6 Abingdon Prep • September 2025 Year 8R became journalists in English lessons to report on their experiences. A ‘Serve-icient’ Season By Kit Kelleher - Tennis reporter We started our tennis campaign this spring competing in the annual Magdalen tournament - always a challenging fixture. We faced tough opposition in classic British rainfall, eventually coming 4th out of 6 teams. Later in the term, on a roasting afternoon at the Radley tournament, agonisingly, we came last, Summerfields winning for the fifth time in a row. The day after Radley, we played Moulsford again on our own turf, winning 7 games out of 9. Our match against New College was a game full of quality shots on an unusual grass surface, a close battle played in a civil rivalry, where we narrowly came out on top. In our final match of the season we played against Abingdon: in oppressive heat we sadly lost but Ben and I were able to beat Abingdon’s number 2 pair with more victories across the board. To celebrate our wonderful season we decided to mix the APS and AS teams in a friendly and fun game which was an enjoyable way to socialise with our future peers at Abingdon. CREST Awards THE 8R TIMES THE 8R TIMES By Aubrey & Toprak, Science reporters In our final term at APS, 8R worked in small groups on the British Science Association’s Bronze CREST Award in which we chose, tested and presented a topic of interest. By George, lighting and theatre correspondent; Elliot, acting connoisseur; and Aaron, musical theatre maestro On June 12th, Years 7 & 8 performed The Lion King Jnr to an overflowing Amey Theatre. The show received expert support from directors, Julia Howson and Mike Stinton, and producer, Emma Penfold. It was excellently cast, performed and sung by the pupils with a whole ensemble of supporting characters. Key roles included Alex Thrilling Theatre Our group researched the change in the pigment of the yolk of a chicken’s egg when different substances such as corn and paprika were added to their diet, as well as normal chicken feed composed of wheat with added protein, fats, vitamins and mineral supplements. Another group studied tardigrades, microscopic creatures living in the ground. They were most interested in their ability to survive any environment when living conditions are inadequate for their survival by going into a state of cryptobiosis in which they dry up and shrink in size making them nearly indestructible to all damage, reanimating when conditions improve. Other projects included the quest for cleaner energy, making a more ergonomic games controller and discovering in which sport balls are hit the fastest. The APS Other Half By Montgomery George Mackenzie-Reilly – Other Half Reporter Our school offers over 80 ‘Other Half’ activities, ranging from Countdown Club to football, and over the years I have had an enjoyable experience of a few of these. One of my favourites has been Dungeons & Dragons (or DnD), a social role-playing game in which all members have to work together. This is one of the clubs which I have enjoyed with my friends since the beginning of the year. It gives a great way for pupils to socialise with one another, and is an engaging club outside of academics or sports, and still and Trystan as Simba, Reuben and Bear as Nala, Jasper and Kit as Timon and Pumbaa, Elliot as Scar and Aaron as Rafiki. The stage was filled with dynamic props and the main cast wore stunning masks and headdresses, all made at school in DT and Art, complemented by colourful costumes and exquisite make-up. The performance was augmented by the brilliant work of the pupil Tech Crew, George, Ayaan and Chris, who controlled lighting, sound and the microphones which all the speaking and singing parts wore. It’s fair to say that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the show, audience and performers alike. In fact, it was a ‘roaring’ success!
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