Lyonian Magazine 2003 - The Lyonian Association

Transcription

Governors:
The Governors of Harrow School
Committee of Management:
Dr. O. Arwel Hughes (Chairman)
W.D.Ashcroft (O.L.) • M.J.Ames (O.L.) • J.S. Kettle • N. Stuart C.B .• Dr. A.B. Cooke OBE • Mrs. B.W. Connolly
Mrs. S.c. Hargreaves • C.M. Nunn (O.L.) • w.G.S. Massey QC
B.J. Lenon (Head Master of Harrow School) • A.J.F. Stebbings (Clerk to the Governors)
Headmaster: C. Ray. BA (London). Ph.D. (Can tab). C.Phys.
Second Master. Deputy Headmaster (Staff): E.D.A. Barnes. BA (Oxon). History
Deputy Headmaster (Academic): S. Miles. B.Mus. (London). A.R.C.O.• A.R.C.M .• A.Mus .. LCM. Director of Music
Deputy Headmaster (Pastoral): DA Rimmer. B.Sc. (London). M.Sc. (London). Mathematics
Director of Academic Administration: R.L McNae. B.Sc. (Birmingham). C. Phys .. M.lnst.p, Physics and Electronics
RV. French. B.Sc. (Hertfordshire). C.Biol .• M.lnst.Biol .. Biology. Head of Sixth Form
LR. Parker. B.Sc. (Loughborough). P.E. and Geography. Head of Upper School
Ms. P. Waldron. BA (Reading). Modern languages and English. Head of Oldfield and Lower School
T.). Adnitt, B.Sc. (City University). MA (City University). Music Technology
Miss C.E. Allkins. BA (Durham). Modern languages
B.I.D. Aschenbrenner. M.A. (St. Andrews). Mathematics. Physics. Physical Education
S. Brown. B.Des. (Dundee). MA (Cardiff). Art and Design
L.D. Budd. BA (Wales). MA (Wales). English. SEN Co-ordinator
P.M. Clarke. BA (Newcastle). M.Sc. (London). Mathematics. Learning Strategies Co-ordinator
R.L. Cobb. B.Ed. (Birmingham). B.A. (Open University). Head of Economics and Business Studies
Miss BA Consedine. B.A. (Canterbury NZ). History
Mrs. J. da Silva. BA (Madras) P.G. Dip. A.L.A. (N. London). librarian
O.S. Druker. B.Mus. (T.C.M.). Music
RA Freeborn. B.Sc. (London). M.Sc. (Hertfordshire). Computing.lCT and Mathematics. Computer Manager
Miss D. Gibbs. BA (Surrey). Director of Drama
C.D. Gladwell. BA (London). History and Politics. Senior Tutor (Careers)
C. Grey. B.Mus (RAM).l.RAM .• MusidMusic Technology
Ms. B. Guyomard. B.A. (Nanterre). MA (Nanterre). Modern Languages
G. Haines. BA. B.Ed. (Montreal). MA (Chicago). Psychology
Miss C.M.E. Harrison. B.A. (London). MA (Sussex). Head of Art and Design
Mrs. P.J. Hawes. BA (Open University). R.SA SpLD Diploma. Dyslexia Specialist
Mrs. CA Higson. B.A. (London). Dip. Drama. Drama
B. Holgate. B.Sc. (Coventry). C.Phys .• M.lnst.P.. Head of Physics. Head of Butler House
Mrs. E.J. Ingham. B.Sc. (Leicester). M.Sc. (Bradford). Physics. Chemistry and Biology
).l.lrvine. MA (Glasgow). Head of German. Senior Tutor (Sixth Form)
A.L. Jones. B.Sc. (Brunei). Physical Education. Head of Norwood House
c.J. Jones. M.Sc. (Brunei). Director of Physical Education. Head of Moore House
Mrs. M. Leach. MA (Bucharest). English
N. Loudon. BA (Birmingham). Head of languages
J. MacLeod. BA (Oxon) Head of English
T. Mahon. B.Sc. (Surrey). M.A. (London). B.Sc. (London). Physics and Chemistry. Head ofVaughan House
Mrs. E.J. Marden. BA (Exeter). Modern languages
Mrs.).P. Mason. B.Sc. (Sussex). MBA (Leicester). Head of Science
Mrs.J.L. Morris. M.B.A. (Leicester). MA (London). Modern Languages. Senior Careers and HE Advisor
Miss A. L. Mullin. BA (York). Head of History and Politics
N.H. Parsons. BA (Nottingham). English. Information Officer
Mrs. J.M. Perdue. Cert. Ed. (London). Biology and Chemistry. Head of Internal Administration
P.N.B. Perdue. Cert.Ed. (Brunei). Art and Design. Technical Bursar
Mrs. L.S. Plum mer. BA (Middlesex). Religious Studies. Head of SPACE. Senior Tutor (Third Form)
J.R. Preston. B.Sc. (Exeter). Geography. Senior Tutor (Fourth Form)
P. Ratinckx. BA (Leeds) Economics and Business Studies
A. Roy. BA (Reading). English. Senior Tutor (Second Form & SPACE)
G.J. Ryder. B.Sc. (London). MA (London). Head of Biology. Academic Senior Master
M.J. Sadler. BA (Bristol). Head of Latin
P. Sanders. B.Sc. (London). Head of Chemistry. Staff Senior Master
Mrs.L Sassaroli. BA (Ostrava). Mathematics
RA Shaw. B.Sc. (London). MA (London). Head of Geography
Miss E.K. Sigston. BA (Sheffield Hallam). Art and Design, Director of Activities. Senior Tutor (Fifth Form)
D.P. Vosper Singleton. M.Math. (Oxon). Mathematics
C.L.M.Tucker. MA (Oxon). Mathematics
W.R.J. Waite. B.Sc. (Sheffield). Head of Mathematics
D.F.Weedon. MA (Oxon.). Chemistry. Assistant Director of Academic Administration
The Rev. A.S. Westlake. BA (Southampton). BA (Bristol). Head of Religious Studies. Assistant Head of Oldfield
).Woodhall. MA (Kingston). LTCL. ALCM. Music
A.P.Wright, B.Sc. (Open University). Computing.lCT and Mathematics. Academic Administrator
Foundation Bursar: NA Shryane. M.B.E .• BA. M.Phi!.
PA to the Headmaster: Mrs. H.S. Cade
School Bursar: G.F. Arscott. B.Sc.
Admissions Officer: Miss D. Holland
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SPEECHES
Activities
During the course of last year, we increased the number of activities
taking place, at lunchtimes and after school. We also started the new
Friday afternoon programme, under the leadership of Elaine Sigston,
with the first year boys involved in activities such as hockey, archery,
and water polo. This programme has now been expanded to
embrace all years up to and including the Lower Sixth.
Drama
We have seen two outstanding major productions, together with
many fine performances in our Drama Studio. The year began with
an accomplished production of The Crucible in the Autumn, directed
by one of our English teachers, Dom Roy; and, in the Spring Term,
our new Director of Drama, Deborah Gibbs, produced a
magnificent musical Guys and Dolls - to great acclaim - in the Ryan
Theatre, with strong support from Stuart Miles and the Music
Department.Those who attended one ofthe three performances of
Guys and Dolls will not forget the sheer joy evident amongst the cast
and the immense professionalism of Deborah's first major
production here. In addition, there have been many fine
performances in our Drama Studio. An especially notable event was
a spirited joint production with Harrow School, involving our Third
Form and their Shell. Finally, I am proud to announce that Jonathan
Bullock, who was selected for the National Youth Theatre last year
and who is later to receive a special award for Drama, is our first
Timothy West Drama Scholar.
Music
The enthusiasm, commitment and musical skills of our boys
performing at all levels are remarkable. Throughout the year we
have enjoyed a terrific range of music - wind, strings, piano, choral,
sal sa, and rock. There have been many wonderful occasions - the
Commemoration Concert with Harrow School here in the Speech
Room, with an outstanding flute solo from Jiten Halai, the Autumn
Concert, which included two songs performed by the entire First
Form, the packed Christmas Concert at St John's, Greenhill and in
July, the John Lyon Rock Band,Jackoby Night, performing on the
Southbank in the Queen Elizabeth Hall in the finals of the National
Youth Music Festival. Matthew Collins,Joshua Sasto,Anup Paul, and
Jai Paul are to be congratulated on the considerable success they
have achieved.
Art
I was delighted to attend an exhibition of GCSE and AS examination
work in Art in the Summer Term. Under the leadership of Caroline
Harrison, the new Head of Art and DeSign, the standards reached
were high and promise much for the future of this subject at John
Lyon.
