AbingdonNews September 2022 | No. 61
2 September 2022 As I write this, I look out on a perfect English summer’s day, while a number of our Lower School students enjoy a game of cricket on Upper Field. I have always marvelled at the mental resilience of those who play cricket. The need to move swiftly between different phases of concentration as a ball is bowled; the capacity to put a mistake behind you and move on to the next ball; the requirement to balance risk and reward; the unusual blend between teamwork and individual excellence. It makes for a unique blend of the mental and physical and I’ve savoured watching some excellent performances this term, with our younger year groups displaying rich promise. I’m delighted that cricket is part of the rich summer sporting tapestry at Abingdon. This term our oarsmen have made the most of their busy summer racing season, our tennis players have put together some outstanding performances, and a group of exceptional athletes have achieved some mind boggling feats. This includes smashing a 30-year-old record at the Achilles Relay event at Iffley Road in Oxford. Mens sana in corpore sano; this is certainly something we live by at Abingdon. Abingdon News Message from the Headmaster Practice makes .... According to the old adage, practice makes perfect. But for most of us, when it comes to playing a musical instrument, we have definitely not reached perfection. Learning a musical instrument as a young person is a common experience. For each of us, practice triggers different memories: potential arguments, avoidance tactics, the tedium of scales; and sometimes, I hope, enjoyment. Fast forward a few decades, and I wanted to reflect on how all my hours of practice have impacted on my adult life. Having invested many hours over the years into practising a musical instrument, I have been fortunate to reach a good standard as an amateur player. This has brought many benefits. The thrill of performing an exciting large-scale orchestral work such as Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade or playing the sublime clarinet solo in Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Symphony made all the practising worthwhile. Then there is the whole social aspect of playing music in groups: meeting new people and making new friends. This was particularly helpful when I lived abroad. Another benefit of music-making came into sharp focus as the pandemic forced us into lock-downs with new routines. For me, the chance to make music each day became part of my new routine and a key ingredient in managing the stress of lockdown life. So as I look back, practice has not made perfect but it has made great opportunities arising from this life-long and greatly rewarding hobby. It has made connections with a whole range of interesting people and it gave me a positive coping strategy during recent lockdowns. So back to that common experience of struggling with practising. ‘No pain, no gain’: I would encourage all young musicians to keep going, pointing out that the ‘pain’ of those moments has the potential of bringing a life-time of ‘gains’. Andrew Crisp, Middle Master Front cover: During May, the Art department ran a competition to celebrate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. Students submitted some excellent supersized stamp designs, of which this cover is one, and the winners were chosen for depicting Her Majesty in a kind and endearing way. All entries were very graphic and professional with a great sense of surface pattern and decorative design.
www.abingdon.org.uk 3 Abingdon News In early May, Upper Sixth French students visited the Pissarro exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum. The students were able to see a range of Pissarro’s work, alongside that of his contemporaries, including Cézanne and Gauguin. To cap off the trip, students and staff enjoyed a two course meal at family-run restaurant Pierre Victoire in Jericho - a fantastic opportunity to raise a glass to our Upper Sixth students and to celebrate all their hard work over the course of this year. Making quite an impression(ism) A celebration fit for a Queen What a jubilant day the staff and students had on Friday 27 May as Abingdon celebrated Her Majesty’s 70th year on the throne. The sun was shining and everyone was in a celebratory mood (even those who had exams in the afternoon!). Amidst the BBQ lunch and cake, there was a more formal undertone in the Headmaster’s tribute to our Monarch, the National Anthem which was belted out to the accompaniment of the concert band; and the CCF parade. The School was extremely grateful to Lieutenant Colonel Niall Moore who inspected the parade; and High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, Mr Mark Beard (the Monarch’s representative in the county). Certainly a day of celebration and one to remember. Congratulations to 1st Years Arran Bell and Jaspar Mullick who won the gold medal in the duologue acting category at the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts in May. They went up against 10 other pairs within their age category and put in a chilling performance as O’Brien and Winston from Orwell’s ‘1984’. Both pupils also competed in the solo acting category for Years 7 to 8, with Jaspar’s comedy monologue Chat Room securing a distinction and Arran coming fourth with his portrayal of Biff in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Well done to them both. Performing Arts
4 September 2022 At Abingdon, we are passionate about ensuring that our students and staff have up to date, modern, flexible and ‘fit for purpose’ facilities that really help them succeed academically and support them pastorally in the modern world. Indeed our strategic vision is part of an investment story which, in recent history, has seen the construction of our Sports Centre; Science Centre; 6th Form Centre, Library and Art Centre; and Computer Science, Business and Economics Centre. Just as investment in these past projects has benefited our current student body; investment in projects today will benefit both current and future Abingdon generations. This is the reason we are so excited about our boarding house and dining pavilion projects which are already well underway and taking shape. Once complete in September 2023, each of these groundbreaking initiatives promise to significantly enhance the Abingdon experience for our whole school and wider community for years to come. As sustainability is so central to so much of what we do at Abingdon, we are also mindful of the environment and are making sure that these projects incorporate a full range of sustainability features such as air source heat pumps and solar panels. The development of our boarding provision in Austin and Crescent Houses; and renovation of School House, will see the creation of purpose-built House rooms, extended study facilities, student kitchen facilities, and single bedrooms for all sixth formers. The accommodation will be modern and vibrant with dedicated, comfortable and contemporary spaces in which our students will be able to study, relax and socialise, creating a real home from home experience. In addition to this, we are creating a truly cutting edge dining pavilion which will link the Amey Theatre to our existing cafe. Maintaining a connection to the outside, with green views across the front of the school with integrated outdoor seating, this will be a highly flexible space continually adapting to our changing needs, whether that’s as a dining hall, social space for students; or entertaining venue for our theatre. Justin Hodges, Director of Finance and Operations Investing in the future
