniors Kevin Cheng (McGill’s) and Max Bustamente (Leeman’s) – Joint first. Full marks.

Excellent results from Year 9 – 11 this year. 5 Golds, 17 Silvers and 13 Bronzes

Intermediates Cindy Zhang (Paull’s)

FINAL PLACINGS: McGill’s (25.5 points) Kennedy’s (25 points) Leeman’s (23 points)

ACTIVITIES

This was the second year of this new House Competition. There was a wonderful atmosphere of teamwork and highlevel Maths in the Dining Room as the students worked through three rounds of challenging mathematical problems. Each House entered a team of 10 students to compete in the Group, Individual and Relay Rounds.

Riding’s House team

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Leeman’s House team

McGill’s House team

CONGRATULATIONS TO Ben Reid, Frankie Manderson-Harkin, Alex Liao, Shade Rickard, Alfred Cockburn, Rory Cockburn, William Toye, Elliot Hague, Cameron Mahon who all qualified for the National Kangaroo finals.

DESIGN MUSEUM TRIP

NATALIE GRANGE

On Friday 8th October 2021, we took a small group of Year 13 students to the Design Museum in Kensington. The new building is a stunning showcase for contemporary design in a wide range of media, and the students were keen to look at particular exhibits which would help them in their studies.

Aldenham Y13 Design and Technology students

The Design Museum is an exciting space. Background photo by Jack Young on Unsplash

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lmost the whole of Year 9 was able to visit Flanders and the Somme in the summer after the inevitable hiatus in the School’s trips schedule due to Covid. Although we have managed to run highly successful virtual tours for the last two years, there is nothing like going in person. Despite the unearthly departure time of 3.30am, there was a real buzz of excitement amongst the 110 students and 11 staff as we gathered at school ready for the first international trip since lockdown. The journey down to Dover was made quite eventful by a motorway closure, forcing us to travel down some rather narrow Kent lanes, but we just made it through the inevitable post-Brexit complexities at the port in time to board the boat. The weather was definitely on our side for the entire trip as we barely saw a cloud in the three days. Fortunately, the luxury coaches’ air conditioning was up to the job of cooling us down. The first visit of the trip was to Lijssenthoek Cemetery, one of the largest in Flanders, where pupils paid respect to Captain

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JEC Shield OA (SH1887-90), one of the oldest OAs to die in the conflict. Following a much-needed lunch break in Ypres (we had been up for more than 12 hours by then!) the groups travelled to Hooge Crater and Hill 60, where professional guides Steve Smith (who led the two virtual Battlefields Tours) and Paul Durham laid out the context of the fighting around Ypres. On a glorious afternoon, where the loudest sound was birdsong, it was impossible to imagine the carnage that took place in the area some 105 years ago. Checking a group of over 120 people into the hotel just outside Ypres was remarkably smooth and the post-dinner entertainment was watching (or taking part in!) a huge game of football on a tiny pitch behind the hotel. Tuesday saw a quick breakfast before journeying to Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world, where four OAs are remembered, and Langemark German Cemetery. Students were able to draw comparisons between the very different ways in which the fallen are remembered in these contrasting resting places,

and the guides were quick to dispel some of the popular myths surrounding the small size of Langemark. After lunch, a quick trip north of Ypres took us to Poperinghe, a small town behind the Allied front line which was a popular destination for some ‘R&R’ away from the trenches. Our main visit there was to Talbot House – the original Toc’H – where a military chaplain, Revd. Philip “Tubby” Clayton – wanted to preserve an oasis of calm in a mad world. We used the Chapel there at the top of the House to pause and reflect on those lost in the horrors of wars past and present. Seeing pupils play chess or relax in the beautiful garden whilst stunning piano music emanated from the drawing room was seeing the House used exactly as intended. On the way back to Ypres, we stopped at Essex Farm cemetery to see the resting place of Pt Valentine Strudwick, the youngest known British serviceman to die, aged just 15 years, 11 months, and to hear recitations of the poem In Flanders Fields, which was written there by Lt-Col John MacRae, a Canadian doctor triaging the wounded just behind the front line.

