Abingdonian 2020

67 www.abingdon.org.uk Summer Term bumping into peers and staff, being physically in the classroom, and being able to walk next to someone and share an emotion However, there have been silver linings that we will take out of the whole experience: one of these is that the shared sense of displacement between staff and pupils has helped to build even stronger pastoral relationships Mark Hindley Other Half Under Lockdown One of the great joys of the Other Half, in all its many forms, has always been collaboration. This took a new form in the Summer of 2020, but I was constantly impressed by the innovation and flexibility shown by staff and pupils alike. I’d like to start by offering my thanks to all my wonderful colleagues for their enthusiasm and willingness to adapt in sometimes difficult personal circumstances There were some great examples of new and innovative challenges throughout the Other Half. Photography became a popular pastime for many: Mr Middleton’s gardening club, bereft of the school allotment, instead used their cameras to study the flowers and plants found growing at home, whilst the school photography and art clubs took advantage of the good weather and extra time at home to explore old passions and discover new talents One of the most impressive achievements must be the Zoom Debating Club. The Summer term is the traditional time for a new committee of Lower Sixth boys to take over the running of the club and the new chair and his team found themselves in uncharted territory They were not to be beaten, however, and with Mr Jackson’s help the Debating Club entered the digital age. Boys joined on Zoom in massive numbers and were able to pose questions to the speakers in an orderly fashion thanks to the chat function and the excellent stewardship of the committee This has proved invaluable as school has returned, as restrictions mean that boys cannot gather in large numbers in the CMR as they might have done before but the debating club can continue, and those unable to attend in person can still take part. There were some great examples of boys joining in at home: Mrs Muller and Mr Crisp taught online cookery classes, Mr James set up housebound putting challenges for keen golfers and the renowned Abingdon Film Unit kept on working with tutors meeting with boys on Zoom to help with their projects. The boys in Community Service wrote cards and quizzes for the residents of the homes they normally visit, and it was good to see them remembering those in the community who found themselves in the most challenging of circumstances Some things just couldn’t continue, of course The collaboration that I referred to is never as good online as it is in person, and one of the great joys of returning to school has been boys being able to interact with one another again and enjoying shared passions and experiences once again. For many of us the lockdown experience has reminded us of the value of human interaction and the importance of hobbies and interests to our mental and physical health This is one of the many reasons Abingdon sees the Other Half as a vital part of its education and will continue to do so in the future Henry Morgan Sport Under Lockdown It was a challenging time for us all moving to a remote curriculum but the PE Department developed a new curriculum that not only met the needs of staying active but also could be adapted to each student’s individual home environment There were ‘live’ PE lessons for many that focused on the 5 pillars of the Abingdon Movement Skill curriculum – Squat, Pull, Pillar, Push and Hinge - through a range of body weight