www.abingdon.org.uk 5 Abingdon News After the Inter House Athletics on 3 June, twelve 3rd Years and three members of staff travelled to Youlbury Scout Campsite for the Bushcraft Survival Camp. On arrival, the students put up the kitchen shelter and built a cooking fire, before setting to work on building their accommodation for the night. Most opted for the hammock and tarpaulin option, and a large group clumped together to build a hammock city! Dinner was cooked in foil and in a large cast iron stew pot on the open fire before roasting marshmallows and making s’mores. A little sleep was managed, although the early morning light and birdsong got most of the 3rd Years up at 4:30am - not a time normally seen by teenagers on a Saturday! Breakfast was cooked on the re-lit embers of the previous days’ fire - sausages and bacon baps - before packing away the campsite and heading back to school in time for cricket matches. Bushcraft survival Inspirational work in Moldova Teacher in charge of the Moldova Project, Adam Jenkins, recently visited Moldova to see the important work being done by Agape in the schools, some of which are being funded by money raised by the Abingdon community. Whilst there, he also managed to find out about the extraordinary work of ordinary Moldovans in their bid to help Ukrainians since the Russian invasion earlier this year. He said: “Using some of the money raised by the Abingdon sponsored walk last September, Agape organised four activity camps for young Moldovan children based at Grigore Vieru, Andrei Vartic and Petre Stefanuca Schools in Ialoveni and Mihai Iminescu School in the nearby village of Ulmu. I visited all four camps to see the children enjoying arts and craft, sport, and English lessons - it was particularly gratifying that many of the volunteers running the activities were older Moldovan students who had themselves attended summer camps run in previous years by Abingdon pupils. “There was also the chance to attend “The Last Bell” ceremony at Petre Stefanuca School which saw the graduation of the oldest students marked with dancing and the final ringing of the school bell and to present a donation of a new set of volleyball team shirts to students at Gregore Vieru School. “However, one of the most inspiring moments of the trip was seeing how remarkable the hospitality of the Moldovan people, which Abingdon pupils have experienced for many years, has been in recent months as they have welcomed nearly half a million Ukrainian refugees into their country. Over 100,000 of these are currently staying in Moldova and are being supported by numerous individuals and organisations. I met 18 year old Mihaela, who with a group of friends, has set up a refugee centre in Chisinau which offers food and accommodation for up to 70 refugees at a time. Hearing Mihaela talk about her determination to make a difference to those in need, and witnessing all she has accomplished, was truly heartening. “I am looking forward to 2023 when I hope that Abingdon Sixth Formers will once again be able to return to Moldova and celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first trip there.” Students from the Entomology club were excited to find one of the Attacus Atlas moths that formed their cocoons last term emerge over the weekend. This large saturniid moth which is endemic to the forests of Asia hatched from an egg in October and spent four months feeding and growing before weaving its silk cocoon to undergo metamorphosis. What a change!
6 September 2022 In April, students working towards their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award, braced the windy weather to complete their practice expedition to the Yorkshire Dales. The expedition saw some teams climb the famous Yorkshire three peaks; Pen-y-ghent (694m), Whernside (736m) and Ingleborough (723m) - no mean feat, given the challenging conditions. Then, in June, they did their assessed expedition in the remote and rugged mountains of Glencoe in Scotland, rising to the challenge and completing the 4 day expedition in good spirits. Abingdon News Before half term, forty four Lower School performers took to the stage of the Amey Theatre to perform an exciting adaptation of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Having shown great commitment over the past few months, working tirelessly to learn lines and attend rehearsals, the cast brought the world of the play to life with supreme verve. Mr McDonnell commented: “The students demonstrated exactly what it means to work as part of a creative ensemble, looking out for and supporting each other every step of the way - we are all very proud of them.” Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Peak Practice Young Enterprise Oxfordshire Regional final Competing for a place in the national final, 4th Year representatives from the Young Enterprise team “Ecocraft” competed against 15 other teams at the Young Enterprise Oxfordshire regional final, held in Oxfordshire County Hall on 3 May. The team had to set up their trade stand and answer questions about sales, finance and sustainability relating to their product range of passive amplifiers, designed to enhance the sound from a smartphone. Team Ecocraft then had to give a 4 minute presentation about their company, what they had learned from the process and the skills they had developed. They were commended on both their product and their imaginative use of up-cycled materials but sadly did not make it through to the final. A group of chemists in the Lower SIxth have been doing some project work looking at the Infra-red spectra of vegetable oils. They initially set out to find out if there was any correlation between the spectra and the quality of the oils. In this early stage of their project they have found that the oils’ spectra are all remarkably similar and all exhibit absorptions expected for the ester links in the molecules. Aqua park What a great start to the final half-term this year, and what better way to enjoy the summer sunshine than at Oxford Wet ‘n Wild aqua park. Our boarders had a thoroughly fun Sunday afternoon, splashing around in the glorious sunshine.