BATTLEFIELDS TRIP

TRIPS

FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THOSE WHO HAVE GONE BEFORE US

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REVD. P.S. GREEN ASSISTANT CHAPLAIN

Aldenham students pay their respects at Tyne Cott

TRIPS

Wellington Quarry

No trip to Belgium can be considered complete until a visit to a chocolatier has occurred. Fortunately, coolbags were supplied with every purchase (although most of the pralines appeared to have been consumed by the time we had got back to the hotel!). We were then straight back onto the coach for the incredibly moving ceremony at the Menin Gate, where the Last Post has been played and silence observed every night (other than during the Second World War) since 1929. Wreaths were laid by Aldenham pupils on behalf of those who had gone before us. Getting the party out of the hotel and on the road by 8am was quite an achievement the next morning, and the journey down to the Somme was remarkably quiet. We visited Wellington Quarry, an underground garrison hewn from the rock underneath Arras, and enjoyed the interactive exhibit which gave us a real feel for how the soldiers stationed there must have felt before leaving for the front line at the Battle of Arras in April 1917. Unfortunately, the length of the procedures required to navigate through the port of Calais meant that our final visit – to Beaumont-Hamel on the Somme front line – was cut short. Nonetheless, we held a moment of reflection and made a commitment to building a more just and peaceful world before boarding the coaches back to the coast. Returning to Ypres was highly evocative, particularly after what we have all been through in the last two years. Holding a period of silence to remember those lost to wars past and present when there is a conflict raging less than 2000 miles away on the other side of Europe was quite poignant. My hope is that the world is a more peaceful place by the time we go on next year’s trip.

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On 10th October 2021, Year 12 biologists set off in glorious weather for a busy weekend conducting field studies at Juniper Hall, Surrey. Students performed studies on the impact of coppicing on the woodland habitats of Box Hill, and the effects of trampling on succession at Mickleham Downs. They then carried out freshwater invertebrate studies on the river Tillingbourne. There was still time for lots of cake!

TRIPS

BIOLOGY FIELD TRIP

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ALEX CAMENZULI HEAD OF BIOLOGY BELOW Field study in the River Tillingbourne

ABOVE A quick break – with photo opportunity

English Department staff – at a very famous address

WARNER BROS. STUDIOS TOUR

In May 2022, an enthusiastic Year 8 group went on a tour of the Warner Brothers Studios at Leavesden, Hertfordshire. The studio houses the original sets for the Harry Potter movies. A wonderful trip, organized by Aldenham English Department.

Photo by Rhii Photography on Unsplash

TRIPS

Photo by Shayna Douglas on Unsplash

Year 8s enjoying the magic

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FEATURE 68

ver the course of the year the department sets a range of broader reading for Y9 in the lead-up to their IGCSE courses. This encourages them to really challenge themselves to broaden their reading and their literary horizons. Over the course of the last academic year, Year 9 explored three book genres and themes as part of the annual Reading Challenge: bildungsromans, dystopian fiction, and ‘read around the world’. We kicked off the year with bildungsromans, which focus on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from childhood to adulthood. ​Many coming-of-age novels start off with the main character experiencing an emotional loss, which sends them on a journey for answers and experience. ​Many of these books are also about the main character struggling against society, and these struggles bring about a maturity of understanding of the world. We then took a darker turn as we delved into a range of

dystopian worlds. A dystopia is an imagined world that is undesirable or frightening. It is the opposite of a utopia, which is a perfect world. So, dystopian fiction focuses on negative, oppressive, and often futuristic communities and societies. Dystopian fiction can be a way to educate and warn humanity about the problems in their own society, showing the reader the alarming future that lies ahead if changes are not made. Books are a wonderful way to ‘travel around the world’ and learn about and experience different countries and cultures from our own. So, the final challenge as the summer holidays approached was to read a book set in a country outside of the UK – no need to get on a plane to reach your destination!  The Library stocked a range of books from each genre or theme for students to borrow and read. Amongst these were The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, and City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende. Students were

THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT DECIDED TO BUILD ON THE SUCCESS OF THE ACCELERATED READER PROGRAMME IN YEARS 7 AND 8 BY DEVISING A UNIQUE AND EXCITING SET OF READING CHALLENGES FOR STUDENTS MOVING INTO YEAR 9.

