Old Whitgiftian makes Whitgift sporting history, unforgettable Whitgift’s Last Night at the Proms, Whitgift Grounds national award, trips galore, Journey’s End talent showcase, choral debut at The Ritz, and much more… LENT2016 LIFE Big hitter...
Old Whitgiftian makes Whitgift sporting history, unforgettable Whitgift’s Last Night at the Proms, Whitgift Grounds national award, trips galore, Journey’s End talent showcase, choral debut at The Ritz, and much more…
LENT2016LifE
Big hitter...
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Prom NightWords
November saw Whitgift’s Last Night of
The Proms performed at Fairfield Halls,
bedecked in patriotic colours, on what
was quite an exceptional occasion, even
by Whitgift’s illustrious standards. The
varied and ambitious programme began
with Ms Lorraine Temple’s powerful
Whitgift Brass Ensemble, performing a
suitably-stirring Triumphal March from
Verdi’s Aida, and Mancini’s impressive
theme from Peter Gunn. Whitgift Strings,
led by Mr Philip Winter, followed with a
scintillating performance of Piazzolla’s
Libertango. The audience was enthralled
with the Whitgift Percussion Ensemble’s
cracking renditions of Zimmer’s You’re so
cool! and Barroso’s Aquarela do Brasil.
The first half concluded with Mr James
Griffith leading the massed forces of
the Whitgift Soul Choir, First Form Choir,
Elmhurst School Choir and Whitgift Big
Band, raising the roof with Feeling Good.
The second half opened with Mr Winter
and the Whitgift Symphony Orchestra,
taking on John Adams’ fiendishly-difficult
Short Ride in a Fast Machine; it was a
huge credit to them that they gave such
a compelling account of this modern
masterpiece. Equally impressive was
Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, under the
direction of Mrs Rosanna Whitfield. Ion
Mosneaga’s masterful violin playing,
supported by the highly-skilled Whitgift
Symphony Orchestra, was triumphantly
successful and received a standing
ovation. After the audience joined the
Orchestra and singers in a rendition of
La Marseillaise, to respectively mark
the recent tragedy in Paris, the concert
concluded with various ‘lollipops’
associated with the Last Night of the
Proms, conducted by Mr William Church,
Mrs Whitfield and Mr Winter. The audience
waved Union Jacks and joined in with a
number of classic favourites, including
Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem.
Mr William Searle, one of Whitgift’s resident
Choral Scholars, dispatched the extrovert
roulades of Rule, Britannia with brilliant
assurance.
A member of the audience summed
up the night, later tweeting, “Wonderful
Whitgift School concert last night.
Favourite performance? All of it!”
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SPORT VISITORS
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Academic Enrichment Lecture SeriesWith the launch of the Academic
Enrichment Lecture Series in the
Michaelmas Term, Whitgift welcomed
some highly-regarded visitors to the
School. The programme got off to a
fantastic start when Lord Professor
Robert Winston, Professor of Science
and Society, and Emeritus Professor
of Fertility Studies at Imperial College
London (pictured, top centre), met with
a select group of Sixth Formers for a
Q&A session, and then presented his
fascinating lecture, covering the potential
use and abuse of genetics. Professor
Francis Nolan (pictured, right) spoke
about Parseltongue, the magical language
of snakes he designed for the Harry
Potter movies, and Professor Tony Allen
(pictured, left) enlightened his audience
about Hydropolitics in the Middle East. Dr
Brendan Owens delighted our science
enthusiasts with his talk on Exoplanets,
and writer and broadcaster, Alex Bellos,
brought the weird and wonderful world of
mathematical phenomena to the School.
An Officer and a WhitgiftianUpper Sixth Former, George Angus
(pictured with Colonel Peacock MBE,
Army Officer Careers Adviser), has been
awarded an Army Officer Scholarship;
this is a significant achievement, as
approximately 800 applicants get whittled
down to 50 via a stringent interview
process conducted at Horse Guard
Parade, followed by more interviews
and fitness tests at an Army Base.