Abingdon News www.abingdon.org.uk 7 Having a Wales of a time! Excitement and adventure awaited the 59 2nd Years who travelled to Wales in the second week of the Easter holidays. Under the expert instruction of the staff of Plas Pencelli Outdoor Education Centre, the pupils enjoyed canoeing, caving, climbing, kayaking and mountain walking in the stunning scenery of the Brecon Beacons with everyone reaching the peak of Pen y Fan, the highest point in southern Britain. The highlight for many was the gorge walk on the final morning which involved walking under waterfalls and sliding down river beds. All the children pushed themselves outside their comfort zones (as indeed did the 5 teachers accompanying them!) and really enjoyed their first opportunity to have a residential trip while at Abingdon. A last-minute flight cancellation leading to a 24-hour coach journey arriving in Lyon at 4am was not the start our students had been hoping for. However, once they arrived in Lyon, they quickly began to enjoy all the things on offer in this amazing city. The combination of language lessons in the mornings and accommodation with host families in the evenings gave our students the opportunity to make good progress with their French. In the afternoons, they were able to explore the rich culture of France’s number two city. This included a couple of museum visits - one dedicated to the birth of the cinema (thanks to the Lyonnaise Lumière brothers), a river cruise, crêpe making and a guided tour of the Vieux Lyon as well as a quick visit to the Fourvière basilica which offers stunning panoramic views of the city. Our students, as well as those from St Helen and St Katharine, were brilliant and engaged positively with everything they did. A number of the host families commented on how well brought up they were! Luckily, the homeward journey went according to plan with only a short delay. Enfin bref, je suis sûr que nos élèves ont fait de beaux souvenirs dans cette belle ville de Lyon. Tout est bien qui finit bien ! (All‘s well that ends well!) In June, the academic and art scholars from the 4th Year went on a trip to London, to participate in a workshop at The Wallace Collection, followed by a guided research task at The British Museum. The workshop focused on oil paintings by Gainsborough, Velasquez, Frans Hals and Rembrandt, respectively, and involved getting the scholars to sketch their own versions with Conté crayons. The scholars then enjoyed exploring The British Museum in small groups, choosing three objects to curate for an article in the next edition of the Scholars’ Newsletter. It was a great day out, and the ice-cream in Regent’s Park on the way home was well deserved. Lower Sixth pupil, Rory Kind, has been selected as one of ten winners in the University of Sheffield East Asian Studies Competition 2022. The judges were very impressed by Rory’s competition essay and commented: “Detailed and wellargued examination of Traditional Chinese Medicine in medical care in the UK. You have drawn on a good range of cases and sources from Chinese Studies and from the medical literature and make good use of images.” Many congratulations to Rory.
8 September 2022 I was drawn to this insightful comment from Natasha Devon MBE, a mental health champion. It normalises the reality that we all have mental fitness, and we should therefore cherish our mental health, in the same way that we encourage students to look after their physical health through the Other Half. Stress Buckets One tool that we are teaching the students to be aware of, and to proactively manage, is their own “Stress Buckets”. Doing this helps to manage and take charge of our mental health. This is also a tool that we teach staff on the Youth Mental Health First Aid training course as well. Picture this; we all have a stress bucket, some are big, some are small, depending on our own personal circumstances. Stress or ‘water’ goes into the bucket; things like life events that are often beyond our control. Some are small things, like a combination of academic deadlines colliding with other pressing deadlines, others are more significant and beyond our control, like a family bereavement. This stress or ‘water’ fills up the bucket until it overflows, a situation called “snapping”; something we want to avoid. In order to avoid this, there is a tap on the side of the bucket - a healthy, “positive coping strategy” to help let the stress or ‘water’ out of the side of the bucket. Coping Strategies These positive strategies will range from person to person. If you ask me what my ‘tap’ is - it would be my love of cycling. Cycling helps alleviate my stress and allows me to reset an overloaded, tired or strained brain. Another person might say gardening, others: composing music, running, walking the dog, getting lost in a novel, whatever works (that is legal!) for you to let the ‘water’ out. We then teach the students that sometimes the ‘tap’ can get blocked with “negative coping strategies”. These activities are often unhelpful ways of coping and stop the ‘water’ from getting out, so it overflows. Turning to drugs and substances or falling into game addiction might be an example where an unhelpful or negative coping strategy has emerged that blocks the ‘tap’ so the ‘water’ cannot flow out of the side. Other Half plays key role We then seek to encourage students to understand what is going into their bucket right now - to write it down and be self-aware. Some things they can control. It might be that they can say “no” to something, but being aware of what goes in can be very helpful. We are then encouraging students to fine-tune their positive wellbeing strategies to let the water out. It is great to see the Other Half play such a key role in this regard. I’ve been at Abingdon since 2006 and I never tire of overhearing how much utter joy students take in a corner of the Other Half curriculum whether it’s shooting, the Amey Theatre tech crew, entomology club, Bridge club, the CCF, DofE expeditions, sailing at Farmoor, basketball and so the list goes on. Lifetime habits We hope that students will maintain these positive habits for a lifetime and it is always great to meet OAs who are still following their passions years down the line. It’s great to be connected with OAs on Strava and it always excites me to see some hitting segment leaderboards with their efforts in swimming, running, cycling, or, in some cases, paddleboarding and snow-shoeing (and yes, there is a category for that)! Life skill Taking care of our brains, and cherishing our mental health is a key life skill. If we can encourage students to proactively manage it now, whilst in school, I believe it will stand them in good stead for the future and be a key tool in their resilience rucksack for life. Rev’d Paul Gooding - Head of Wellbeing and Assistant Chaplain We all have a Brain We all have mental health Abingdon News “ ”