Academic
During the last two years, I have asked our boys to raise their
academic Sights. I am delighted to say that their response has been
terrific. ConSistency and an upwards trend are the hallmarks of a
very good school: and our boys have achieved exceptionally good
results for GCSE, at AS level and at A level. The previous records in
each of our public examination years have not so much been
broken, but smashed, by this generation of boys. Also gratifying is
the fact that well over 80% of our Upper Sixth boys gained their
first university choice. The success of our boys at all levels - well
A. V. Lakhani, Head Boy, 2002/03, delivers his speech.
SPEECHES
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ahead of national improvements - has now firmly established this
school as one of the top twenty boys' independent day schools in
the country. Staff and parents too have played a critical part in
helping our boys to achieve so much. Particular thanks must go to
Stuart Miles. our Academic Deputy Head. to Graham Ryder. in
charge of university entrance procedures. and to Durell Barnes. the
Second Master. who is doing sterling work vigorously promoting the
professional development of our teachers. Finally. I am delighted to
announce that Mark Gettleson. who leaves us to read History at
King's College Cambridge. has been awarded the prize for the
outstanding John Lyon Scholar of2003.
Changes
Three key developments have taken place during the last twelve
months. I believe that each will have a lasting and positive effect
upon the School and its community.
I. The establishment of the Sixth Form Centre in the Red House
which is not just a space for our sixth-form students to occupy
and enjoy. but a place for which they will take responsibility and
help to develop.
2. The enhancement of our computer facilities - essential if we are
to promote effective. responsible. independent learning. These IT
facilities include: a new language laboratory. a zone for individual
and group work in the library. a room for sixth-form use in the
Red house; and a direct link with the computer systems at
Harrow School.
3. An increase in the number of scholarships. means-tested
bursaries and prizes available. largely thanks to the generosity of
individual donors and to the John Lyon Charity.
Aims
Critical amongst our aims are the needs to:
• Improve the academic standing of the School. support and
challenge all abilities. and encourage enthusiastic teaching and
learning.
• Develop our pastoral strengths. establish a structured personal
and social education programme and provide further support for
those with learning difficulties.
• Promote creativity, not just through Art, Drama. and Music, but
also through the mainstream academic curriculum. activities and
sports.
• Create a DevelopmentAppeal Office to help us to fund new
capital projects and to establish new bursaries and scholarships.
We shall retain the best of John Lyon, but develop new strengths.
Our aspirations are high ... but our pupils. your sons. these boys.
deserve nothing less.
Dr Christopher Ray
Much has been done. but if we are to deliver the education our
boys deserve. we cannot relax our efforts.
Inspection
Next year. in the Autumn Term of 2004. the School will be inspected
by the Independent Schools Inspectorate. When John Lyon was last
visited by inspectors in 1998. they qUite rightly emphasised the
pastoral strengths of the school. paying particular tribute to the
excellent relationships between staff and boys and amongst the
boys. However. the school was asked to rethink much. in particular:
its approach to the management of the school. to the curriculum
and to the Sixth Form. We have done so. and we have involved staff.
boys. parents and the heads of our 'feeder' schools in our
deliberations. Reflecting upon all that was said proved most helpful
as we identified our aims for the next five years.
The new, purpose-built reception area.
a
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COMMEMORATION DAY
The Service
In
Commemoration
of the Founder,
John Lyon
At 10.30, on the morning following the Commemoration Concert,
representatives of Harrow and The John Lyon School joined with
members of the congregation of St Mary's Church for Eucharist,
Harrow-on-the-Hi", to commemorate the founder and other
benefactors, and to witness the formal laying of a wreath at the tomb
of John Lyon.The Head Master of Harrow School read the words of
commemoration and the Headmaster of The John Lyon School, read
the first lesson from Genesis, Chapter 12.
In his sermon, reproduced in full below,James Power, the
Chaplain of Harrow School, linked the words of George Herbert's
poem, The Call, sung by Owen Peachey, the previous evening, with
John Lyon's most important and enduring legacies of the two schools
and the John Lyon Charity. The Plainsong Choir, augmented by
musicians from The John Lyon School, led the singing and performed
the anthem, The New Commonwealth' by Vaughan Williams.
The following sermon was delivered By James Power, Harrow School
Chaplain, on the 5th October; at the Service of Commemoration of
our founder, John Lyon, at St Mary's The Eucharist.
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life!
Such a Way as gives us breath:
Such a Truth as ends a" strife:
Such a Life as ki"eth Death.
These lines form the first stanza of George Herbert's poem, The Call,
the fourth ofVaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs which those lucky
enough to have attended yesterday evening's concert would have
heard sung by Owen Peachey.
John Lyon's legacy was a road and a School, initially; now, there
are two schools and the charity which bears his name, funding some
of the most exciting educational projects in this part of London, John
Lyon's Charity. In their different ways, roads and schools imply
journeys, movement from one place to another - in the first case,
geographical movement and in the second, spiritual and academic
'movement'.To journey is a mark of life: animals migrate and since
the dawn of time humans have journeyed across the face of the
globe.Abram and Sarai's journey was indicative of the mass
migrations of peoples at the time: explorers of every age are driven
by the desire to cross horizons and expand frontiers. Like them, we
each search for our 'Promised Land', our 'Canaan'. And far from
being journeys which tire and diminish us, these are explorations
which excite and energise us:'Such a Way as gives us breath'.
There are forty eight young people preparing for confirmation at
Harrow this term and immediately after this service we are going on
a day's retreat. Early on in their time of preparation I invite them to
draw a "time line" of their lives, marking on it those significant events
that remain in the memory: first memory, first day at school, the
arrival of the first family pet, or indeed the death of a pet, the death
of a member of the family - the events which punctuate our lives. I
do that because very often these are events in which we can
become aware of God in our lives: moments of recognition,
moments of revelation, moments which give us breath or sometimes
take our breath away, stations on the journey of time.
In Greek, there are two words for time: Chronos meaning the
passing time, the background to a" our lives and Kairos, sometimes
translated as the time of decision, the moment of crisis. In 'time line
terms', the every day is chronos, while the significant memories are
kairos moments.
Today we look back over 400 years of history since John Lyon
was granted a charter for the foundation of a school at Harrow-onthe-Hill in 1572; six years later, in 1578, he founded a charity to
maintain the Harrow Road. Those actions ensured that when he died
41 I years ago last Friday, the journey that is this Foundation was one
that was available for others to travel. In 1876, The John Lyon School
was founded in an attempt to recapture some of Lyon's original
vision and in 1991 John Lyon's Charity, using the capital originally set
aside for the road, came into being. These might be considered our
kairos moments: those moments when new breath is given to those
who travel John Lyon's way.
Today we give thanks for those moments when God's eternal
presence is revealed in our own lives and on our own journeys, but
above a" we give thanks for the journey of John Lyon and pray that
we are worthy travellers on that road.
In a moment, we will make our way to the altar to receive
communion or a blessing. For the Christian, this can be a kairos
moment, just as it was for the travellers on the road to Emmaus,
who recognised the risen Christ in the breaking of the bread, having
struggled to come to terms with the events of the past few days
which had seen their friend and co"eague,Jesus of Nazareth,
crucified as a common criminal. We shall be walking Christ's way, to
be his guests, at his table. This need not be an exclusive journey;
rather Christ as the Way, the Truth and the Life, invites a" to join him
walking the way, exploring the truth and living the life ...
Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life!
Such a Way as gives us breath:
Such a Truth as ends a" strife:
Such a Life as killeth Death.
