19 November 2010
Lower 6th trip to Hamlet
20 members of the lower sixth went to the Didcot Cornerstone Theatre to see a production of Hamlet to support their study of the play for coursework. It was a very accessible, fast paced production which helped students get a better sense of the play as a drama.
Layng Reading Prize
This annual competition at Abingdon School sees students compete to do the best reading of an extract of unseen poetry and prose. There was an excellent standard of entry with over 50 boys from across the school taking part in the qualifying rounds. Finalists in the Lower School were Samuel Martin, Adam Hargreaves, and Darren Maddison; in the Middle School, Chris Hayes, Johnny Burrow, and Finlay Garland; in the Upper School, Nick Williams, Henry Jenkinson, and William Hewstone. The finalists read unseen passages in assembly, with the final winners being Darren Maddison, Finlay Garland, and Henry Jenkinson; all finalists gave excellent readings that were much enjoyed by all present.
Humanities forum
Two member of the English Department, Rachel Yarrow and Graeme May, gave lectures as part of this new and popular initiative for sixth formers this term. Rachel Yarrow spoke on More's Utopia, while Graeme May gave an overview of satire; both were very well attended and gave students from across the sixth form much to think about.
Travel Writing Competition
All boys in the third form studied travel writing in English in the first half term, culminating in the chance to write their own travelogues based on experiences of their own travels. The best three from each class were selected for entry into the school Travel Writing Competition; this was judged by Mr May over the half term break, who was very impressed with the high standard of entry. The winner was Tom Harkness, with his piece 'Italy', and the runners up were Jonathan Goves and Luke Shepherd. Commendations were awarded to all finalists in recognition of their superbly entertaining and well crafted work.