www.abingdon.org.uk 9 In early May, 130 of our 4th Year students completed their Bronze DofE practice expedition. Teams walked about 35km through the beautiful south Oxfordshire countryside in conditions which were mixed with bright sunny spells interspersed with very heavy downpours. All groups successfully completed their expedition which proved good experience for their assessed expedition to the Wiltshire Downs in June. Conditions for the nineteen competing teams were mixed with some very wet weather followed by a day of glorious sunshine, reflecting the weather they experienced in early May during their practice. The students tackled the challenge in good spirits with many groups enjoying the neolithic monuments at Avebury and the famous white horse hill figures. Well done all. The Bank Holiday weekend in May proved to be busy for Abingdon’s boarding community. Between games of Kubb (a lawn game with the objective of knocking over wooden blocks by throwing wooden batons); and rounders; they also got cooking in the kitchen, making pizza and baking chocolate chip muffins. However, the highlight of the weekend for around 50 of our boarders was a fun-packed paintballing session which took place near Henley with students from School, Crescent and Austin Houses competing enthusiastically in several woodland arenas. A busy Bank Holiday for boarders Abingdon News Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Four pupils from 3rd Year - Gustav Andrian, Jacob Fannon, Luke Glazer and Charlie Haynes - travelled to Brockhurst and Marlston House School in Berkshire during the first week of the summer term, to teach lessons to some Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils there. Year 3 were treated to a French lesson on activities in the town; Year 4 learned numbers and family members in Mandarin; and Year 5 were given the challenge of learning to build simple sentences in Latin - on gladiators and emperors, of course! Both ‘teachers’ and pupils thoroughly enjoyed the experience, with pupils undoubtedly going home with a few impressive phrases to share. Language Leaders
10 September 2022 Abingdon News Eco Week ran in early May, in which pupils, staff and the wider community (including member schools of the OX14 Learning Partnership) were encouraged to focus on sustainability through a number of events and student-led initiatives aimed at encouraging individuals to help lower their impact on the environment. Led by students from Abingdon’s Eco Committee, initiatives included reducing food waste; pill packet recycling; reducing carbon miles and energy usage; and trying plant-rich menu alternatives, made from 50 future-proof sustainable foods identified by the World Wildlife Fund. Events for the week included an Eco Forum, organised by Abingdon School in Partnership and attended by students from John Mason School, Radley, St Helen and St Katharine and Abingdon. Students brainstormed ideas which their own schools could adopt in order to ensure environmental excellence in: education and student experience; engagement and leadership; biodiversity and the built environment; marine and water; energy; waste; healthy living; and transport. Tony Gray, Head of Abingdon’s Environmental Committee, said of the week: “Initiatives such as Eco Week, certainly bring sustainability firmly into focus, helping individuals to realise the difference they themselves can make. I am very grateful to the Eco Committee for their passion and hard work in making the week such a success; to my colleagues for getting involved; and to our guest speakers David Johnston MP and Marcus Gover, whose guidance and expertise will live with our students, and those of the OX14 Learning Partnership, for years to come; and whose influential positions can actually result in a true difference being made so that ultimately our goal to make sustainability part of the everyday life at Abingdon, can be realised.” The theme of ‘Think BigAct Local’ resulted in the creation of a manifesto which was presented at an Eco debate on Friday 6 May to MP David Johnston OBE (who himself hosted the second Wantage and Didcot Climate Summit in June with COP President Alok Sharma in attendance). Also in attendance was Marcus Gover, the CEO of independent charity, WRAP which works in the UK and internationally to tackle the climate emergency by changing the way natural resources are used and re-used and which specialises in the sustainability of food, plastics and clothing. Putting sustainability at the forefront of debate A group of four A Level physics students enjoyed an engineering lunch at the House of Lords in May. The theme of the lunch was ‘space engineering’ with talks given by three industry leaders, followed by the opportunity for questions from the audience. House of Lords
www.abingdon.org.uk 11 On Tuesday 3 May, Abingdon School CCF underwent their first Biennial Inspection in four years. There was much at stake, but the cadets didn’t disappoint. The day began with a whole contingent inspection outside Big School. After a few last minute rehearsals, and hours of work beforehand, the parade began. The inspecting officer Air Commodore Woods came and inspected all of the RAF and Army Cadets and was very impressed at their turnout of dress, standards and drill and was very complimentary. He also gave a very engaging speech on what individuals can take from being part of the cadet force and how it can benefit future careers, even if they’re not military related. After the successful parade, cadets made their way up to Dalton Barracks where 3 Regiment RLC, who regularly assist us, put on a round Robin of activities from Military theory tests to the live ranges, the assault course and a casualty evacuation competition run. This