CHRISTOPHER JENKINS HEAD OF ENGLISH

Year 9 Reading Challenge – Library poster

FEATURE

invited to read books from the given genre and submit to their English teacher a response to their chosen book, anything from a review to an illustration of a character, or even something filmed or recorded. We had some fantastic entries, including a rap inspired by The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes! Golds, Platinums, bookmarks and gift cards were awarded to the best entries. We would like to thank all of the Year 9 students who submitted entries, as well as Miss Ferry in the English department, and Mr Nelson in the Library, for all their support of this initiative. We are looking forward to relaunching the Challenge for next year’s Year 9 cohort in September.

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VISITATION DAY PRIZE WINNERS UPPER SIXTH

Design & Technology Prize Ellie Poulter

Sportswoman of the Year Steph Bryer

Economics Prize Sanya Sehgal

Golding Sword for Best Cadet in the CCF Alec Gowlland

Sportsman of the Year Lewis Lavin

Ellis Music Prize Dilan Kapdee

ALDENHAM ATTRIBUTES Prize for Aspiration Charlie Reid

Archer Thomson Prize for Mathematics Lily Zentner

English Prize Eleanor McNeill

Prize for Curiosity Oscar Turner

Art Prize Skye Obiora

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Sanya Sehgal

Media Prize Marcus Ribeiro Dias

Prize for Courage Nicholas Kamara

Beck Music Prize Senior Popular Katie Munn

French Prize Luca McNeil

Mariette Classics Prize Eleanor McNeill

Prize for Independence Nicol Nelo

Bernard Gordon Prize Sanya Sehgal

Geography Prize Giorgia Megaro

Music Prize James Gray

Prize for Co-operation Aaron Ghelani

Business Prize James Bailey

Hawkes Prize for Mathematics Kevin Cheng

Nick Davey Award for Science Kira Buttinger

Computer Science Prize Nathan Caplan

Howard Prize for History Dan Ringrose

Philosophy Prize Sanya Sehgal

SCHOOL NEWS

Headmaster’s Prize Lorenza Bertacchi, Toby Brown

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Kenneth Hooper Prize for Chemistry Oliver Hague

Prize for Respect James Gillespie

Latin Prize Eleanor McNeill Lewis Evans Prize for Physics Kira Buttinger Massing Award for Citizenship Ellie Poulter

LOWER SIXTH Prize for Academic Excellence Dillan Attygalle, Kristian Bergene-Gray, Joshua Balabanoff and Alex Brook Prize for Effort Eleanor Morrow, Joshua Peel, Kaan Tekin and Yao Feng

HSU Student Lecture Prize Rishi Kavia Jock Evans Prize for the Arts Louis Thresher Maxwell Watson Prize for Stage Crew Ben Mitchell and Archie Rice-West

McAllister Prize Geoff Berrisford and Eleanor Morrow Pryor Divinity Award Alex Brook Randall Prize for Senior Acting Max Toye and Connar Thompson

YEAR 11 English Prize Ralph Richie

Beck Music Award Sam Vickers

Geoff Bolt Prize for Sciences Frankie Manderson-Harkin

Biology Prize Ben Reid

Geographical Association Prize Ayaan Khokar

Classics Prize Alex Andelkovic

History Prize Flo O’Byrne

Computer Science Prize Jimmy Yu

Latin Prize Harry Phantis

Design & Technology Project Prize Christian Antoniou

Music Prize Sam Vickers

Sloan Prize for Mathematics Frankie Manderson-Harkin and Ben Reid

Physical Education Prize Maya Delyfer

Sloan Prize for Physics Frankie Manderson-Harkin

Drama Prize Flo O’Byrne

Physical Education Prize Lewis Lavin Politics Prize Lorenza Bertacchi Psychology Prize Sanya Sehgal Sam Pollard Prize for Biological Science Maximilian de Montulé Savory Prize for Biology Nathan Caplan Spanish Prize Jasper Wax Theatre Prize Toby Brown

Modern Foreign Language Prize – Spanish Joshua Sellar-Elliott

Art Prize Gabriel Alalouff

YEAR 10

YEAR 9

Prize for Academic Excellence Layla Chen, Dilara Tekin, Hannah Cushion, Oscar Turner and Saanvi Sehgal

Prize for Academic Excellence Alfred Cockburn, Tristan Parnell, Rory Clarke, Charlie Reid, Aaron Nour and Cameron Mahon