George plans to complete a university
degree before taking up his place at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. He
commented, “I have always wanted to
join the Army, and I’ve had some fantastic
advice from Mr Smith along the way. It
was hard work, but now I can work on my
A Levels knowing that I’ve got the Army
to come.”
Whitgift Cross Country’s popularity
with junior runners, of all abilities, has
paid off, with the U13 team becoming
ESAA national champions. They have
dominated the local league and Inter-
School Competitions. Standout individual
performances have come from Thomas
Blake, Calum Mackinnon Smith, Eugene
Bevilacqua, Lorenzo Mihranian and
Arun Stanley. In the Croydon Schools’
Championships, Whitgift won the U12 and
U14 team events. Top 3 individual finishes
were achieved by Thomas Blake (U12),
Rowan Fuss and Harley Norman (U14),
and Scott Jones (U16).
The U13 team of Harley Norman, Rowan
Fuss, Seth Mack (pictured, main),
Tom Rees, Matt Grove and Calum
Mackinnon Smith also gave an incredible
performance at the ESAA Cross Country
Cup, in December. They competed
against 23 of the best athletics schools in
the country, to win the national title. This
is only the second time ever that Whitgift
has qualified for this level of competition.
The top four – Harley, Rowan, Seth and
Tom – finished in the top 20, out of 142
runners. Their combined score of 37
secured team gold, a dramatic difference
to last year’s winning score of 68. Harley
was Whitgift’s highest finisher, with
individual silver.
National stars keep on running
24 boys from the Fifth and Sixth Forms
travelled to Morocco, during October Half
Term, as part of a combined Outdoor
Education and Gold Duke of Edinburgh
Award expedition. A familiarisation
day in Marrakech was followed by an
acclimatisation day in the Atlas Mountains.
The group then split into two. 10 boys
departed on a four-day expedition,
with the aim of being self-sufficient with
navigation, accommodation and food.
They trekked through villages, down
valleys and over high mountain passes in
rain, wind and sweltering heat, loaded with
their supplies. They finished the expedition
at an altitude of 3200m at the Toubkal
Mountain Refuge (the starting point for
summit attempts to the highest mountain
in the Atlas Mountains).
The remaining boys trekked for a shorter
period of time to get to Toubkal. Both
groups had their summit bids scuppered
by significant unseasonal snow and ice,
which would have required use of ice-
axes and crampons. The boys set their
sights on an alternative peak, and, with
a gruelling trek, reached the snowline.
The combined ascent and descent was
the equivalent of climbing Ben Nevis and
returning to the bottom again before
lunch, but the intrepid Whitgiftians were
rewarded with spectacular views. The trip
culminated in two days of mountain biking
in arduous terrain, after which both parties
re-grouped for three days of surfing some
of the best waves in the world.
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They trekked through villages, down valleys and over high mountain passes in rain, wind and sweltering heat …
SPORT SPORTSPORT
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U11 RugbyTournamentWhitgift hosted its second annual U11
Rugby Tournament, in November.
Five teams competed for the trophy:
Cumnor House, Bickley Park, Elmhurst,
St. Christopher’s and The Croydon
Barbarians, the latter being a team
made up of players from local primary
schools. Organiser and Whitgift’s Rugby
Development Officer, Mr Tom Stradwick,
commented, “There was some excellent
rugby being played throughout the day,
and Cumnor House (pictured, below)
emerged as winners after a close final
against Bickley Park. A big thank you to
all the players, coaches, medical staff
and caterers who helped to make the
day an enjoyable one.”
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Diving BronzeUpper Fifth Former, Piers Brown, was
awarded bronze in the 10-metre event
at the 4th Open International Croatian
Summer Cadet and Junior Championship,
in July. This was quite an achievement,
as he was competing against some of
Europe’s top national youth divers.
Piers, who represents the Crystal Palace
Diving Club, also took part in three key
diving competitions in October and
November: the Southampton Invitational
(narrowly missing out on gold, on
platform); the Swedish 33rd Diving Lund
competition (4th place with a 321.35
point personal best, on platform); and the
British School Championship qualifiers.