showed Air Cdre Woods how we operate in a non-ceremonial environment as well as highlighting the excellent partnership opportunities 3 Reg offer us. Overall it was a very successful day, enjoyed by all cadets who attended. Many thanks to Air Cdre Woods for coming to inspect the contingent and for his words of wisdom. Similarly, a massive thanks to the 3 Reg team for the afternoon activities and, most importantly, the CCF staff who have spent months organising this. The hard work of the contingent truly paid off and we hope this will be reflected in the report of the inspection. Chemical reactions As part of their core practicals requirement for the A Level, the Lower Sixth chemists have been preparing a sample of a halogenoalkane (compounds in which one or more hydrogen atoms in an alkane have been replaced by halogen atoms). Purification of organic liquids is an essential skill that chemists need and the students, in spite of the apparent complexity of the apparatus, quickly mastered the technique and obtained some excellent yields using equipment much the same as that found in many chemistry research labs. Abingdon News Biennial inspection Artist in residence After running a successful workshop entitled Painting with the Limited Palette, Rob Pretorius embarked on a part-time Residency at Abingdon School in January 2022, offering students the opportunity to work alongside a trained painter and draftsperson, and providing ongoing technical mentoring during lesson-time - particularly in core skills like drawing and colour mixing. Rob trained in portraiture and figure painting at Sarum Studio between 2015-2018, an independent atelier of fine art in Salisbury, UK, under the tutelage of Nicholas Beer. He learned to paint and draw according to a tradition that has passed down through generations, and is commonly known as the “sight-size” method. Since graduating, Rob has adapted his training to suit his ambitions, though he still works in oils and charcoal, and continues to take the human figure as his central focus across a variety of genres. Rob is based in the Sixth Form studio, and can be seen working up his many sketches and studies as part of the lengthy process required to realise a final figure composition as oil on canvas. The procedure provides the students an invaluable glimpse of a creative process that runs in parallel to their own sketchbook development and visual problem solving. DofE Participants from Abingdon School dedicated 2,782 hours to volunteering between April 2021 and March 2022, with a social value of £12,853.
12 September 2022 Abingdon News Many congratulations to Kajan Sivakumar who has been awarded The Rank Foundation School Leadership Award. Offered to only a handful of Sixth Form students from across the state and independent sectors each year, and only to those thought to have outstanding leadership potential, the award is an enormous privilege which carries with it a two week placement within a not-for-profit organisation. Driven by a desire to help others, Kajan has been volunteering and helping within his local community for several years, including running a Saturday Science Club for primary school children. However, it was volunteering at a care home during his 3rd Year that left a long lasting impression, making him want to pursue a career in medicine. “I just want to be able to help people and the Rank Foundation Leadership Award will give me so much more opportunity to do that outside my local area. I’m really looking forward to that.” Not one to rest on his laurels, Kajan will be shadowing an ER surgeon and a trauma and emergency gastro surgeon as part of two work placements over the summer; and hopes in the future to travel to Sri Lanka to volunteer in the local community in which his parents were born. Mr James, Kajan’s Housemaster, said of the award: “I honestly can’t think of a more deserving recipient - Kajan has proved to be an inspirational role model, both to his peers and to younger members of James’s House. He is always the first to put up his hand to help and works so hard in all he does. I am delighted for him.” Once Kajan has finished school, he will also be invited to join The Rank Foundation’s alumni organisation with all the benefits that it bestows. A first for Abingdon Easter camp began with excitement and high spirits, luckily not dampened by the bitterly cold Friday morning the cadets set out on. The cadets settled in well, with a busy first few days spent doing Fieldcraft and perfecting their rifle skills. The tuck shop cannot be forgotten and the queues stretched far outside the door when the new stock arrived! On Monday, the recruits had their first experience with live firing which was a blast. Three recruits qualified for their marksmanship badges, a phenomenal achievement for those who hadn’t shot a rifle before. The whole camp enjoyed a well earned rest on Monday evening with a movie night before the AI cadre (composed of 4th and 5th Years) set out on exercise the next day. The first night of the AI 48 hour exercise was exciting with a full ambush on an enemy vehicle checkpoint followed and plenty of ammunition spent as a result. Recruits joined the AI the next day and, after a stormy night, took part in a full platoon attack on the village to capture the elusive enemy. After returning to the barracks, there were a few hours of down time (used for sleep by many!) before drill practice for the passing out parade the next day. The parade was a roaring success and the whole contingent showed their standards to the impressed Deputy Commandant Cadets. Overall, the camp was a highly enjoyable experience and it set an excellent baseline for future post-Covid camps. A massive thank you must go to the staff who gave up their Easter holidays to attend and were instrumental in ensuring the camp ran as smoothly as it did. CCF Easter Camp Canoeing Expedition Over two days in June, six of our 4th Year students completed their DofE Bronze Canoeing Assessment Expedition. Starting in Tonbridge (Kent), they paddled the River Medway to their campsite in Yalding. Exciting canoe shoots and lovely conditions proved for a good first day. On day two, the students paddled to their finish in Maidstone - there was one unfortunate capsize but it didn’t deter their spirits and they all passed with flying colours.