Prize for Effort Holly Williams, Madeline Harris, Dylan Weitzkorn, Amelia Hunt, Louisa Freedman and Roxanne Baxter

Prize for Effort Daisy Donegan-Wagg, Alessia Postolache, Ruth Babajide, Lauren West, David Elliott and Molly Hall

Modern Foreign Language Prize – French Flo O’Byrne PRE Prize Nayaz Hasan Sloan Prize for Chemistry Jimmy Yu

Beck Music Prize Intermediate Classical Abi Kacki Beck Music Prize Intermediate Popular Harry Bilgora-Kelly Randall Prize for Intermediate Acting Amber Pinkerton

Ben Gibbs Award for Sailing Benjamin Hutton

MARTINEAU’S Year 8 Prize for Academic Excellence Christopher Economides, Archie Turner, Sia Waghela and Emily Armit

Beck Music Prize Junior Classical Danye Abbey

Year 7 Prize for Effort Marni Cinnamond, Kiana Patel, Olivia Evans, Laila Byron Nour and Ayesha Khan

Year 8 Prize for Effort Iris Shand, Jamaica-Rayne Ogilvie Charlesworth, Jeyla Isgandar, Taran Harte and Kiana Rabadia

Dr Turner Citizenship Prize Emily Armit and Archie Turner

Beck Music Prize Junior Popular Isabelle Willis

Randall Prize for Junior Acting Isabelle Willis

SCHOOL NEWS

Year 7 Prize for Academic Excellence Daya Gordon, Maxwell Mansour, Similola Sonaike and Sebastian Oliveros

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“IT WAS A FANTASTIC EVENING AND A SELLOUT BY POPULAR DEMAND!”

SCHOOL NEWS

ASPA

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THE ASPA TEAM ABOVE Spectacular sight at the annual Fireworks event

TOP RIGHT Much planning and great effort go into the Summer Ball

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ldenham School Parents Association (ASPA) provides parents with a social link to Aldenham School.

Our main objectives are: ■ To foster co-operation between parents and the School ■ To provide opportunities for parents to get together ■ To organise functions that generate funds for more social events and the benefit of the School

“…I IMPLORE YOU TO JOIN AND HELP US MAINTAIN THIS WONDERFUL TRADITION OF SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL.”

SCHOOL NEWS

We raise funds to run events, support Open Days and gift profits to Aldenham projects, Houses and Awards. The events ASPA organise provide opportunities for parents to connect with Aldenham teaching and support staff. 2021-2022 was not a straightforward academic year, and as a result, many of the events we would have held were either postponed or cancelled due to COVID. However, we were able to hold some of our formal events, including Fireworks Night and the Summer Ball. In the light of these challenges, and adaptations made for many of these events, I would like to thank ASPA’s committee for embracing the challenge of change, and the commitment shown to meet the new requirements for public events, but specifically the enthusiasm and dedication shown by this new team and all the parent helpers that come and support us for events. It is hugely appreciated by ASPA and Aldenham School. Last September we were able to start the year, as is traditional, with the New Parents’ Welcome Evening. This event doubled in size to include both Y7 and Y8 parents following on from the cancellation of the previous year’s event. Subsequently, ASPA held two events, hosting both Martineau’s and Woodrow’s new parents. Additionally, ASPA welcomed all new parents to Aldenham School for Afternoon Tea on Top Field in glorious late summer sunshine; a pagoda by the Wells Centre was a suitable focal point for the occasion. It was with immense pleasure that ASPA was able to hold one of the school’s most popular events: Fireworks Night. The spring event had to be cancelled but we now really look forward to more promising times in Spring 2023. Traditionally, we hold an inter-house Quiz Night and hope to stage such an event again this coming April.