Piers, and partner Louise Bradley, finished
in 2nd place in the platform mixed-
gender synchronised event, securing a
spot to represent London in the British
Schools Championships, in December.
Triathlon SuccessOld Whitgiftian, David Pearson, competed
at the 2015 ITU World Triathlon Grand
Final, in Chicago, in September. Having
only taken part in triathlons for two
years, he achieved the impressive result
of finishing in 10th place, with a time of
01.02.13, in the 16-19 age category. It
was only recently, in March 2015, that
the then Upper Sixth Former competed
in the National Duathlon championships,
to gauge his progress after a year of
having switched from modern pentathlon
to concentrate on triathlons. He came
2nd, beating seasoned international
triathletes, and qualified for the European
Championships.
The 18-year-old commented after his
Chicago performance, “I must thank
everyone in the Whitgift Outdoor
Education and Sports Departments for
supporting me these past two years.”
One to watchWhitgift U13 footballer and member of
Chelsea FC Academy, Jamal Musiala,
represented his club at the U14 Boys
Madrid Football Cup 2015, in September.
The Lower Third Form pupil finished
as top scorer, with 13 goals in seven
matches, against opponents such as
Juventus FC, Paris Saint-Germain FC,
Real Madrid CF, SV Werder Bremen
and Sporting Lisbon. The 12-year-old,
who was also instrumental in Whitgift’s
Investec ISFA U13 Cup victory in March,
received a trophy in recognition of his
achievement.
The U11s also excelled in September,
winning the ISFA Surrey & Hampshire U11
Seven-a-Side Championship, therefore
qualifying for the ISFA’s national finals, to
be held at England’s FA National Football
Centre, St George’s Park, in Burton, in
May. Whitgift football coach, Mr Andrew
Martin, commented, “The U11s’ statistics
were pretty impressive – the boys played
eight matches, winning all of them,
scoring 47 goals and conceding none.
Harry McKnight scored an outstanding
19 goals during the tournament.”
Hockey fivewin forGreat BritainOld Whitgiftians Rhys Smith (Durham
University), Jack Waller (Durham
University), Luke Taylor (Loughborough
Students HC), Jonty Griffiths
(Loughborough Students HC) and Rob
Farrington (Cannock HC) represented
the GB U21 hockey team in the
prestigious Sultan of Johor Cup, hosted
in Malaysia, in October. They emerged
victorious against India in the final.
The match ended 2-2, bringing it to a
nail-biting sudden-death shootout, with
Great Britain ensuring India didn’t claim
the title for a third consecutive year.
Team captain, Luke Taylor, contributed
his 10th goal of the competition, making
him the tournament’s top scorer.
DRAMADRAMA
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With the approach of Whitgift’s
Remembering 1916: Life on the Western
Front exhibition, it was an apt choice
for the Upper School to take on R.C.
Sherriff’s iconic Journey’s End, under
the expert guidance of Director, Mr Paul
Wilson, and Assistant Director, Yvan
Bollet-Quivogne, who was only just
treading the boards last year as a Whitgift
Sixth Former himself.
Set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin,
Aisne, towards the end of the First World
War, the play offers insight into the
experiences of the officers of a British
Army infantry company during the run-
up to the real-life events of Operation
Michael. The entire story is set in the
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Journey’s End
officers’ dugout, and, through day-to-day
conversations and routine, the characters
give the audience a glimpse into what it
was like to endure the War, individuals’
coping mechanisms, friendships and
faults. The clever use of sights, sounds
and smells further enhanced the
audience immersion into the story.
Credit must go to an outstanding cast
who conveyed the dialogue’s sensitivity,
humour and angst with maturity beyond
their years. The audience was captivated
from beginning to end.