UNIVERSITY
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University Destinations
September 2003
Ludovic Aldersley
EisaAli
James Backer
Vickna Balarajah
Tom Banyard
Christopher Barbaric
Matthew Bellamy
Daniel Bennett
Thomas Bowen
Harpal Chokkar
Jonathan Childs
Paul Choy
Simon Colwill
Eoin Connolly
Thomas Cook
Ryan Dale
David Delameillure
Gregory Dillon
Josh Dmochowski
Alexander Ferguson
Jamie Furer
Mark Gettleson
Indrajeet Ghosh
Edward Hemming
Amit Hindocha
Philip Ho
Os man Ishaq
Rhodri James
Suresh Joshi
Andrew Karim
Sameer Karimbhai
Tarang Katira
Paul King
Atish Lakhani
James Lancaster
Kevin Larkin
Albert Lau
Lorenzo Lim
Vincent Man
Jiten Mashru
Giles Matthews
Charles Mukherjee
Arsalan Noon
Alexander Ofosu-Adjei
Ryosuke Okazaki
Robert Palmer
Alpesh Patel
Arpit Patel
Dylan Patel
Neer Pate I
Nikhil Patel
Nishil Patel
Raoul Patel
Kunal Radia
Amish Raichura
Jasdip Sagoo
Aneek Sarkar
Mark Selvarajah
Senthooran Selvarajah
Hemal Shah
Rajeev Shah
Bristol
Bristol, University of West of England
Warwick
Queen Mary College London
Edinburgh
Warwick
Southampton
Oxford (Regent's College)
Oxford Brookes
University of East Anglia
Surrey
Sussex
Durham
York
Exeter
Warwick
Oxford (Exeter College)
John Moores
Brighton School of Medical Sciences
Reading
Cambridge (King's College)
Birmingham
Warwick
Manchester
Imperial
King's College London
Birmingham
Luton
Leeds
Warwick
Cambridge (King's College)
Portsmouth
Warwick
York
Birmingham
Middlesex
University College London
Hertfordshire
Portsmouth
York
Manchester
Bristol
Warwick
Nottingham
City
Newcastle
Hertfordshire
Brighton
Leicester
Kings College London
Leeds
Manchester
Imperial College London
Leicester
Nottingham
Economics & Econometrics inc European Study
Law & Politics (2004)
Computer Science
Medicine
Mathematics
French with International Studies
History
Modern History
Retail Business Management
Accountancy & Law
Business Management
Geography & Anthropology
Chemistry (Industrial)
English (2004)
Economics (2004)
Law
Molecular & Cellular Biochemistry
Business Studies
Medicine
French
Law
History
Medicine
Film & Literature (2004)
Economics
Electrical Engineering
Computer science
Geography
Psychology & Criminology
Economics
Law
Economics
Geography
Law
Law
Politics
Economics
Engineering
Geography
Economics & Management Studies
Product Design & Innovation
Medicine
Accounting & Finance
Economic History & Economics
Music
History
Medicine
Medicine
Civil Engineering
Medicine
Economics
Foundation in Pharmaceuticals & Chemical Science
Dentistry
Law
Dentistry
Dentistry
Computing with Industrial Experience
Electrical Engineering
Immunology
Economics
Maths with Management
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UNIVERSITY
Sagar Shah
Sunit Shah
Vinal Shah
James Silvester
Antony Singer
Jasbir Sohal
Daniel Stock
Edward Swain
James Taylor
Amar Thakkar
Rahul Thakkrar
Ravi Thakkrar
Saavan Thakkrar
Robin Turner
Samit Unadkat
Jugal Vansia
Benjamin Wilks
Manchester Metropolitan
Manchester
Exeter
Leeds
Brunei
Manchester
Bangor
Manchester Metropolitan
Manchester
Manchester Institute of Science & Technology
Southampton
Imperial College London
Manchester Institute of Science & Technology
Economics
Business Management
Politics. Philosophy and Economics
Mathematics (2004)
Sociology
Foundations of Information Technology
History
Psychology
Law
Foundation in Business & Economics
Law
Modern Language & Business Management
Mathematics. Statistics & Operational Research
Politics & Sociology
Medicine
Pharmacology
Electronic Systems Engineering
Qualification results
Namel Alahakoon
Abidali Alibhai
Thomas Alibone
Nader Amir-Alikhani
Neil Brown
Steven Bull
Alexander Burnley
Richard Coleman
Paul Coney
Kaushik Das
Nilantha De Zoysa
Jaamit Durrani
Samuel Foster
David Franklyn
Stephen Greek
James Hutton
Christopher Jago
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Kyriacos Karseras
Kyle Kensett
Yatish Kerai
Martin Larkman
Stuart Lawrence
James Lazarus
David Lemmon
Lavan Manmatharajah
Jatish Mistry
Kajen Mohanadas
Yusuke Okazaki
David Palmer
Nikhil Patel
Nishit Patel
Vivek Patel
Umang Paw
Justin Powell
William Ryan
Daniel Sasto
Jeremy Shere
Nicholas Smart
Kevin Somaratne
Nishil Tanna
RajivTanna
Matthew Willis
KCL
Manchester
Manchester
UCL
Warwick
Reading
UCL
Sussex
Reading
Manchester
UCL
Sussex
Cambridge
Cardiff
Birmingham
UCL
Reading
Cambridge
Plymouth
Hertfordshire
Nottingham
University of Leeds
Birmingham
Manchester
KCL
Portsmouth
Cambridge
Edinburgh
Durham
City
Southampton
University of Kingston
City
UMIST
Anglia
Birmingham
Coventry
Reading
Southampton
Southampton
Reading
Nottingham
September 2003
Law
Economics
English
Architecture
Maths and Computing
English
Jewish History (200 I)
Law
History
Economics
Medicine
English
Maths & Physics
Music & Philosophy
Politics (200 I)
Statistics & Computer Sciences
English
History
BA Archaeology.Classics. Classical Art
HND Computer Sciences
Foundation - Computer Sciences
Ancient History
LAW LLB (Hons)
Social Science
History
Medicine
Pharmacology
Economics
Sociology & Social Anthropology
History
Business & Computing Systems
Bio Medical Sciences
Computer Science
Computer Sciences
Engineering
Forensic Science & Microbiology
Business & Commerce
Equine & Human Sports Sci.
Economics & Accountancy
Economics
BSc Economics
Accounting & Economic Studies
Manufacturing Eng & Man with French
LAW (LLB) 2:2
English Literature + Language (BA Hons) 2:2
English Literature 2: I
2:2
English with Development Studies 2: I
2:2
2:1
BA (Hons) 2: I
2:1
2:1
B.Eng 2:2
Bcom(Hons) 2: I
(HND)
2:1
2:1
Hons 2:1
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F
A
R
STAFF NEWS
E
w
E
Brian Simmons
Brian became a member of John Lyon's Mathematics Department
in January 1971, following a short spell at The Nautical College,
Greenwich. His enthusiasm and dedication to the teaching of
mathematics was immediately evident and he was appointed
Head of Department within three years.
The Department flourished and its reputation and profile
increased under his quiet and firm management. His vision for
the teaching of Mathematics in the school was gradually
implemented and found its expression in good teaching and
excellent examination results.
His support for the members of his department was
unswerving and he gave his teachers the confidence to develop
their teaching skills. Indeed many have since gone on to become
heads of Mathematics departments elsewhere. Often Brian
would increase his own teaching commitments to allow others
to develop their interests in areas of school life quite separate
from Mathematics.
During recent years, Brian has devoted himself to teaching
his subject at all levels. However, he has also been deeply
involved in the extra-curricular life of the school. He managed a
cricket team for many years, has regularly contributed to House
activities and has been an active member of the Parents'
Association, helping to forge an essential link between parents
and teaching staff.We will miss his reassuring presence in school
and we wish him well in his retirement.
D.A.Rimmer
L
L
lan Read
lan Read joined the school in January 1988 as Head of the Art
Department.An extremely talented artist himself, he introduced
pottery, printing and sculpture to the boys of John Lyon. Many
boys have cause to thank him for broadening their knowledge
and experiences through museum and art gallery visits. His art
history trips to Russia and Italy stand as a model of how to make
learning enjoyable.
However, his talents extend far beyond the Art Department.
He is a keen sportsman and has been energetically involved in
coaching, refereeing and umpiring. He has given up many a
lunchtime and Saturday to train or accompany football and
cricket teams to away matches.
He is also a great helper of other people and has supervised
groups on the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, the Outward
Bound expedition, and latterly the school cricket tour to South
Africa.This is in addition to his work painting sets for school
plays and producing graphics and stunning photographs for the
Lyonian, our school magazine.
His warm-heartedness and dedication have been greatly
appreciated by the boys in his care and the applause he received
after his speech of farewell at the final school assembly of the
year was a measure of the affection and esteem in which he is
held. We wish him well as he retires to Spain to paint in that
wonderful Spanish sunlight.
I.R. Parker
¥
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STAFF NEWS
Paul Flanagan
Paul Flanagan came to the John Lyon School
in September 1999 as a teacher of
Economics and History. He quickly
established himself, both as an excellent
classroom teacher and a 'schoolmaster', in
the widest sense of the term. Though firm
in the classroom, he was easily able to
understand and empathise with the
interests and concerns of boys whom he
treated as individuals.
These qualities strongly emerged in his
role as a form tutor. Boys were always able
to discuss personal issues but. by the same
token, learned much about current affairs,
sport and what was expected of a 'John
Lyon boy.' On occasions, desks were pushed
aside while boys were shown the difference
between a googly and an off break! I know
he was very moved by the care and effort
his form took in creating his leaving present.
Paul was able to use his strong
relationship with the boys in leading the
school charity effort for two consecutive
years. The amounts collected and the
personal effort involved were remarkable
and much appreciated. However, his charity
work is only one strand of his extracurricular contribution. An excellent
cricketer himself, Paul has been able to
develop the sporting talents of many boys
who have enormously appreciated the
hours and care he has put into the coaching
and management of school teams.
He has been innovative in many areas;
he has established a very successful Economics Society, and has pioneered the development of Business Studies. On a personal note, I will miss his friendship, wit and
humour, as will other members of staff. He
has moved on to become Head of Economics and Business Studies at Reigate
Grammar School where he will undoubtedly make a similarly energetic contribution.
R.L.Cobb
Ben Hull
After two very successful years teaching
saxophone, we say farewell to Mr Ben Hull.
Ben is a dynamic and versatile player and
some twenty boys have valued his
expertise. He founded the highly successful
John Lyon Saxophone Ensemble and this
group has entertained us at numerous
concerts.A particular highlight was their
performance of 'Watermelon Man' at
Speeches in September.