The Midsummer Night’s Ball took place in the evening of the last day of term in July and was a spectacular event. Attendance reached record figures and Year 13 pupils, teachers, and parents all celebrated the end of a wonderful and almost ‘normal’ academic year. The Summer Ball combined the Year 13 graduation with the celebration of a very warm bon voyage to Aldenham Headmaster and CEO Mr James Fowler. The DJ and accompanying electric violinist and saxophonist combined with dancing, glitter artists, silent auction, casino, roaming selfie photographer, raffle, and a wonderful professional cocktail bar. All of these served to enhance the wonderful natural decorations designed by Khandan Noble and her team. It was truly a super end to the school year. As parents leave each year, ASPA always needs new members, so I implore you to join and help us maintain this wonderful tradition of supporting the school. Without the parents coming together, ASPA will cease to exist. We have a wonderfully enthusiastic new committee, but we need more members. You all have an extensive range of skills that can help ASPA plan and deliver more wonderful community school events. If you are keen to support the school and the parent community body, please do contact us. We look forward to meeting you. ASPA wishes you and your children a great academic year ahead, full of study, activities, and ASPA events. If you would like to contact ASPA please email [email protected] We’ll see you soon! We thank you for your support.

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Guests relished the tea and cake during the opening of Vincent House – the new Aldenham Prep building.

DEVELOPMENT SUPPORTING ALDENHAM

ANN SAFFERY

DEVELOPMENT & OA MANAGER

he Development Office at Aldenham was set up in 2001, following a major appeal during the School’s Quatercentenary celebrations in 1997. The School is particularly grateful to OAs, parents, and friends of the School, who have continuously played a key part in the success of major fundraising appeals – from the Library appeal 100 years ago to more recent developments including the Theatre in 2007, The Wells Centre in 2012 and Vincent House 2020/21. A regular Annual Fund campaign is now firmly embedded in the Aldenham Foundation’s fundraising strategy and last year, whilst raising almost £50,000, it reached a grand total of over half a million pounds since it was established. Donations to the Aldenham Annual Fund have now supported six students through Sixth Form as well as providing exciting resources and equipment that enhance the learning experience of all the pupils. CCF Cadets were able to demonstrate the flight simulator at their recent biennial inspection, footballers are honing their skills with a new ball launcher bought last year and Psychology students benefit from a state-of-the-art brain scanner. All of these items and more were made possible through the Annual Fund campaign. The Aldenham archive is another valuable resource that has been created using regular donations to the Annual Fund campaign. It is a growing resource used by all members of the Aldenham community and their friends and family.

SCHOOL NEWS

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Trying out the new Flight Simulator.

Julian and Sarah Henchley, parents of Lillie Henchley, Year 12 Paull’s. Key donors to the Vincent House appeal have had rooms named in their honour. All supporters are listed on the donor board now on display in Barton Hall.

Guests assemble in The Headmaster’s garden to celebrate OA Day 2022

VINCENT HOUSE – OFFICIAL OPENING MONDAY 23 MAY 2022 Just over a year after the staff and pupils moved into their new school building during the COVID 19 pandemic, we were at last able to celebrate the opening of Vincent House – Aldenham Prep School, on Monday 23 May 2022. Local dignitaries, friends and supporters joined us for this special occasion which involved the whole school. The Year 6 children took great pride in showing guests around Vincent House before a short formal ceremony in Barton Hall. Chair of Governors, Sarah Altman, welcomed everyone and introduced members of the Vincent Family, including a close Aldenham school friend of Lord Vincent’s, Jim Toogood (SHE1946-51). Trevor Barton (K1971-75) Governor from 2009 & Chair of Governors from 2015-21, reflected on the need for this new facility at Aldenham and how the development came about. The children entertained the guests with some hearty singing before a portrait of Lord Vincent was unveiled by the Head Prefects. Lord Vincent GBE KCB DSO (SHE1945-50), had an enduring relationship with the School. On leaving Aldenham in 1950 he joined the British Army to become a fulltime soldier with the Royal Artillery. His military career spanned 46 years and on his retirement as Chairman of the NATO Military Committee in 1996

he was ennobled in the Birthday Honours, being created a life peer with the title Baron Vincent of Coleshill. He became Chancellor of Cranfield University and for many years was a Governor at Aldenham, eventually being made Emeritus Governor. Colonel the Honourable Mark Vincent MBE, Lord Vincent’s son, said that he was delighted that his father is being honoured with this wonderful building. He was sure that both his mother and father would have been extremely impressed by the joyous feel of the school and the people in it. Other guests included Old Aldenhamians, parents and friends of the School who had made significant contributions to a fundraising appeal which generated over £170,000 to enhance the outdoor learning spaces. The Mayor and Mayoress of Hertsmere, the architect and the project manager also joined the party and enjoyed afternoon tea with staff and Governors and Parent Association representatives.