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ChinaIn July, a group of 23 Lower Sixth
Form economists and linguists had
the opportunity to experience China’s
beauty first-hand. Speaking of the trip
to Shanghai, Yangshuo and Hong Kong,
Pavan Rao commented, “I can safely say
it was the trip of a lifetime. During those
10 days, we were treated to an education
in culture, customs and the ways of the
Far East, and could experience various
aspects of the nation which have made it
one of the largest economies in the world.
The entrepreneurial spirit seemed to be
brimming in every corner of the country.”
BarcelonaIn August, 28 U15 Whitgift rugby players
embarked on a five-day training camp to a
sports and activity camp near Barcelona.
Aside from some strenuous training under
the hot Spanish sun, the boys enjoyed
mini-golf tournaments, basketball, a tour
around Camp Nou, and surfing (of which
the steep hill to access the beach was
training in itself).
CornwallAt the beginning of September, a group
of 21 Outdoor Education boys set off to
Cornwall’s north coast. Fantastic instruction
from Ticket to Ride surf school’s ex-
national champion, Sam Lamiroy, resulted
in rapid progress amongst the group,
and, although conditions were difficult, the
boys rode some great waves and had a
fantastic time.
Lake GardaThe new Lower First Formers enjoyed
another action-packed week of fun
in the sun in Garda, in order to get to
know one another and their Tutors.
They experienced the cultural delights
of Verona, sailing on the lake itself, a
climb to the top of La Rocha to admire
the view, and a superb guided tour of
Venice, taking in St Mark’s Square, with
its Doge’s Palace, the Campanile and the
astrological clock, as well as experiencing
a ride on a vaporetto. The latter part of the
week involved much pizza and ice-cream
consumption in the beautiful lakeside town
of Malcesine, as well as a cable-car ride to
the top of Monte Baldo.
BerlinDuring October Half Term, a group of 30
Upper Fifth Form historians set off to Berlin
to gain a better insight into the GCSE
topics of Nazi Germany and the Cold
War that they had been studying. Two of
the most memorable sites visited were
the Stasi Museum and the Stasi Prison,
both of which the boys found engaging
and eye-opening. After a packed four-
day schedule, the group arrived back at
Whitgift with an increased knowledge of a
fascinating and historical city.
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Rugby Highlights
Following a tour to Australia and
New Zealand, the 1st XV rugby team
performed outstandingly to win the Esher
Presidents Cup, in August, defeating
John Fisher School, Trinity School and
Hampton School, amongst others.
Whitgift previously won the competition,
billed as ‘often containing the future
rugby stars of tomorrow’, in 2010 and
2011. The 1st XV have also overcome
John Fisher, Dulwich College, RGS High
Wycombe and Warwick School, winning
17, and drawing one, out of 21 fixtures
to date this school year. The U13s, U15s
and 1st XV are performing well and are
still in the running in the national cup
competitions.
Old Whitgiftian, Richard Thorpe, played
for Canada in the 2015 Rugby World
Cup, and Stanley South was named in
England’s U20 Elite Player Squad for
2016, which will see the squad defend
their Six Nations title and compete in a
home World Rugby U20 Championship.
Nev Edwards was delighted when his
perseverance in pursuing his dream of
a professional rugby career paid off; the
27-year-old signed a one-year deal with
Sale Sharks, after he impressed during a
pre-season trial.
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Success in any language 2015 saw record-breaking exam results
for Whitgift. An unsurpassed 87% of GCSE
grades were A*-A, and it was another year
of superb Upper Sixth Form results with
92.6% A*-B for A Level and IB combined.
In the Languages Faculty, 89% of GCSE
grades were awarded at A*-A. Special
mention should go to the nine linguists who
sat three or four Language GCSE subjects
and achieved A* in all of them; a fantastic
accomplishment. Well done to (from left to
right) Will Sealy (German, Italian, Spanish),
Denzell Owusu (German, Italian, Spanish),
Joshua Anderson (Italian, Japanese,
Spanish), Joshua Francis-Cross (Spanish,
Latin, Classical Greek), Nils Kerneis
(French, German, Spanish), Michael
Dohnji (Mandarin Chinese, Italian, French,
Spanish), Jed Kelly (French, Latin, Classical
Greek), Mark Lord (French, Latin, Classical
Greek)(pictured left, inset) and Harvey
Kelly (Italian, Latin, Spanish)(pictured right,
inset).