www.abingdon.org.uk 13 Abingdon News Joint thinking supper Before half term, the Lower School academic award holders met pupils from St Helen and St Katharine for the final Joint Thinking Supper of the year. They were given a collection of ethical problems, logic puzzles and paradoxes to discuss in small groups and then presented their ideas about them at the end of the evening. Some rebus puzzles were fairly quickly solved, but Newcomb’s Problem proved particularly thought provoking and led to interesting debate about the nature of free will. Discovering ‘Jerusalem’ Jez Butterworth’s theatrical depiction of the rural life of an English waster took the Abingdon A Level students by storm in June when they went to see it at the Apollo Theatre, London. With a furiously comical display of drunkenness, illicit partying and swearing, Mark Rylance’s outstanding performance as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron explores contemporary anti-establishment movements that are all too relevant in 2022 - thirteen years after the play’s first debut. The Abingdon consensus was that this is a phenomenal production which left the Lower Sixth’s top littérateurs pondering the true modern identity of England’s pastures green. An action packed week Fifty nine 1st Years travelled to PGL Liddington in the final week of the Easter break to enjoy a wide range of activities including abseiling, canoeing, climbing, problem solving and zip wire. Providing the perfect environment to develop teamwork and communication skills, the trip also presented plenty of opportunities for our students to strengthen existing friendships and build new ones. Thorpe Park Around 30 boarders had a thoroughly fun afternoon at Thorpe Park one sunny Sunday in May, as part of a series of regular trips and excursions.
14 September 2022 Abingdon Music On Sunday 8 May, seven pupils from Abingdon’s close-harmony ensemble joined pupils from three other Oxfordshire schools in a masterclass with the King’s Singers. In the afternoon, they worked on the Billy Joel song ‘And So it Goes’, arranged by former King’s Singer and former Abingdon parent, Bob Chilcott. In the evening, the pupils were invited to join in the performance of this song at the end of the concert, which was the final event of the Dorchester Festival. This was a thoroughly enjoyable and productive experience for all concerned. Held in May, and adjudicated by Anna Leon, the Director of Music at Ashfold School, our Junior Solo Competition was a fantastic opportunity to get a taste of what’s in store for Music at Abingdon in the coming years. We were certainly not short of accomplished performances, making the evening extremely challenging for our adjudicator! Toby Williams opened the concert with a sensitively played rendition of Barbara Arlen’s ‘Moonbeams’; and then went on with a Mendelssohn ‘Song Without Words’ on the clarinet. Zack Weekes’ performance of ‘Changing Times’ captured the Jazzy atmosphere of the piece. Kwame Abayateye impressed us with an accomplished rendition of Tchaikovsky’s ‘Waltz from Sleeping Beauty’ before Nikhil Harie gave an exciting performance of ‘The Pretender’ by Foo Fighters featuring a well-managed guitar solo. Benjamin Byrne’s stirring performance of ‘See the Conquering Hero Come’ impressed with its superbly controlled tone. Edward Winter’s Diabelli ‘Sonatina in G major’ offered a carefully controlled left hand which allowed the right hand to really sing out. The concert was rounded off with a jaunty performance of a ‘Sea Song’ on bassoon by Harold Lethaby. After much deliberation, Miss Leon’s choice for 3rd place was Harold Lethaby’s Sea Song; 2nd place went to Kwame Abayateye’s Waltz; and 1st place to Benjamin Byrne’s ‘See the Conquering Hero’. Many congratulations to all those who performed and special mention must go to Benjamin, who has come so far since starting the French Horn here as a First Year student. A worthy winner indeed. Musical triumph Lower School Inter-Tutor Group Music Competition Lower School pupils gathered in the Amey Theatre after the Jubilee celebrations for the annual inter-tutor group music competition. Each group performed a song which they had had a few weeks to work on in their class music lessons. A wide array of instruments were deployed to provide accompaniment for the solo singers and chorus members. Miss Stulting had a difficult job when it came to deciding the winner, but gave 3rd place to 2S’s spirited rendition of “Sweet Caroline”, 2nd place to 1H who sang “Radioactive”, and 1st place to 2M for their lively and fun performance of “Waka waka”. The Lower School Gala Concert on 16 June provided Lower School students with the opportunity to celebrate their music making and showcase both individual and ensemble performances. Welcoming so many audience members to this year’s concert encouraged the students to perform to the highest level. Alongside the ensembles, Lower School Band, Open Mic Group, Junior Strings, Blues Society and Lower School Brass Ensemble, there were a number of outstanding individual contributions to the evening. From Bassoon to Bagpipes, the event catered for all musical tastes. The evening concluded with the whole of Lower School performing Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley. Very many thanks to all staff who helped put the concert together. Junior Solo Instrumental Competition King’s Singers
www.abingdon.org.uk 15 Abingdon Music The year’s Solo Platform No. 5 featured a relatively short programme of nine performances, but one of enormous quality that testified to the wealth of musical talent that we have at school. The opening item featured brothers and former New College Choristers, Oscar and Edward Bennett giving a most effective performance of Vaughan Williams’ arrangement of the beautiful folksong, Linden Lea, which they sang as an a cappella duet. We heard two clarinettists, Toby Williams in a lovely performance of Mendelssohn’s Song Without Words and 4th Year Stanley Wong’s performance of Saint-Saëns’ Sonata (allegro). Both were beautifully controlled and with a lovely legato line throughout. We enjoyed a total of six piano performances, all accomplished in their different ways. Elliot Liddle played a Chopin Mazurka, Justin Yeung a Poulenc Novelette, Laurence Peverall a Mozart Sonata (adagio), Yubo Gao a Mozart Sonata (allegro con spirito), Thomas