OA DAY 2022

Aldenham saw 140 Old Aldenhamians return for OA Day 2022 and a reunion for Beevor’s House in its 127th year. Tours of Beevor’s House were given by current students who explained how the House has changed and yet stayed the same! Photos and memories from the House’s 127-year history were displayed for OAs to enjoy while reminiscing. The day included a Thanksgiving Service

in Chapel, drinks in School House Garden and lunch in the Marquee on Top Field. James James-Crook, President of the OA Society, presented James Fowler with an OA tie whilst inviting him to become an Honorary member of this unique network of Aldenhamians and thanking him for his dedication. The annual John Dewes cricket match was played throughout the day in memory of the only Test Match player from Aldenham to date, John Dewes (B1940-45). All in all, OA Day saw long-awaited celebrations following the last two years of cancellations, and the sun shone over the School as this special occasion finished up with Tea and biscuits at the Cricket Pavilion.

COCKTAILS AND CANAPES – HEAD BOYS AND HEAD GIRLS BID FAREWELL TO THEIR HEADMASTER Head Boys and Head Girls who worked with the Headmaster in their final year at Aldenham were invited back to Aldenham for ‘Cocktails and Canapes’ in School House Garden to say a fond farewell to James Fowler as he left Aldenham in June. James was delighted to see the seventeen who came back to wish him well and he reminisced about every individual, commenting on their willingness and ability to support him in many different ways as they each embraced the role in their own unique way.

From left to right: Head Boys and Girls in order of their service – Ann Saffery (Development and OA Manager), Lorenza Bertacchi (R2015-22 ), Toby Brown (M2016-22 ), Olly Cowles (B2014-21), Jemima Wax (P&R2014-20), 6) Michael Li (K2013-19), 7) Stephen McMahon (R2010-17), Subhan Iqbal (R2008-16), Andy Maclean (M2010-15), James Fowler, Headmaster 2006-22, 11) Dr Charlotte Fowler, Amelia Potter (P2012-14), Elina Ioannou (P2006-13), Lydia Chapman (P2010-12), Natasha Medina (nee Klimt) (P2007-11), Tom Wainwright (M2004-11), Gareth Thomas (K2004-09), Rob Lee (P2000-07) & James James-Crook (M1968-72) OA Society President & Governor

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COMMON ROOM DEPARTURES

SCHOOL NEWS

We said goodbye to some staff at the end of 2021-22. We wish them the all the best for the future:

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■ JAMES FOWLER, who was Headmaster of Aldenham School and CEO of the Aldenham Foundation, retired after 16 years. Please read an appreciation of Mr Fowler elsewhere in this publication. ■ RICHARD WILDSMITH retired. Richard was Head of Geography, then teacher of Geography and Beevor’s House Tutor for four years. ■ FLORA RICHARDS taught PRE for 10 years. Flora was also a Beevor’s House Tutor and was the energy behind a very vibrant Jewish Society within the school. ■ LUKE SARSONS was a teacher of History and Politics, and a McGill’s Year 11 Tutor, for 3 years.

■ DERMOT REANEY was a Teacher of Physics for 2 years. ■ DEBBIE CLARKE was Human Resources Manager. She retired after 17 Years. She oversaw the modernization and expansion of the department. ■ ANDY LEWIS, Porter, was a familiar face and a helping hand to everyone at Aldenham before retiring after 17 Years. ■ ALISON WILDSMITH relished her role as Assistant Librarian for 3 years before joining her husband Richard Wildsmith in retirement.

TOP LEFT Alison and Richard Wildsmith TOP Flora Richards TOP RIGHT Dermot Reaney

ABOVE Debbie Clarke ABOVE RIGHT Andy Lewis

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HAPPY EVENTS At school we also celebrated some new arrivals:

1 Bethany Ann (Bessie) Harrison

2 Aqsa Muskaan Rahman

3 Freddie Dawe

4 Leon Shelley

5 Amelie Charlotte Sherman-Morley

6 Chloe May Cornock

SCHOOL NEWS

1. BETHANY ANN (BESSIE) Harrison was born on 20th November 2021 to James and Jen Harrison. 2. AQSA MUSKAAN RAHMAN arrived at 10.09am on 26th November 2021 to joyful parents Ozzie and Nadia Rahman. 3. FREDDIE DAWE was Born on 16 February 2022 to proud parents Sam and Dr Elizabeth Dawe. 4. Christina Copsey and partner Neil were overjoyed at the arrival of LEON SHELLEY, born a little early on 21st February 2022 5. Lisa Sherman and husband James welcomed AMELIE CHARLOTTE SHERMAN-MORLEY at 2.21pm on Wednesday 9th March 2022. 6. Grant Cornock and Lowri Jones were delighted by the arrival of CHLOE MAY CORNOCK on 27th May 2022.

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efore Autumn 2021, we could only permit two year groups to be gathered in Chapel at any one time; all other year groups watched a pre-recorded Chapel Video in classrooms. The most exciting Chapel development for Autumn 2021 was the introduction of Live Streaming, which meant that we could ‘broadcast’ the Chapel service each week, thus removing the need for pre-recorded videos. We also increased the numbers of year groups that could be in Chapel at any one time. We had two significant visitors. Revd Alex Huzzey (curate at St Peter’s Church in St Albans) came to talk about his personal experience as an LGBTQIA+ person exploring a vocation as a Priest in the Church of England. His testimony was very personal and very moving. Our other significant visitor in Autumn was Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers, from Edgware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, who spoke about the festival of Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Debbie is a regular contributor on Radio 2’s Pause for Thought, BBC London’s In Spirit, and Three Counties Radio, and has appeared on 4ThoughtTV, Radio 4’s Beyond Belief, and Midweek with Libby Purves. We had our annual Harvest Service, at which we collected food for Watford Foodbank. Our school Charity Committee gave a presentation about the work of Watford Foodbank; everyone in the Prep and Senior School contributed, and the display looked amazing! The Remembrance Service this year had to be re-thought due to Covid. We opted to gather as a school community in front of our library – which is a war memorial – to pay tribute to the memory of all those who lost their lives in past wars. All the pupils and staff arrived military-style, walking through the tunnel of over 50 flags representing all the countries of pupils from our school. All the flags were presented to the front and a ploughshare and sword were placed over them as symbols of our hopes of peace. Standing outside seemed so appropriate, and even more powerful, as we listened to the Last Post and Reveille. The service ended with the tolling of the school bell 288 times to represent the past pupils who had died through the First and Second World War. Together we made our commitment to unity and peace as a community. One of our teaching staff, Mr Ian Horne was leaving the school at Christmas to return to Tanzania to continue his work at a community school. He shared his story and many photos with all our pupils about the school in East Meru. December was soon upon us, and the annual Carol Service at St Albans Cathedral took place in the afternoon of 16th December. We were still able to have the powerful candle-lit start to the service despite being in the afternoon and it was as always a beautiful event of stunning music and perfectly delivered scripture readings.

The Revd Jos Perris, Chaplain

SCHOOL NEWS

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CHAPLAINCY REPORT AUTUMN TERM CHAPEL SERVICES THE REVD JOS PERRIS

CHAPLAIN

LENT TERM CHAPEL SERVICES In the Lent Term, we had the pleasure of welcoming The Revd. Kirsty Wainright, who was curate of St Stephen’s Church in St Albans. She preached at our Ash Wednesday Service, where all pupils were offered the opportunity to have Ashes placed on their foreheads or hands in symbolic recognition of forgiveness. We held a special Holocaust Memorial Day Service, which was led by several pupils. We lit 6 candles to represent the 6 million lives lost in the Holocaust and observed a moment’s silence. We were delighted that Revd Lucy Dallas returned to speak to all the pupils about the importance of forgiveness. Lucy is the Deputy Principal of Eastern Region Ministry Team, where both Revd Green and Revd Perris trained.

CONFIRMATION SERVICE AT THE ABBEY We ran our Confirmation course throughout the Lent Term; we had 10 pupils who joined in our discussions. We discussed how we know God exists, what makes a person happy, and thought about suffering and why evil exists. We had some great conversations over pizza! The Baptism and Confirmation Service was held at St Albans Abbey on Easter Eve. The service started with a fire at the back of the church; all of the candles were lit from that fire as the light travelled through the nave. It was wonderful that we had seven candidates, two of whom were baptised before all seven were confirmed by Bishop Michael, the Bishop of Hertford.