OléAt the beginning of October, a group of
Upper Sixth Form Spanish students took
part in the annual Hispanic Theatre Festival,
held at North London Collegiate School.
The standard was extremely high, with
a large number of schools participating,
including Eton College, Harrow School,
Dulwich College and St Paul’s Girls’ School.
Following on from Whitgift’s success
at last year’s festival, in which the team
won the prize of ‘Best Group – Spoken
Spanish’, this year’s group impressed with
a play they had written themselves, the
only school group to have done so, and
bagged the top prize for ‘Best Play’. Head
of Spanish, Mr Sam Thater, commented,
“Many congratulations must go to Segun
Oyebanjo, Jerry Amokwandoh, Matt
Cannon, Charlie Worsley, Jamie Bobowicz,
Dilip Viswanatha, Tom McDonald, Oscar
Melbourne and Luke Heywood-Jones, for
firmly cementing Whitgift on the map in
terms of the quality of Spanish.”
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Congratulations also goes to Sam Hall,
Jamie Smith (Upper Fifth Form), Rafeh
Jafri, Tyler Meyer, James Culff (Lower
Sixth Form) and Ryan Patel (Upper Sixth
Form) on their selection by Surrey CCC
into their 2016 Elite Player Group. The
programme complements and builds
on Surrey CCC’s County Age Group
Programme, which develops home-
grown talent, and allows the Club to
spend more time with emerging talent.
Mr Neil Kendrick, Whitgift’s Head of
Cricket Performance, commented, “It is a
fantastic achievement to have six Whitgift
players out of the 16 selected.”
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Jason Roy made
Whitgift sporting history
by becoming the first Old
Whitgiftian to score an ODI
century, in a series-deciding
match. The Surrey cricketer
scored 102 from 113 balls for
England, to follow up his 52
earlier in the week against
Pakistan, in the England ODI
Series in Dubai.
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DRAMA
Junior Literary FestivalThe English Department presented the
second Whitgift Junior Literary Festival,
in November. The festival, exclusively
for First Formers, had a host of well-
known children’s authors from a variety
of genres: acclaimed poet and hip hop
artist, Karl Nova; CBBC scriptwriter and
novelist, Ciaran Murtagh; adventure-
writer, Julia Suzuki; columnist and CBBC
actor, Andrew Clover; and Stephen
Davies, novelist of children’s and teen
fiction, whose writing is inspired by his
time in Africa. Through presentations and
workshops, each had unique advice and
anecdotes to help inspire the boys’ love
of all things literary.
The student-led Lower Sixth Form play
has a reputation for thought-provoking
subject matter, coupled with a delivery to
an extremely high standard. This year’s
production did not disappoint. It was no
mean feat for the group of six full-time
students to direct and perform Nobel
Prize winner, Dario Fo’s, political farce,
Accidental Death of an Anarchist.
The play is based on the true story of
Giuseppe Pinelli, an Italian anarchist, who
fell – or was thrown – to his death from
the fourth-floor window of a Milan police
station, in 1969.
Jed Kelly played the quick-witted and
chameleon-like Maniac, who, with a
penchant for impersonation, metaphorically
runs circles around the bumbling and
corrupt police officers, played by Adam
Haddour, Aubrey Chatriot, James
Andrews and a delightfully-animated
Jack Hill. The deception starts to unravel
with much mayhem, and is witnessed by
a newspaper journalist, played by Finn
Whittaker. The audience is offered two
alternative endings to the story, begging
the question: Which will prevail, truth or
corruption?
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NEWS
Fall GuyHakathon Prize WinnersIn September, four pupils from the Upper
Fifth and Lower Sixth Forms – Freddie
Rawlins, Jack Barber, Kelvin Zhang and
Aleksandr Vorontsov – attended a 36-
hour hackathon, an event in which people
meet to engage in collaborative computer
programming, in central London. After
an opening ceremony, which outlined
the prizes and the sponsors, the
attendees formed teams and began the
brainstorming.
