Abingdonian 2020

82 The Abingdonian James’ House Writing my James’s House review of 2019/20 in August 2020, I find myself casting my mind back across what feels like a chasm. Though in conventional terms I’m reflecting back over a matter of three terms, in thinking back pre-pandemic, pre-lockdown, pre-Zoom I may as well be writing for the school’s history magazine, Timeline. For all that, though, the sense of community, positivity and support provided by the tutors and boys of James’s has offered a much-needed sense of continuity - a touch-stone - for me over the past few discombobulating months! A role the house has played for others too I hope. Paradoxically, writing this article and reflecting on the earlier parts of last year has also offered a sense of optimism. A sense of projecting ahead to what hopefully will be again. To being able to play rugby together again. To being able to stand shoulder-to-shoulder and belt out a tune in House singing again. At least, Covid-19 and a lack of public gatherings this coming term has provided me with a ready-made excuse for not winning the latter this year! Silver linings. Michaelmas 2019 started with the new Heads of House, Alex Lawrence and Archie Bermingham leading the way as house prefects, not least when it came to hosting induction events for parents and new boys. Indeed, the new intake of third years has proved to be fabulous, both academically but also in aligning themselves with what we’re all about as a house. Symbolic of this was the enthusiasm which they brought to the James’s House Bake Off Competition, instigated by Mr Bliss and Mrs Bridgeworth, and contested fiercely. After six gruelling preliminary rounds, largely requiring us to eat cake every Tuesday morning, the final was contested by Archie Hunt, Nick Gurney and Kajan Sivakumar judged by VIP guest Mr Windsor. After much deliberation (and several soggy bottom jokes) Nick was our eventual winner with a cake themed around the life cycle of the bumble bee (don’t ask). Student leadership was a big theme of the Michaelmas Term, with a house assembly on coping with sporting injury from Archie Delafield, and another on the House Eco-Charter by fourth years Joe Watkiss, Samuel Dominic and Rahul Singh. Though our (superb) James’s House School Prefects Archie Delafield, Oran Forrestal and David Harding, and our (fabulous) Head of School Louis Renouf may beg to differ, for me the most demanding student leadership role that Abingdon has to offer is that of leading House Singing. Certainly Alex Lawrence was phenomenal this year in the way that he led, encouraged and cajoled over 100 boys in singing Queen’s Under Pressure – no mean feat! Perhaps we bit off more than we could chew (though I feel safe in saying our choice of Queen song proved more ‘chewable’ than Bohemian Rhapsody !), but I cannot fault Alex for the calm and confident leadership he provided. Our musicians were fabulous too – Angus Fenton and Hugo Leedham on guitar, Luka Shanidze going above and beyond to learn the piano part and Toby Lee taking on drums as a third year! Our turn soon to win, surely. On reflection, the Lent Term constituted an intensely transitional period. Traditional themes in the house remained intact, however, including huge involvement in school productions (this year with Louis Renouf (as William), Ted Smethurst (Archbishop of Canterbury), Max McNally (John