SUMMER TERM CHAPEL SERVICES We had several guest speakers in Chapel this term. Rabbi Mark Goldsmith, from Edgeware and Hendon Reform Synagogue, spoke about the importance of visiting the sick. He taught the whole school a Jewish song which everyone sang enthusiastically. The Venerable Dr Jane Mainwaring, the Archdeacon of St Albans, spoke about listening rather than hearing, and the Revd. Calum Kuckert, Minor Canon for Youth from St Albans Abbey, extolled the power of loving one another. We were saddened by the tragic death of Mr Spencer (known to us all as ‘Potts’) in early May. We created a book of condolence, a display of some of his amazing pottery, and we provided an opportunity for people to light candles in memory of Potts. Mr Al Stewart, one of our Chemistry teachers very movingly played Queen’s Who wants to live forever? as a tribute to Potts. We were also very fortunate to have Cleo de Jong come and talk to us in Chapel at the end of our IWeek about protected characteristics. I was impressed that many of our students were aware of the nine official protected characteristics, and knew of their importance. VISITATION DAY 2022 We were all very aware that this was to be the last Visitation Day for Mr James Fowler. We were truly delighted that The Very Revd Joe Hawes, Dean of St Edmundsbury OA (SHO 1978-83) was able to come and talk at the Vis Day Chapel Service and spend the day with us. He spoke on themes of peace, woundedness and forgiveness.

CHARITY Chaplaincy and Charity have worked closely together and have had an amazing year raising money for charities: ■ We held a Mufti Day in October where we raised £1,200 for GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital) ■ McGill’s ran their Macmillan Coffee Morning, raising £1,200. ■ McGill’s Parkrun Saturday 11 Dec and Cake Sale on 10 December which will raise money to support Mr Horne’s Community School in Tanzania raised £480 ■ Hundreds of bags of food which went to Watford Bank ■ Leeman’s Christmas Gift Appeal collected over 500 toys for vulnerable children in Watford and across Hertfordshire ■ Christmas Jumper Day on Friday 17 December raised £390 for Save the Children ■ Christmas Carol Service 16th December raised money for Herts Young Homeless £650. ■ Pancake and Cake Sale for Tonga Appeal raised £425 ■ WHO Vaccination Charity (Go Give One) raised over £500 ■ From March-June we ran an all School Ukrainian Appeal where we raised just over £20,000 through running many school charity events throughout the Summer Term

PASTORAL WORK Chaplaincy has played a much more significant role pastorally, as the Assistant Chaplain (Revd Green) is DSL and the Chaplain is Deputy DSL. We have both worked very closely with the pastoral teams in the houses and with the School Counselling Manager to help support pupils’ mental health. We had a Mental Health Awareness Day in the middle of February, when we hosted experts in the fields of Eating Disorders, Self-harm and Gambling, speaking to each year group in rotation throughout the day. They also ran webinars for parents and provided staff training. Whilst we are sadly aware of an increase in anxiety and other mental health related conditions, we have continued to prioritise pupil wellbeing. We have a very active Pastoral Team that works both reactively to situations that arise, and proactively by planning initiatives that can support positive mental health amongst the pupils and staff at Aldenham. It has been another very busy year for the Chaplaincy Team here at Aldenham and as Covid restrictions continue to ease, we look forward to what lies ahead.

CHAPEL CHILL-OUTS We re-introduced Chapel Chill Outs which have focused on strategies to manage stress productively and creatively while reducing its potential negative impacts. Chill Outs ran during Tutor time and have been a great opportunity for the pupils to discuss stress in small groups. Feedback from pupils and staff has been extremely positive, and the Chaplain has been impressed by how open, mature and engaged all the pupils have been. It provided them with an opportunity to talk as a group about concerns and worries, of which there were many. It also provided us with the opportunity to talk about self help strategies, to practice breathing techniques and to experience the inner peace, relaxation and meditation.

The Platt Window, Aldenham Chapel

SCHOOL NEWS

INTERFAITH The Jewish Society (JSoc) continued to meet a few times each term, with some fascinating speakers and a good turnout of students. Our Muslim community continued to gather in the Quiet Room for prayers.

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