After some deliberation, the Whitgift team
united to build a web application; a search
engine for 3D models based on Freddie’s
idea. Kelvin took on the back-end
development and adapted Freddie’s code
in PHP/Laravel, while the rest worked on
the HTML front end.
They were delighted to win the Autodesk-
sponsored prize (£800 Amazon voucher),
and even more surprised to be named
3rd place prize-winners (Makey Makey kit
and Estimote beacons as prizes). Head of
Computing, Mr Robert Flook, commented,
“Apart from being good fun, it was a great
achievement, not least because the boys
were up against pupils older than them.”
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After a successful concert tour to
Germany in the summer, the Whitgift
Chamber Choir embarked upon another
busy schedule in the Michaelmas Term.
First stop was Chichester Cathedral,
where the Choir sang Evensong in
what is generally considered ‘the most
typical of English Cathedrals’. An all-
Bach concert at Croydon Minster
followed, with the Minster Choirs and
orchestral accompaniment from the
Whitgift Chamber Orchestra, featuring
Bach’s notoriously-difficult motets and
his cantata Lobe den Herren BWV
137. Mr Ronny Krippner, Whitgift’s
Organist & Director of Choral Music,
commented, “The Choir mastered the
intricate polyphonic writing of Bach’s
music superbly, and it was particularly
impressive to see our new Choral
Scholars mastering the infamous solo
arias with such great aplomb!”
The Choristers made their debut visit
to the famous Ritz Hotel to sing carols
for Christmas Tea. Needless to say, this
proved a very popular occasion and was
sold out in no time. Less than a week later,
the Chamber Choir returned to Mayfair
to sing at Whitgift’s annual Christmas
Concert at St George’s Hanover Square,
featuring George Frideric Handel’s Organ
Concerto in F Major op. 4/4, played by
the Whitgift Chamber Orchestra and Mr
Krippner on the organ. The Whitgift Carol
Service at Croydon Minster, sung by the
boys and men of the Chamber Choir,
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DRAMA
A talented cast of First Formers, some
of whom were treading the boards for
the first time, threw themselves whole-
heartedly into the wonderfully-quirky tales
for the annual First Form play production,
in November. The audience was treated
to four bite-size portions of drama in the
form of Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations,
James and the Giant Peach, Emil and the
Detectives and The King’s New Clothes.
Worthy of mention is the fantastic job
that the Sixth Form fledgling directors
did; challenging and rewarding, it gave
their Whitgift drama experience an added
dimension. Producer, Miss Rosanna
Seal, commented, “All the boys and
staff involved have done a sterling job,
successfully pulling together four short
productions in a few weeks. Seeing the
partnership between the First and Sixth
Forms has been inspiring.”
First
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NEWSSPORT
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Grounds for celebrationAfter finishing as runners-up at last year’s
Institute of Groundsmanship Industry
Awards, congratulations are due to the
Whitgift Grounds team who won this
year’s IOG Souters ‘Sports Independent
Schools/University/Sports Grounds
Team of the Year’. They fought off tough
competition with fellow finalists, the
University of Leeds and St Peter’s School
in York.
The IOG industry-wide annual awards
recognise the ‘important contribution
made by groundscare staff in raising
standards and encouraging greater
professionalism within the industry’.
Whitgift groundsman, Anthony Facey,
was also in the running for the IOG ‘Young
Groundsman of the Year’, but, although
he made it through to the final selection,
he narrowly missed out to a groundsman
from Everton FC.
Whitgift’s Head Groundsman, Mr Daniel
Ratling, commented, “It is testament to
the hard work and dedication of my team
that we have been nominated again, and
to win this year has been extra special.”
Skiing MedalsPiers (pictured, below) and Kit Bellman
(pictured, right) did Whitgift proud
when they competed in the British
Independent Schools Ski Racing, held at
The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead in
September, and achieved podium finishes.