Ben is emigrating to Australia to pursue
his musical career.We wish him well.
S.Miles
Tim Pender
Tim Pender joined the English Department
at John Lyon in 200 I and became a
cornerstone of the Department so quickly
that it is hard to remember a time when he
was not around. He rapidly established
himself, taking a full part in the life of the
School and giving every job he took on his
all.
Tim is a remarkable teacher,
enthusiastic, energetic and committed. He
loves teaching and enjoys working with
young people. As his classes will confirm, he
manages to create a purposeful and goodhumoured atmosphere where hard work is
the order of the day but where there is
always room for the frequent good joke.
He has been a marvellous colleague,
stimulating, full of good ideas and always
ready to discuss new approaches and
strategies. His energy and passion for his
subject has encouraged many boys to
decide to study English at the highest level.
Drama is one of his great loves and he
is a fine director. Many will remember his
remarkable production of Twelve Angry Men
in the Drama Studio - a highly intelligent
and tightly acted work that stayed in the
mind long after the final curtain. However,
as with all good teachers, he has gained
promotion, and is now Head of Drama at
Merchant Taylors' School, and while we miss
his lively presence, we wish him all the very
best in his new post.
N.H. Parsons
Sarah Bishop
Sarah joined the Biology Department in
September 2002 on a temporary one-term
contract. She had previously spent one term
at Burnham Grammar School, having left a
long-term post in New Zealand as she
embarked upon the traditional 'Kiwi World
Tour'.
Within days of her arrival, we were all
very impressed by her dynamism,
enthusiasm for science, and the way she
related to the boys. Above all she quickly
proved to be an excellent colleague, well
liked and respected by all. It took a number
of weeks but she was persuaded to modify
her plans and spend the year with us. She
had a very heavy timetable, teaching all
three ofthe sciences to all age groups. She
emerged from this at the end of the year
still smiling and still willing to help wherever
she could.
Sarah has left a great legacy to the
Biology Department. She has introduced
new styles of teaching and learning and has
persuaded the older members of staff such
as myself that the intranet and Internet are
really useful tools that can be integrated
into the curriculum. We now have access to
several ICT projectors and we use them!
She also introduced a number of teambuilding games which we have adopted those that have taken the spaghetti and
wine gum tower challenge will have good
cause to remember her!
Sarah is currently touring Europe with a
group of friends in a stretched minibus and
then she plans to devote herself to some
serious skiing. I am sure she will be missed
by boys and staff alike - we all wish her well
in the future.
G.J. Ryder
Jessie Horn
Jessie Horn joined the administration staff
as a part-time secretary in Se pt 1994.
Within a matter of weeks she had been
promoted to the position of Headmaster's
secretary on the resignation of the previous
incumbent.
Jessie very soon became an active
member of the school community and was
a great supporter of school concerts, drama
productions and other such activities. She
was a committee member helping to
organise the last three Spring Fairs and was
pivotal in encouraging the support of local
businesses.
There are many old boys of the School
who are indebted to Jessie for her help and
support with the Duke of Edinburgh
expeditions in both the South Downs and
Snowdonia. She tirelessly drove along Welsh
mountain roads, often in the rain and pitch
black, until all of the boys were accounted
for and safely in camp.
Recently,Jessie and her husband,
Anthony, moved to a village in Oxfordshire
which is near to Anthony'S new job in
Cheltenham. We wish them both every
success for the future.
j.M. Perdue
thelyonian2003
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STAFF NEWS
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What is your favourite place in the world?
Cairo. The standard of life is very, very basic.
It's like going back 2000 years when you go
to Egypt.
What's your favourite band?
Most orchestras.
Mr Haines
My we ask your age?
Older than you are. I'm probably one of the
oldest members of staff.
What were your first impressions ofJohn Lyon?
What do you consider to be your greatest
achievement?
The work that I did working with
academics, faculty and administrators to
resolve conflicts, acting as a third party.
What is the craziest thing you've ever done?
A friendly, co-operative and helpful
atmosphere.
There are so many.
Was the school how you expeaed it to be?
What would you wish for if you had three
wishes?
I've been at many schools and John Lyon is
the best in terms of how teachers are
treated, the relationship between student
and teacher and in terms of atmosphere.
I'm a pretty ordinary person so I can't think
of anything off the top of my head.
Who would you most like to be stuck in a lift
with?
Mrs Joy Mason,
Head of Science
Why did you choose a job at John Lyon?
Because it has a reputation for being a
friendly school - a real family school. I know
a lot of people who have children here.
What are your first impressions?
The staff and pupils are very friendly. Their
enthusiasm is important. Only with
enthusiasm can success be obtained.
Who has been your greatest influence?
I worked as part of a crime prevention
project in South Kilburn as part of the
National Association and Re-settlement for
Offenders. I've also worked at St Claire's
College in Oxford.
A Canadian woman called Margaret
Atwood. She's a novel writer and she's been
shortlisted for the Booker Prize List.
One of my chemistry teachers at school
influenced me greatly. His passion and
interest in the subject is what made me
want to teach.
Who would you least like to be stuck in a lift
with?
with?
The lead singer from Metallica. I wouldn't
want him screaming at me.
Tony Blair:
How does England compare with Canada?
What employment have you been in
previously?
I love Montreal, but it has very cold and
long winters. I can't stand that, so I escaped
to England for the weather. Most English
people think I'm mad when I say that.
What are your hobbies?
I enjoy singing. I've sung in choirs at the
Royal Albert Hall and at St Paul's Cathedral.
I like going to the theatre, playing the piano
and music in general.
What would you do if you had the power to do
it?
with?
Bring about some reform in the school
system throughout the U.K.
I actually was stuck in a lift with my
husband; he ended up marrying me, so in
retrospect it was quite lucky.
Where would you go if you could go back in
time?
What is your favourite film?
I have seen The Matrix a few times.
The War of the Roses or to the Slave Trade.
Do you have any bad habits?
What would you take with you if you were
stranded on a desert island?
Many, but I'm not sure if should tell you
them all.
The Bible or the works of Shakespeare to
read. A person to talk to. Music.
What has been your most embarrassing
moment?
The real one is not suitable for publishing!
At my last school the pupils did impressions
of staff, which was quite funny but also
embarrassing.
What are your pet hates?
How would you describe yourself?
Noise. I hate noise pollution.
Always wanting to self-improve.
What's your favourite TV programme?
Interview conducted by Tom Hinton
and Daniel Hooper
Casualty - it's pure escapism.
What is your ideal night in?
A bottle of wine, a nice meal and a DVD.
1J@
thelyonian2003
STAFF NEWS
Ideal night aut?
Lots of friends with me and the opportunity to talk.
Perhaps a nice dinner party.
Mrs E. J. Marden
What is your full name?
Da you have a favourite authar?
Ellie Jane Marden
I like quite a few different styles - some Steven
Donaldson.1 like science fiction and fantasy and
Donaldson mixes the two together nicely.
What is your nickname?
Where in the world would you most like to visit and why?
Where were you born?
Australia - I would love to scuba dive in the Barrier
Reef.
What wauld you spend your winnings an if yau won the
lottery?
A round-the-world-ticket to Thailand, Australia,
Switzerland and many more.
What's the most adventurous thing you've done?
Skiing, although in April I am going to Iceland to go
and explore the landscape in a 'Super-Jeep'.
Dennis the Menace (my maiden name is Dennis)
Bournemouth, Dorset.
Where were you educated?
Primary school: Evershot, Dorset;
Secondary school:Wellington School, Somerset (incidentally the same school as Mr
Loudon)
French and Fine Art at the University of Exeter;
PGCE in Modern Languages at Goldsmith's College, London.
What was your previous job?
I was Acting Head of Languages, Heathland School, Hounslow.
ofJohn Lyon?
Who was your favourite children's TV charaaer?
What were your ffrst impressions
Spock from Star Trek.
Very friendly and quite laid back.
Can you cook, and if so, what is your speciality?
Why French?
I do enjoy cooking, especially French cuisine but I like
to try different dishes.
When I went on a year abroad I taught in a primary school there and I fell in love
with it.
Do you have a favourite quotation or philosophy?
What was your favourite subjea at school?
Live for today.
Art.You thought I was going to say French.
Describe yourself in three words . ..
And why at John Lyon?
Enthusiastic, independent, inquisitive.
Well, I actually could have been at Godolphin and Latymer; the interviews were on
the same day. So I weighed up the two and thought "I don't want to teach at a girls'
school," so I came here.
What would you say is the best thing about yourself?
I care about people.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
What is the worst thing about you?
Oh my Gawd ... ! Oh those aren't the words by the way ... Actually they'll do.
I don't know when to stop working!
What music do you like?
A mixture - I do like classical, but I'm also quite into
folk rock. I have a lot of music by groups like Queen.
Swimming, squash, I play the guitar. I'm one of those people who play loads of
sport.
If you had an opportunity to have lunch with anybody, past
or present, who would they be?
