Abingdonian 2018

80 The Abingdonian School House This year was one of continuous improvement in School House. Our sport has kept going strong throughout the year including confident victories coming from inter-house swimming and athletics. Not only have we had a fair number of victories, but there has been a marked improvement in participation across the board reflecting well on our house ethos. Sport has always been a comfortable domain for School House in my time, but recent developments have also seen School House as runner-up in House Singing. Since we performed Shosholoza three years ago, its chorus has often been taken up in the common room with a sense of calling back to past glory. I am proud to say we reclaimed this glory with a rendition of, the perhaps less culturally significant, All-Star . Although in the end we felt robbed of first place, the smiles on our faces as we sang alongside the Shrek cardboard cut-out were clear evidence of how much we were enjoying ourselves. Alongside whole house achievements congratulations also go to my fellow Upper Sixth pupils who are heading out to university this year. Particular thanks go to our team of prefects who have been helpful in organising house events, with special mention going to Jeremy Salkeld our conductor and Benjamin Wilson, who went out of his way to start maths tutoring sessions for younger years. It goes without saying that our achievements this year have come as a result of the help provided to us by the diligent team of teachers in School House. Mr Litchfield has gone from strength to strength as our housemaster for the second year, with his incredible dedication to the house paving the way for improvements across the board, especially in the boarding experience. After school hours, our extremely dedicated team of boarding tutors, consisting of Mrs McKend, Mr Jackson and Mr Latham, have continued to provide the entertainment and assistance needed to foster the unrivalled community spirit in School House. As this year’s new member of the boarding tutor team, Mr McDonnell has been an excellent stay-in tutor, with his cheerful presence enlivening the atmosphere in School House. In addition, his sticky chicken wings have risen up to be a worthy rival to