Piers won silver in the Senior category,
narrowly missing out on gold by 0.04s,
whilst his brother achieved bronze in the
Juniors category. The boys were also an
integral part of the Independent Schools
Ski and Snowboard Championships, held
in Les Deux Alpes, in December.
Making a pointFifth Former, Connor Head, has been
flying the flag for Whitgift fencing.
Following an outstanding performance in
a British ranking competition in August,
he jumped from 9th to 2nd place in the
national ranking. He now represents
Great Britain in two weapons, épée and
foil, an impressive feat which has not
been achieved in Britain for years. Connor
has competed in the U17 category in a
number of international competitions over
the Michaelmas Term, and, after strong
performances, is in the top 50 in Europe,
and his international ranking is currently
at No. 36. Fellow Whitgifitians, Tarriq
Roach and Luka Peacefield, have also
represented their country this year.
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Table TennisCongratulations to James Smith, who
has been promoted from development
to performance level, in Table Tennis
England’s 2015-16 England Youth Squad.
James has had a busy few months,
competing recently at tournaments in
Portugal and Hungary. The Lower Fifth
Former, along with Reiss Vydelingum,
Jason Kwok and Isaac Fung, also won
the London Schools’ South Table Tennis
Association U16 Finals, for Whitgift,
in November. They have qualified for
the England Schools’ Table Tennis
Association Jack Petchey Zone Finals, to
be held in January.
Modern PentathlonMedalsWhitgift took a clean sweep of
individual titles at the British Tetrathlon
Championships, thanks to U13s Rudi
Bruijn-Yard, Rowan Fuss and Harley
Norman. They stepped onto the podium
again for their British team title. A dominant
team of 44 Whitgiftians took part in the
Regional biathlon competition, with an
impressive haul of 19 medals, including
four team and three individual golds for
various age groups. As a result of their
ranking from Pentathlon GB, 18 boys
qualified to compete in the British Biathlon
Championships. There were strong team
performances, with U12 bronze, U13 silver
and U14 bronze. Top 10 individual finishes
came from U11 Martin Van Domselaar
(9th), U13 Harley Norman (6th) and U17
Charlie Goriup (3rd). On the International
circuit, Jai Patel was selected for Great
Britain U17s and competed in the Olympic
Hopes, in Prague, finishing with a team
bronze from the British Team. Sixth Former,
Charlie Goriup, was also selected to
represent Great Britain in the Biathle World
Championships, Georgia, but unfortunately
missed qualification for the final.
2016 sees the launch of the South Tri
Series (swim/run/shoot) with the inaugural
event hosted by Whitgift, in January.
Staff NewsHead of Modern Pentathlon, Miss Laura
Gomersall, has recently graduated from
the first-ever Pentathlon GB Coach
Apprentice Programme. She was
awarded her certificate, in November, by
Pentathlon GB Performance Director, Jan
Bartu, and UK Sport Head of Elite Sport,
Graham Taylor. The initiative was a two-
year coaching course with a strong link to
the elite performance team. Laura will now
have responsibility within Pentathlon GB
for the U18/U16 youth teams.
NEWS
Whitgift opens the doors to its exciting
First World War Centenary exhibition,
Remembering 1916 – Life on the Western
Front, in March 2016. The Exhibition
Project Team has been working hard to
catalogue and research more than 500
objects, which are mostly on loan from
private collectors. Many of the objects
that will be on display are extremely rare,
and have not been previously exhibited.
Key items for visitors to look out for,
in addition to an exceptional range of
military equipment, include the original
sign from Verdun train station, the town
being the site of the bloodiest battle of
1916; various artefacts associated with
the ‘Red Baron’, Manfred von Richthofen,
including fabric from his famous red
triplane; the first RAF and Women’s RAF
uniforms; and the first issue of the British
trench newspaper, The Wipers Times.