Squeezing toothpaste in the middle of the tube - that really annoys me. Poor
presentation - when people don't underline.
Nils Bohr, Louis Pasteur, ProfessorWinston or
someone like Tony Benn or Ken Livingstone - not for
political reasons; I just think they are great speakers.
Interview conducted by Samit Mapara
and Liam Moore
Not being able to learn names and being untidy.
What about your talents?
Sing, play the guitar, and I communicate well with people.
thelyonian2003
STAFF NEWS
What was your scariest moment?
If you won the lottery what would you do?
My first day at John Lyon.
I've never thought about that ... Anybody I
know who's in debt, I would bailout for a
starter.
Your most embarrassing moment?
I couldn't possibly say.
Do you have any fears/phobias?
If your house were on fire, what would you
save?
Getting things wrong. It's a silly fear! Oh and
upsetting people.
My guitar and a painting my friend did for
me.
If you could meet anyone from past, present or
future, who would it be?
Do you have a claim to fame?
Billie Holliday, a famous jazz singer from the
'20s. I read her biography this year and I find
her really interesting. She had a hard life.
What's your favourite music?
Indie mostly. Although I have been listening
to lots of jazz lately. My favourites are Ella
Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday.
Where is your favourite place in the world?
Barcelona. It was absolutely fantastic. Lots
of art and architecture - all the things that I
love.
What about your favourite book?
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de
Bernieres.
What's your favourite food and drink?
I was interviewed on French TV as a
foreigner living in France on France
Normandie.
Damon Peter VosperSingleton
Why John Lyon?
If you could be any animal, which would you
be?
It was in the right area of town and I was
looking for a job in London. I was interested
in trying a different experience other than
at mixed comprehensive schools.
A quetzal, because it has amazing bright
feathers and lives in the rainforest.
What does John Lyon's motto mean?
What were are your life ambitions?
I have absolutely no idea! But it is Stet
Fortuna Domus.
To become a French teacher at John Lyon no ... just to have a family and be happy.
If you could teach one life lesson to your pupils,
what would it be?
Put yourself first, but don't be selfish. In
other words, you've got to have a sense of
balance.
Lasagne and Oasis.
Finally, what would you like your gravestone
epitaph to read?
Together?!
'Here lies the best French teacher in the
world'
No! It would probably be a nice glass of
red with the lasagne.
Interview conducted by Nikul Gore
and Jiten Halai
What's better, teaching first formers or sixth
formers?
Interesting. I would like to say that first
formers are much more childish, but that
isn't true. First formers are more biddable
but sixth formers do more interesting
maths. It balances out.
Your first crush?
Ha. Ha. Ha. That's all the answer you're
getting for that one.
with?
A mechanic.
What's your favourite film or TV programme?
Let me think about the film because I love
films ... it would probably be Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon, but there's loads in second
place. On TV I love comedies ... 'Coupling',
that was hilarious. It's like 'Friends' but
funny.
What would be your ideal night out?
A nice meal and some cocktails.
And a night in?
A take away pizza and a nice slushy film with
my husband of course.
What is your most terrifying experience?
Oh. The airbag going off in my car when I
bumped the car in front. That was incredibly
scary!
What's the most boring experience you have
ever had?
I do remember being literally bored to tears
in a German lesson once. Not because I
hate German, just because I didn't know
what was happening. And also waiting for
trains!
thelyonian2003
STAFF NEWS
Pet hates?
Paisley. And people who use the phrase
"come with". No that's transitive!
Favourite drink?
Non-alcoholic: water
Alcoholic: it would be a toss up between
red wine and vodka.
Favourite TV programme?
A comedy. It would be Will and Grace. Yes,
that'lI do!
Mr B.I.D. Aschenbrenner
What is your full name?
Ben Isaac Delano Aschenbrenner.
What qualifications do you have?
MSc. Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
from St Andrews University.
We hear you're from Alaska?
Yes, a place called Fairbanks in the interior:
About 60,000 people live there.
To go to university but not for the golf!
Obviously not a school night, because I
have to go to bed at ten o'clock. But,
friends, conversation, wine.
It was too good an opportunity to pass up
really.
I(you could be any animal what would it be?
Who would you most like to put in Room 10 I ?
New metal, grunge, garage and anything that
may come close to that type of music.
Modern classical. Bring it on!
What did you want to be as a child?
For a while being a bus driver seemed very
tempting.Then a fireman. Later I toyed with
being an accountant, but that's incredibly
dull.
Where do you see yourself in twenty years
time?
Paris.
Can you speak French?
Not yet!
Most embarrassing moment?
I wouldn't want to relive it again, so it's not
going to be shared with you guys.
Interview conducted by Johan Breakell
and Daniel Hooper
No, but there were moose in the back yard
quite often in Alaska.
What do you miss the most?
Favourite (rim?
The Last Emperor or Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon.
Ideal night in?
Preferably not any kind of endangered
species, I wouldn't want the responsibility
to have to go out and breed! Something
that can fly. But nothing that anybody would
want to shoot. So ... an albatross
Have you ever been confronted by a polar
bear?
What made you move?
Friends and family.
Favourite football team?
Why John Lyon?
Chelsea, but don't ask why. (We checked
and it wasn't for the hooligans).
What is your favourite music?
How do you find the climate here?
It's nice here when it's like this, but I
preferred Scotland.
Pretty much anything.
What is your ultimate ambition?
To die happy.
Have you ever lived in an igloo?
(Laughs) No, unfortunately not, but I did
build an ice house when I was five.
Did you ever do anything out of the ordinary in
Alaska?
No, not really. I was never a hunter or
anything like that but I've eaten moose,
caribou and beaver heart.
What is your favourite food?
I used to be a chef so I enjoy all good food.
What past-times do you enjoy?
I play rugby on the weekend and like to play
the guitar and cook.
Who are your three favourite musicians?
Bob Dylan, Robert Earl King Jr.,Tom Waits.
How have you been received here with your
accent?
I find the British are reserved enough to say
nothing, but my friends make jokes about
Americans.
Have you ever had any really scary
experiences?
I once capsized in a boat in the middle of a
lake at night.
Who would be your perfect date?
I don't know really; celebrities seem too
arrogant to me.
How would you like to be remembered?
As a happy guy, but people can make up
their own mind about me.
Interview conducted byWilliam Deacon
STAFF NEWS
thelyonian2003
Have you had any particular role models in
you're life?
Obviously my parents. Also my violin
teacher, Nick Roth, who knew Bartok,
Shostakovich and Ravel, which made him a
fascinating man to study with. He also had a
wide experience of not only teaching, but
playing.
Mr John Wood hall
What were your ftrst impressions of the school?
Very favourable. John Lyon has a friendly,
warm atmosphere and I think the boys are
quite polite and industrious. I also think that
the Music Department here is very strong
indeed.
In your career what is the most enjoyable
experience you have ever had?
The music I am playing at the time. In other
words, I enjoy all styles of music so
whatever I'm involved in at the time, I enjoy.
I suppose one of the highlights was the
premiere of my composition, A Tableau for
String Orchestra, performed in 1998 at St
Paul's, Robert Adams Street in London.
What would you say is your greatest
achievement?
The greatest achievement may yet appear,
but ... I would have to say I am devoted to
my teenage son and daughter. The greatest
achievement is to see that they are happy,
settled and doing well in life.
Do you have any hobbies?
Yes. I enjoy gardening and making and
decorating cakes professionally. I have done
a course in sugar craft and can make
models out of sugar.
What is you're favourite food?
I love Italian food, especially cannelloni; I
also love Indian food.
If you had to be stuck in a lift with somebody,
who would it be?
Probably my son, because he has such a
sense of humour and if you are in that type
of situation I think you need a bit of
humour.
If you could go back in history, which event or
era would you go back to?
I do like the style of the eighteenth century,
but I would also have liked to have been
alive at the time of Christ to see the impact
that he had on the world. However, I believe
life must go forward and it would be
retrograde to look back.
Do you have any pet hates?
Yes. I can't bear untidiness and sloppiness or
inefficiency. If someone says, I'm going to do
something, I'd expect them to do it. So I do
like people to be true to their word.
Do you have any pets?
Not at the moment. But at one time we had
a terrapin, called Mr. Spock.
If you had three wishes what would you wish
far?
I'd wish for health and happiness for my son
and daughter. And that they would be
successful in the lives and with their
careers.The third wish would probably be
to serve the best I can in my daily work.
Where do you see yourself in twenty years'
time?
I'd quite like to develop some more
composition once I have retired from
teaching. I have just written a score for
Hamlet, which is going to be performed this
week at the Sandpit Theatre in StAlbans.
Interview conducted by Richard Nobrega
and John Breakell
Mr Jim MacLeod
Full Name?
James MacLeod
It sounds as if you have some Scottish blood in
you?
I have. My father is Scottish and I had lots of
childhood holidays in Scotland.
What brought you to John Lyon?
I came to John Lyon because Mr Roy
persuaded me to. We used to work
together in my previous school.
What were your ftrst impressions of the school?