Zhang Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor and finally, Walter Liu in Beethoven’s C major Piano Sonata in C Op2 No 3 (allegro con brio). The quality of the pupils’ playing was outstanding and it was a hugely enjoyable concert – our thanks and congratulations to all the pupils and their teachers. Solo Platform No. 5 It was wonderful to be able to arrange a live and full end of year Summer Concert in June. Our First Orchestra started the first half in a performance of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in Eb. Played with great accuracy and artistry by the three soloists (Laurence Peverall, Lachlan Keene and Oliver Hobbs) on a different Eb trumpet, kindly purchased by the School’s Music Society. Our Chamber Orchestra played next – first a pair of arias from Handel’s Messiah sung by Upper Sixth bass soloist, Jamie Robson, who sang with great conviction and musicianship. He was soon followed by Oliver Glover who played Gabriel’s Oboe, from the film ‘The Mission’. Under Mr Townsend’s direction, the Concert Band was next up, allowing us to hear a group of rousing marches including The British Grenadiers, Scipio, Slaidburn and Rule Britannia. Under Simon Currie’s inimitable leadership, the Big Band presented three tunes – Splanky (Count Basie), Blue Bossa (Henderson) and Feeling Good. It was great to hear some new soloists and to hear Upper Sixth vocalist, Aidan Chan, who was very much in his element. After the interval we heard from Jazz Inc. - a mixed staff and jazz quintet who played two numbers: Nostalgia in Times Square and The Theme from Monsters Inc. The Gospel Choir, under Dr Jason Preece’s direction, performed a couple of songs; Mr Blue Sky, and Time after Time. Accompanied by the staff ensemble, the choir sang with their normal palpable sense of enjoyment mixed with a tinge of nostalgia for the Upper Sixth for whom it was the last singing opportunity of their school career. The Second Orchestra played music from Harry Potter, Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Dance of the Tumblers, with confidence and panache. Our First Orchestra rounded off the concert with Weber’s Bassoon Concerto (first movement) with soloist, Josef O’Connor who stunned us with his technical authority and the rich quality of his voice. Before the last performance, the first movement of Dvorak’s great Symphony No 8 in G (which was joined by Mr Windsor in the double bass section), we said farewell to a great group of leaving musicians, and their parents, together with teacher and Chapel Choir Director, Mr Treadaway. We are looking forward with anticipation to July 2023, when we plan to reward our musicians with an exciting European tour to Abingdon’s twin towns. Summer Concert 2022
16 September 2022 Abingdon School in Partnership Peer Support Lead training Fifteen students from Abingdon joined other Lower Sixth students from the OX14 Learning Partnership at Fitzharry’s on 21 June for the launch of the 4th cohort of the crosstown Peer Support Lead programme. One of the most successful elements of our growing partnership programme, the training saw students learn about active listening, safeguarding and everyday leadership. They then conducted role plays with peers to mirror the features of an effective peer support lead. There was a wonderful buzz of excitement as the young people got to know one another and looked forward to supporting the pastoral care of youngsters back in their own school settings. We look forward to further training later in the year which will include managing anxiety and recognising the signs of depression. Science ambassadors With the departure of the Upper Sixth leavers, it has fallen to a brand new team of senior science ambassadors to inherit the responsibility of planning and running the weekly Primary Science Club for children from local schools. For their first session, the science ambassadors planned a forensics activity to identify a mystery ink using chromatography. Following completion of this task, the visiting primary children were then able to create imaginative artistic patterns using ‘Skittles’ sweets as sources of colour and predicting how the colours might spread and mix to make the most attractive patterns. ASiP Primary tag rugby tournament Over the course of this year, Abingdon rugby coach, Steve Bates, and four 5th Year students (Tom, Finn, Arthur and Asher) have been coaching tag rugby to Year 6 children in a number of local primary schools. These sessions, intended to teach core skills and encourage good teamwork and fun, culminated in a tag rugby tournament, held on 22 June. Thirty pupils from Long Furlong, Sunningwell and Caldecott put into action all the skills they had learned and standards were impressively high. The event was a huge success with students leaving tired, happy and gripping a certificate of participation. Members of Lower School CREST Science Awards Club have been taking the Squashed Tomato Challenge this term. This simulates a real engineering project built by the charity, ‘Practical Action’, in Nepal whereby hill farming communities now use a water powered cable car system to transport produce to valley towns in a fraction of the time it would take to carry them by mule down steep, mountain paths. Far less produce is therefore damaged and wasted so that the farmers make more money to support their families and pay for community projects such as schools and medical facilities. The CREST club members tried out a variety of their own designs using pulley systems or innovative water chutes to carry the produce. Once their designs have been perfected, they will be tested with real tomatoes in a set time interval to see which ones are most successful. The teams then hope to write up reports and presentations for submission to the British Science Association for CREST Awards. Festival of languages Ninety primary school pupils were welcomed to our ‘Festival of Languages’ this term. They participated in workshops on sign language, secret languages, French, German, Spanish and Mandarin; and Abingdon Sixth Form and 3rd Year students led several sessions in which they were able to develop their own communication and leadership skills. We were all impressed by the primary children’s enthusiasm and confidence as they tried out the new words and phrases that they had learned; and the leadership skills displayed by our own students during the course of the day.