Artwork includes: an impressive selection
of iconic recruitment posters; a stunning
set of detailed pastel portraits of
allied soldiers by Swiss artist, Eugene
Burnand; a series of hard-hitting graphic
political cartoons by Dutch artist, Louis
Raemaekers; and examples of work by
the ‘soldiers’ cartoonist’, Bruce
Bairnsfather.
These outstanding artefacts
and artwork will be used to
illustrate aspects of 1916 in
the war on land, in the air,
and at sea, as well as the
British, French and German
home fronts. Importantly, the
Exhibition will also draw on the
voices, recollections, writings and
opinions of British, French and
German soldiers and their families.
Countdown to Remembering 1916 – Life on the Western Front
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The Exhibition will be open to the public
daily, 10am – 5pm, from 12 March to 31
August 2016, and a series of special
events will accompany it.
For more information, please visit
www.remembering1916.co.uk
All aboardDue to the School’s affiliation to the Royal
Navy’s Flagship, HMS Ocean, the Whitgift
CCF, together with partner schools
Thomas More Catholic and St. Andrew’s
CE High, were invited to travel on the HMS
Ocean from Gibraltar to her home port of
Devonport, Plymouth. They sailed via the
Mediterranean, Straits of Gibraltar, Atlantic
and the infamous Bay of Biscay. The boys
experienced many activities on board,
including shooting at sea, firefighting and
inspecting the helicopters. Four boys were
lucky enough to be allowed to drive HMS
Ocean. A group pitted their sporting skills
against the Royal Marines in an energetic
PE session, received training from the
Commandos on their landing craft, and
visited the medical hospital, complete with
operating theatre.
Mr Keith Smith, Whitgift CCF Contingent
Commander, commented, “It was a
tremendous experience to celebrate an
early Christmas, complete with carols and
a meal, as we steamed back to Plymouth.
We arrived into Devonport having been
given a wonderful insight into life in the
Royal Navy. This was a unique experience
and it was a real honour to be invited.”
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
EVENSONG AT ST PAUL’S CATHEDRALMonday 22 February5pm, St Paul’s CathedralFREE admission
SWEENEY TODDWednesday 2 – Saturday 5 March7.30pm, Big SchoolTickets: £10, Concessions* £5
’CELLO RECITAL BY TIM POSNER Sunday 13 March4pm, Concert HallFREE admission (by ticket only)
STRICTLY COME BRASSINGFriday 18 March 7pm, Concert HallFREE admission (by ticket only)
MOZART AT THE MINSTERSaturday 19 March7pm, Croydon MinsterTickets: £10, Concessions* £5
BOOKING INFORMATIONPlease visit www.whitgift.co.uk/events for information on how to book.
*Concessions:Children 16 and under, Over 60s, Students (17–25 in full-time education)
CHARITY COMEDY NIGHT Friday 11 March 20167pm, Concert Hall
To bolster the £1,200 that the First Form have already raised this year, the Sixth Form Charity Committee present a night of entertainment; award-winning comedian, Dominic Holland, hosts along with Mike Gunn and Aaron Bennett. Proceeds go to Whitgift’s two international charities chosen for this school year:
S.K.Y. (Soweto Kliptown Youth) – an orphanage/after-school activities centre in Kliptown, Johannesburg, South Africa.http://sowetokliptownyouth.webs.com/
‘Help the Cambodian Children’ – funds The Goodwill Center in Cambodia, providing education, healthcare and basic sanitation to children and their families living in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.http://helpthecambodianchildren.org/
2 8
DIARY
Front Cover image: Jason Roy made Whitgift sporting history by becoming the first Old Whitgiftian to score a ODI century for England, in a series-deciding match against Pakistan.
Photo: Getty Images
WHITGIFT
Haling Park
South Croydon
CR2 6YT
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8688 9222
email: [email protected]
www.whitgift.co.uk
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Volunteers.We need you.
Whitgift’s First World War Centenary Exhibition is coming to the Performing Arts Centre from 12 March – 31 August 2016.
To become a valuable member of the Exhibition team, please register your interest on the website:
www.remembering1916.co.uk/volunteer