The boys seemed genuinely friendly. I
remember someone holding the door open
for me when I came for my interview and I
thought that was very pleasant.
What were your previous positions?
Going backwards in time,l was an English
teacher atWatford Grammar School for
Boys, a solicitor in the City and before I
went to university I took a year off during
which I taught in a rural Zimbabwean
secondary school.
Why did you become a lawyer?
I think it is intellectually a very interesting
subject, and I felt that I had to do a 'proper
job' after university before I went off to do
what I really wanted - to be an English
teacher. But I found the practice of law
extremely tedious and I really do love being
a teacher. It is the most fantastic job. An
English teacher has a tremendous amount
of choice in what to teach and every day
you meet a huge amount of people with
whom you spend all day talking about what
you enjoy.
Et
thelyonian2003
STAFF NEWS
-~--.;
I do hate queues, waiting for inefficient people; and Manchester
United.
So which football team to you support?
West Ham United. (interview stops brieffy as interviewers attempt to
control their laughter).
What is your favourite television programme?
This is actually true. You'd better get this right. It's 'Jeff Stelling's
Soccer Saturday'.
What is your ideal night in?
I think it's watching Sky's mid-week football coverage when all my
friends' teams are losing, and having enough credit on my phone to
text them to gloat.
Do you have a favourite music genre? What kind of music can't you
stand?
I am a huge Bob Dylan fan and I think that listening to anything else
is a wasted opportunity.
What would you put in Roam 10 I ?
David Beckham, Robert Mugabe ... That'lI do.
What would you put on the Trafalgar Square plinth?
I think it should be Samuel Pepys, Samuel Johnson or Charles
Dickens because they all helped to define London as a place.
Where would you have your ashes scattered?
Mr Stephen Brown
May we ask your age?
Thirty.
What is your star sign?
Capricorn.
What is your favourite film?
The Recruit'.
What is your favourite book?
The A to Z of London.
What is your favourite TV programme?
Property Ladder.
What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
Going to Las Vegas.
Who would be your ideal celebrity to have dinner with?
Probably Victoria Falls.
Delia Smith.
If you were Mayor of London, what would you change?
What is your favourite type of music?
Capital FM music.
I have never understood why tubes stop running at around midnight.
I would make the tubes run for 24 hours a day.
What has been your most memorable night out?
Certainly not at Upton Park.
Who would you most like to be stranded with on a desert island?
Not a bunch of school kids (I am currently teaching Lord of the Flies).
Last book or CD you bought?
The Corrections by Jonathan Franson was the last book and the last
CD that I bought was the soundtrack to a film called Masked and
Anonymous because it was full of covers of Bob Dylan songs,
including Japanese and rap versions. I cite that as evidence that I am
not narrow-minded in my music.
What was the last thing that made you cry?
Birmingham City 2-2 West Ham United
Interview by Christopher Leonard and Cameron Houston
Who is your favourite artist?
Daniel Bedingfield.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Calling the school register for the first time.
Why did you decide to come to The John Lyon School?
To experience new things and further my career.
Ceramics and DIY because I've just bought a new house.
Where is the most interesting place you have been?
A road trip round California.
Uh,no!
STAFF NEWS
thelyonian2003
Where did you go to university?
Dundee for three years, then Cardiff for
two.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
Somewhere hot, sunny and by the sea. But
as long as it had all those I wouldn't mind
where!
If there wos a frre in your house what item
would you save and why?
What would your ideal night out be?
My car keys and my wallet.
What is your claim to fame?
I met Pat Butcher at an exhibition.
Have you ever won anything?
I won a holiday for two to Athens in a raffle
in Dundee.
Apart from teaching at The John Lyon School,
what is your dream job?
To landscape my own island.
What three words would best describe you?
Modest, sharp, good.
What would you do if you won the lottery?
Emigrate to Australia.
What would you have as your epitaph?
'Look after my island!'
Interview conducted by Sunjit Kamboj
and Sukhraj Singh
Going out with friends, having a nice meal
and then going on to the theatre.
Mrs Heather Cade
What frrst attracted you to the John Lyon
School?
I was born and brought up in Harrow so I
had seen the boys going by. The reputation
of the school also attracted me. I was keen
to come here and meet new challenges.
What would you say your greatest achievement
is?
If you could be any animal, what animal would
you be?
A black Labrador; they have a nice life as far
as I can see!
Do you have a favourite book?
Not really ... I read a wide range of books
and it all depends on what I'm feeling like!
What would you soy is the most boring
experience you have ever had?
Apart from getting this job, of course, I have
two daughters which is a great
achievement.
Probably waiting in A & E - daughter's
thumb needed to be X-rayed.
Do you have any 'pet hates'?
Is there a period of history that you would have
liked to have witnessed?
The only thing I don't like is inconsiderate
drivers! And I'm not too fond of spiders
either!
What were your frrst impressions
ofJohn Lyon?
It is a very warm school and all the staff and
boys here made me feel very welcome.
What is your favourite food?
I suppose my favourite meal would be roast
beef and Yorkshire pudding!
What would your ideal night in be?
It would be in the winter ... watching a film
with my family, with a bottle of wine and a
log fire.
What is your favourite television programme?
I like comedies:'Friends' and 'Only Fools
and Horses'
Where do you see yourself in ten years' time?
Hopefully healthy and happy. It would be
nice to have won the lottery as well!
Probably the eighteenth or nineteenth
century; I think that that would have been
an interesting time to have lived.
What did you want to be as a child?
Happy!
Interview conducted by John Breakell
and Richard Nobrega
thelyonian2003
STAFF NEWS
Mrs Penny Hawes
Why did you choose to come to John Lyon, and
what are your first impressions?
I'd heard it was a lovely school, and I had
read about it for a long time. I always
thought it would be a nice school to work
in. I think the staff and boys are very
friendly.
As a Special Needs teacher, what kind of
special needs will you be addressing?
Mainly dyslexia, but there may also be some
people who have dyspraxia.
What motivated you to want to help those with
special needs?
A long time ago I met a very clever boy
named Mark who could answer every
question in class, but could do absolutely
nothing when it came to writing it down. I
just wanted to help him.
What is the main thing you hope to achieve in
your new role?
To make people comfortable with being
dyslexic and make them realise it won't
stop them achieving their ambitions.
If you won the lottery, what would you spend
your winnings on?
I'd give a lot to children's charities. I've got
all the things I need.
What are your favourite TV programmes?
What is the worst thing about you?
I make terrible cakes. We always have to buy
them.
If you could be any animal for the day, which
I like many classical artists and also the
Rolling Stones.
one would you be?
Definitely a cheetah - lean and fast.
If you had the opportunity to have lunch with
anybody, living or dead, who would they be?
Do you have a favourite author?
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
- there's something there for everyone.
I always thought it would be interesting to
meet somebody like ClementAttlee.
with?
What would you say is the best thing about
yourself?
George W. Bush.
I'm willing to listen to people - I'm not
prejudiced.
Eddie Izzard; his jokes would make the time
pass very quickly.
What's your favourite TV programme?
The News is the only thing that I watch
regularly. Also CNN.
What would be your ideal night in?
With my family at home.
And your ideal night out?
The Spellbound Ball which raises money in
aid of Dyslexia.
If you could be any animal for a day, what
would you be?
My dog Sugar.
What is your favourite book?
Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy.
Where in the world would you most like to visit
and why?
Australia. It's beautiful. I'd like to go to Ayers
Rock.
'Have I got News for You' and any murdermystery drama plus 'CSI','Six Feet Under'
and The West Wing'.
What kind of music do you like?
At home with grandchildren.
with?
actors become teachers. All is not lost
though; my son promised me 'a supporting
role' in his first film.
and Liam Moore
What would you spend your winnings on
won the lottery?
if you
A good chef.
What's the most adventurous thing you've
done?
Getting married and raising children.
What would you say is the best thing about
yourself?
Mrs Michaela Leach
My brain.
What music do you like?
Why did you choose John Lyon?
I've been associated with school in some
way or another, for a long time, either
through friends who were teaching here or
through my son who came to the school at
eleven and left in 2002. I knew the type of
caring community that the school offers and
the individual attention given to each boy.
Most operas, classical music and ...
Evanescence and Coldplay.
If you had an opportunity to have lunch with
anybody, past or present, who would they be?
Sorry to be previsible but it has to be
William Shakespeare, the 'coolest' man that
ever lived. Alternatively, Robert Plant from
Led Zeppelin.
In France - on the Loire Valley or in Italy, in
some little Tuscan town with my red wine
and a good book. Oh, and the prerequisite
'olive oil'.
Have you always dreamt
of being a teacher?
Not really! I always wanted to act, but I
arrived at the conclusion that most failed
Describe yourself in three words . ..
Undertall not overweight.
and Liam Moore
thelyonian2003
MrTimothy J.Adnitt
What brought you to John Lyon and what were your
(lrst impressions?