www.abingdon.org.uk 17 Abingdon School in Partnership Garden to celebrate the Jubilee In the Lent term, students in the ASiP Eco group and pupils in the Eco committee of Thameside primary school came together to design a garden to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee year. This term, the challenge of bringing the garden to life began in earnest. A group of Abingdon students visited the primary school where they shovelled soil into new raised beds which, in turn, will be planted with wildflowers. What a wonderfully green fingered way to mark the Queen’s 70th year on the throne. Check-mate Throughout the Summer term, Abingdon 4th Year students have been running a chess club at Carswell Primary School. They are helping a group of Key Stage 2 pupils to perfect their game. Louis Bhatia said of the volunteering “I have found it really enjoyable and rewarding to teach younger children how to play chess. They have been very focussed and have learned really quickly.’ Primary Science Club Year 5 Carswell Primary school pupils and ASP’s Primary Science Club attended a ‘Virus Factory’ workshop earlier this term, working with researchers from Oxford University. Pupils found out about cells, extracted DNA from strawberries and discovered more about viruses and how they affect cells in living organisms. Fingerprinting Workshop In March, Abingdon Science Partnership once again hosted the award winning A Level Genetic Fingerprinting Workshop run by a team of researchers from Oxford University’s Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics and attended by Lower Sixth biologists from Abingdon and Carterton Community College. During the day, the students were introduced to the PCR technique for amplifying the genetic content of small samples. Using a PCR machine, the Sixth Formers prepared and analysed samples and used the results to identify their source. The researchers gave detailed accounts of their own research and career paths, allowing students to gain a very personalised insight into the many opportunities in the field and the real world application of techniques they learn in their studies. Academic Coaching At the beginning of the year, over 30 students from across the town took part in the OX14 Learning Partnership Academic Coaching programme. The training sessions, which were run for a total of eight weeks, introduced students to the ‘GROW’ coaching model - a simple method for setting goals and problem solving - which enabled effective coaching conversations to progress towards clear actions and outcomes. Weekly Youth Space Since February, students from all six of the OX14 Learning Partnership Schools (John Mason, Fitzharrys, Radley, Abingdon, Larkmead, and St Helen and St Katharine) have had access to a newly created youth space, thanks to a collaboration between local wellbeing charity ‘The Abingdon Bridge’ and the OX14 Learning Partnership. Providing a safe place for young people to socialise and have access to early interventions, fun activities and supportive wellbeing sessions, the initiative will offer many opportunities, and teach many skills, to a large number of young people helping to equip them with the necessary skills to overcome many of life’s challenges. One student said: “It’s such a fun space and really helps to have grown ups to talk to who aren’t your parents or teachers.”
18 September 2022 Abingdon Sport It was an encouraging post Covid return to normality for the boat club this summer, with lots of pupils out racing and doing well. Saturday 7 May saw over 100 pupils race for Abingdon at the Bedford Regatta - the first big regatta for the whole club post Covid. It was heartening to see the crews all back together to enjoy summer racing. Later in the season, 45 students made A finals at the National Schools Regatta, with highlights including a bronze medal for the J14B crew, 5th, 5th, 6th and 7th for the J15B, J14A, J15A, J16B crews. At the Henley Royal Regatta in July, the 1st VIII pre-qualified but, in a tough draw, lost out to the Australian Champions Kings School Parramatta. Rowing Abingdon students enjoyed an afternoon of canoe polo with Queen’s College Taunton on Sunday 22 May. This began with an inter school match which Abingdon won and then the rest of the session was spent training and playing friendly games with mixed teams. A particular well done goes to Edward Saunders in his last fixture for the school as an Upper Sixth leaver. Canoe Polo National Schools Squash Finals Abingdon’s KS4 Team achieved the outstanding feat of reaching the finals of the England Schools Championships in Nottingham. Representing the team were Alex Smith, Felix Loeffen, Luke Remmington, Alex Kleinknecht, Will Simpson and Wilf Barter. It was an exhausting but exciting day of squash. Our team was up against both national and international players, and they did outstandingly well, with Alex Smith and Felix Loeffen achieving particularly brilliant wins. Despite the fact that four of our six players are a year young, Abingdon came 8th in the country, which is an extraordinary achievement to cap a breakthrough year. Our thanks go to our brilliant coach Ben Rosec, ably supported by Guy Tupper. Abingdon seniors have been engaged in a number of important tennis matches throughout this term. In the Glanville cup in May, the first team beat Radley and progressed to the next round to play Sir William Borlase. The team played some phenomenal tennis, with Max Struthers and Tanguy Wache both taking their games to some close tiebreaks but, in the end, it was not enough to secure the win. In the Independent Schools League, a gruelling series of matches played over two days against 6 other schools, Abingdon narrowly missed out in the first round, placing them in Group 2 for the following day, where they competed against Charterhouse, Radley and St George’s. Abingdon was narrowly beaten to first place by deserved winners Radley and came out second in Group 2, placing them 6th overall. On Saturday 14 May, Abingdon’s top 32 players took on Radley again in the annual “Radlingdon” match. This tournament is always a good opportunity for more junior players to challenge the seniors and it was great to see so many of our younger players out on the courts. Having got a pair through to the final, Abingdon narrowly lost to Radley’s 1st pair. It was, nevertheless, a fun day with plenty of sport and a great experience. Upper Sixth Croquet On a very hot and sunny Wednesday afternoon in June, the Abingdon croquet team attended an away fixture at Radley College, involving over 20 students from Lower School to Upper Sixth. We may have lost 14.5-5.5, but the students very much enjoyed their first fixture in over 2 years and are looking forward to a rematch soon. Tennis
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