I wanted to do some teaching. and I saw the job
advertised on a classical music magazine's
website. My first impressions were of a friendly
department with good facilities and keen to
develop them ...
What were your previous positions in teaching posts
or any other work?
Miss Catherine Allkins
May we ask your full name?
Catherine EmmaAllkins.
Education: StAlbans.
Previous Job: Hebron School, South India.
Where were you born?
London.
What were your (lrst impressions ofJohn Lyon?
Hectic, but in a good way of course!
What do you teach?
I teach mainly French with some Spanish and
Italian.
Most of my work has been freelance; I'm still at
another college as head of Music Technology
there. Otherwise I've done a range of work, most recently on Sibelius, a piece of
music software, and a lot of freelance bass playing around the country. I've also
worked with Django Bates as assistant composer.
Can you describe yourself in three words?
A perfectionist, I'm afraid; artistic, I'd hope and everyone else tells me I'm a
workaholic.
Do you have a claim to fame?
No, not really; but the closest I've been to music technology fame has been an article
published in Sound on Sound magazine with Django Bates regarding work we'd done
with computers in live music.
What are your life ambitions?
Writing music for dance is something I really enjoy. Working with choreographers, is
something I'm already doing a lot of but I'd like to develop it a lot more. Also writing
and recording with my ensemble.
Horse riding.
If money were no object, where would you live?
Totteridge Lane, in a nice big, detached house, with a studio. That would be ideal.
How would you describe yourself in three words?
What would be your idea of an ideal night out?
Adventurous, enthusiastic and excitable.
I think it would be to go to a nice restaurant and a concert, with some form of live
music; jazz, classical, something like that.
Do you have any pet hates?
Profanity and having to get up early!
What's your favourite music genre and what can't you stand?
Who would you most like to meet?
I like most musical genres on the whole; my least favourite genres would be
commercial hip-hop and garage, if I had to be sweeping about it. That said, I keep an
open mind about it because there are always good things to hear in any piece of
music.
Friends that I left back in India.
What would you put in Room I 0 I?
Where would you most like to go?
Microsoft.
Kavalum beach in Kerala,lndia.
Who would you most like to meet from past, present and future?
Giggling at highly inappropriate moments!
I decided Stravinsky would be an interesting person to meet.
Who would you want to be stranded on a desert island with?
Why did you decides to teach?
If I didn't say my girlfriend I'd be a dead man.
Because I love the fluency of the languages I teach.
What was the last CD or book you bought?
If you had one life lesson to give to pupils, what would
Gavin Bryars' 'Men in a Room Gambling' and before that it was David Bowie's
'Reality'. The last book I bought was on the John Coltrane album, 'A Love Supreme'.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Trying to avoid embarrassing moments.
it be?
Don't just live for the moment.
If you could be an animal, which one would it be and
why?
A cat because they get to sleep a lot!
If your house were on (Ire which three things would you save?
Well, my bass, CDs, and my girlfriend.
What is your life philosophy?
What was your favourite subject at school?
To go for what you believe in, no matter how many people tell you that you can't do
it.
English literature
Interview conducted by Cameron Houston and Chris Leonard
Interview conducted by Nikul Gore and Jiten Halai
thelyonian2003
AIlT
and Design
It has been an exciting year of development and change for art and design
atJohn Lyon. It heralded the amalgamation of the Design Technology and
Art Departments under the umbrella of a new combined Art and Design
Faculty.This entailed the gradual shifting of materials and resources from
the Oldfield site to the Main Building - a mammoth task for staff and
students alike! Studio spaces and workshops have been redesigned to
accommodate painting and sculpture spaces, as well as the creation of an
entirely new Sixth Form studio. Beneath these, and literally carved from the
earth, a brand new print-making facility, soon to be complemented by a
darkroom and specialist IT room, will house an artist in residence, Mr Dan
Llywelyn Hall, in the Autumn Term of 2003. An exhibiting practitioner, Dan
will play an important part contributing his expertise to a broadening
curriculum and should provide an exciting source of inspiration for
everyone, both within and outside the faculty.
Having served John Lyon for fifteen years, lan Read has moved on to
retirement in Spain. His creativity, good humour and personal care for the
boys past and present was greatly appreciated and we all wish him well for
the future. His departure precipitated the appointment of Stephen Brown.
Stephen was formerly at Eton College, and his skills and experience in
ceramics and sculpture will bring fresh and vibrant perspectives to the
imaginations of our creative community, whilst his energy and enthusiasm
will no doubt be welcome throughout the school.
A talented and committed group of Fifth Form artists were to set their
Sights high, starting the second year of their GCSE course with projects
inspired by digital imagery. Twice weekly open studios after school were an
opportunity for the boys to make the most of their time and this clearly
paid dividends with a superb set of results in the summer. Our AS Art
student, Matthew Collins has also proved a mature and committed artist,
achieving an A grade with three varied and ambitious projects.
The Design and Technology results were also extremely pleasing,
demonstrating real potential for the future as the course develops into
three-dimensional studies. For example, the Lower Sixth guided by Elaine
Sigston and Peter Perdue, produced a wide range of seating designs. The
Fourth Form completed a highly successful wine rack project, and School as
usual entered and enjoyed the Harrow Rotary Technology Tournament.
For the first time the end of year art and design show was held in the
Mall.This light and airy space was an ideal setting for a broad range of
work. The show was the culmination ofthe year's efforts and was admired
by all who passed by. Special mention should be made of some outstanding
screen prints by Stephen Rhodes and Thomas Hinton's impressionistic
urban landscapes. The evening of the private view was a success, affording
local feeder school head teachers and parents the opportunity to enjoy the
work, to the sound of music from Jai Paul and company.
This year we will be introducing life classes and are hoping to
incorporate some weekend artist workshops during the Summer Term. The
new activities programme has further broadened the scope for selfexpression, with the First Year creating some impressively scaled (!) fish
sculptures and during the coming year the First and Second years will be
makingVenetian masks and insect-inspired wire sculptures. The opportunity
now exists for keen craftsmen to develop their skills as cabinet makers
with Peter Perdue.As well as proposed museum and gallery visits, we are
also hoping to organise a Fifth Year and Lower Sixth trip to Paris in the
autumn of 2004.
The future bodes well for art and design.
James Lloyd
i
I
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I.
,I
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I.
CM.E. Harrison
Mitesh Parikh
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The New Memorial Library
"There is a tide in the affairs of men.
Which. if taken at the flood. leads on to fortune;
Omitted. all the voyage of their life ...
Is bound in shallows and in miseries:'
Julius Caesar:Act IV, sc iii (William Shakespeare)
For all the boys at John Lyon School. I would say
that the New Memorial library ought to be
envisaged as the 'tide' in their lives' at this moment
in time and my advice therefore is for all of them
to 'take it at the flood' and absorb all the facilities
provided. For today is the day of opportunity. and
tomorrow may be too late. Considerable advances
and innovations have been made in the library for
the benefit of students. Furthermore. we intend to
persevere. and keep pace with technological
progress. so that we will be able to provide a high
quality service for the boys at John Lyon School for
years to come.
The library has been given a brand new facelift. All of the shelving and floor plan has been
reorganised and set out in a much more userfriendly fashion than ever before. As a result of
this. use of the library facilities has increased
twofold. The library has also been equipped with an
additional computer room and now boasts over
twenty five liqUid crystal display screen computer
terminals in the Computer Section and a further
six in the main library. The Computer Section
within the library can now be booked by classes or
used by boys to do research at other times. There
are now two colour and four black and white laser
printers. three scanners and a photocopying
machine. all available for boys to print. copy or
reproduce their work. All these facilities have
strengthened and expanded possibilities and
challenges for the boys in terms of gaining
outstanding research and IT skills.
The Library is well equipped with a DVDNideo
player and a 26 inch television. Videos and DVDs
covering almost every subject area in the School
are now available on loan and a further £2000 will
be spent on expanding the video and DVD
collection this year. The junior library that formerly
existed in the Lower School building. Oldfield. has
now been incorporated into the main stock in the
library.
The School library would not have functioned
to its fullest potential without the dedication. time
and support provided by Mrs Carlene Anderson
who has been with us for two years now. We are
also deeply indebted to Mr Martin Sayers. our
Computer Technician. who is meticulous.
competent and diligent and always willing to lend a
helping hand. We shall miss him tremendously as he
retires in December this year. He will be a hard act
to follow. I am particularly pleased with my Library
Monitor. Prasanna De-Alwis. my Senior Library
Prefect.Joshil Lhodia and my Computer Room
Prefect. James Wang. all three of whom have
displayed exceptional supervisory and management
skills. All the library Prefects have been trained to
operate the Computerised Library Management
System. In the meantime. library induction for all
the Year 7 boys and the new Year 9 boys has been
conducted successfully and careers induction for all
of the Year II boys is in the offing.
We continue to provide a stimulating and
studious environment. encouraging the boys in the
School to develop their own experience of
education. to cultivate a habit of in-depth reading
and as a result improve their writing. expand their
research skills and help sustain their intellectual
curiosity. We can confidently say that The New
Memorial Library has now been fully established to
achieve just that.
Mrs Jani da Silva.
Head of Library and Learning Resources
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The Viptual Language
The John Lyon School Virtual Language Laboratory was installed in September 2003. It runs on
twenty-five designated desktop computers in the Language Laboratory upstairs in the Oldfield
Building. The system works using software called Can-S, a Canadian product that is used in
schools and universities around the world.
This software allows the user to manipulate text, voice recordings, video clips and even songs
with the aim of teaching and learning language. The laboratory 'exists' via the computer screens
and headphones, allowing the student to hear or watch a recorded clip and then respond
either by typing in an answer or by recording his own voice. This voice recording will be stored
digitally, allowing the teacher to listen to the recording subsequently. The teacher can then
assess the recording and leave suggestions or comments for the student to hear the next time
he logs on to the system. This feedback can of course be given immediately as the teacher can
listen in to students as they are recording.
When working on pronunciation, the student can see on the screen a 'voice graph' which maps
the intonation and stresses needed to mimic the correct patterns. The student can record and
rerecord his voice continually until he is happy with his final product. This helps give confidence
to the student as he is the only one who can hear his early attempts - the computer is
infinitely patient.
In the case of listening work, the student can be given full control or none at all, of what he
hears, thus allowing him to go back over sections he has not fully understood as many time as
he wants. This is an ideal training ground for the AS and A-Level examinations where each
student has his own cassette.
The system will allow a teacher to set up exercises for listening and reading practice where the
student will be given immediate feedback by the computer as to how he has performed. These
would typically be gap-filling, multiple choice or true/false exercises - all of which are very
common exercises at both GCSE and A-Level. This will allow students to work independently
of the teacher and still get a certain amount of necessary feedback.
The system will be equally useful to those just starting out on learning a new language as it will
be to those preparing for the highest levels of university entrance. The materials on the system
are all installed by the language teachers at John Lyon, therefore ensuring everything is totally
appropriate to the students' needs.
N.Loudon
!I
thelyonian2003
horit y
Following October Half Term, preparation for the year's fundraising
proceeded in earnest. Every form elected a representative, who
coordinated his class's fund raising. The newly created Student
Council strongly supported a proposal to sponsor Amar Patel, a
former pupil who had suffered a severe stroke during his second
year at the School. The year's fundraising efforts started with an
astonishingly generous collection after the Autumn Concert, which
itself raised over £600!
As ever, many forms entered into the spirit of fundraising,
particularly in Oldfield.The traditional 'Word-Build', where pupils
from the first three years are sponsored to make as many words as
possible from one long word, continued to be a great success,
raising a considerable amount of money. Many forms also went into
business, competing against each other in the selling of cakes and
sweets! Memories of the raucous, energetic Oldfield Market, coordinated by the Second Year, are etched in my memory.
The highlight of the Autumn Term had to be the Christmas
Charity Staff Pantomime. For the reasonable price of just £2 every
boy had the opportunity to watch the teachers' energetic
performance. I dare say that I will never forget the image of Mr
French and Mr Ryder, appearing dressed up as small children with
wooden horses, or Mr Gladwell's 'grinch-like' interpretation of
Father Christmas! Many thanks must go to the Head of Drama, Ms
Gibbs, who wrote the script, and coerced many members of staff
into participating!
In the Spring Term, the stalwart Parents' Association Quiz
Supper was held.Thanks must go to Mrs Ingham for co-coordinating
the event with the Parents' Association. The event proved to be a
great success, being both enormous fun for the participants, and
raising well over £ I000 for charity. However, shortly afterwards, we
heard the tragic news of Amar's death following a second stroke.
With Ms Waldron, Mrs Perdue, and Mr Parker, I attended Amar's
funeral which was a very moving occasion. After the inevitable
shock of this news, the School decided to continue its fund raising in
Amar's memory. A 'Wear what you want day', the sale of red noses
for Comic Relief and the selling of cakes raised just short of £ I000.
This concluded the year's fundraising - a year with several notable
successes, but permeated with tragedy. A considerable amount of
money has been raised and the decision as to its donation will be
made in the near future.
Sam Dennis
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(
Economics Society
The spring term saw the formation of the first ever John Lyon
School Economics Society. The aim was to create an informal
discussion group, in which members could debate relevant
economic issues that might also supplement their AS and A2 Level
studies in Economics. The society is primarily aimed at students of
Economics and particularly those considering continuing with the
subject at university. However, the extensive influence of economics
soon became apparent, with a large number of students who do not
study the subject attending the meetings.
The first session involved elections for the administrative
section of the society. With the positions established, the first
speaker was invited to give a presentation.Tarang Katira, a member
of the Upper Sixth Form who had just won a place to read
Economics at King's College, Cambridge, talked to us about the
Cambridge application experience:The actual application forms;
what is required in terms of preparation; and most importantly, the
interview.
The next meeting included our first debate. Nikul Gore,
Christopher Lam, Vishal Shah and Mayan Uthayakumar, all Lower
Sixth formers, argued whether pay increases for the country's firefighters, who were on strike at the time, were economically viable.
At the next fortnightly meeting, Sunjit Kamboj, another Lower
Sixth former, presented a case for and against the Congestion
Charge in London.This presentation was particularly useful for
those students studying similar methods of taxation for their Unit 2
Eco~()mics examination.
Two members of the Upper Sixth, Kevin Larkin and Albert Lau,
then produced a highly technical and stimulating presentation on
Oligopolies - a form of market structure.We were informed of the
dominance of a small number of firms in the newspaper industry,
and the effect this has upon the overall market.
At our first meeting of this term,Josh Sasto gave an excellent
presentation on the prospect of the UK joining the single currency,
a topic likely to emerge in university interviews. The presentation
provided a case for both sides of the argument, and it was
interesting to see that after the presentation, the only members of
the audience who voted to join the Euro were people who did not
study Economics AS Level!
Subsequent topics that will be presented later this term include:
'Should the official retirement age be raised!' by Mayan
Uthayakumar, and a discussion on whether the wages of very high
earners should be capped, presented byVishal Shah. It promises to
be another eventful year for the Economics SOciety. A big thank you
to all who attended.
Samit Mapara, President
Photographic Society
This has been a good year for the society. Our membership has
mainly been drawn from the Third Year to the Lower Sixth. We have
met once a week and have covered a one year programme starting
from the basics and moving up through traditional techniques into
digital photography.
A number of the fifth formers have used this experience to
complete their skills section ofThe Duke of Edinburgh Bronze
Award. Many of the boys have become sufficiently interested to
purchase their own SLR cameras and these were put to good use at
Sports Day. Some examples of their work are represented in this
magazine.
It is hoped that photography will become much more
embedded in the Art and Design Department next year and it is
probable that the darkroom facility will move to this area from
Oldfield House in the near future. Digital photography is still
relatively new but, as it gains in popularity, it will become an integral
part of any photography course at John Lyon.
G ..J. Ryder
The Film Club
The FirstYear Film Club provides boys with the opportunity to
reflect on important contemporary issues through the medium of
video. The first film to be viewed was Minority Report which uses a
futuristic science-fiction context to examine issues surrounding the
sanctity of life and society'S response to crime. The second film,
Bend it like Beckham, explores attitudes towards women in sport
and the tensions arising from inter-racial relationships. Several
'James Bond' movies provided an action-packed conclusion to the
year's viewings.
A.S. Westlake
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
thelyonian2003
Union
This year has seen a wide range of speakers coming to talk to us at
our Union periods. It was enjoyable to hear a range of topics being
discussed so that the speeches always felt informative and fresh. It
was also stimulating to encounter different methods of delivery
from the calm to the fiery. For instance on two consecutive weeks
we were presented with opposing arguments on the Palestine/Israel
conflict from John Levy and Gillian Watt. The issue is of course a
controversial one and so it was only fair that we heard the various
arguments in this balanced way. I am sure that everyone's opinion
on the matter was in some way changed and informed by the
speakers. The relevance of this debate and also of the 'Britain and
the Euro' discussion cannot be doubted and so it was useful to be
acquainted with the facts at school.
However, I have to say that those were not my favourite
speeches. The prize for style must go to Anthony Slinn for his lively
talk on Salvador Dali.1 had heard him before discussing Vincent Van
Gogh and remember vividly the moment when he illustrated the
master-painter's suicide by firing a blank from a gun. Anyone not
captivated by his speech was certainly awoken with a start by the
deafening roar. This year he did not fail to entertain us again,
although admittedly it would be difficult not to as the painter in
question this time is something of an 'odd ball'.
The props he used this time were not unfortunately weaponry
but they were just as interesting: tape recordings of Dali's explicitly
surreal musings rendered in his unmistakeably cacophonous
intonation, pictures of rocks, which look like faces and some of
Dali's paintings in which one was encouraged to ponder the eternal
question: just where is the greyhound supposed to bel The speaker
himself most certainly had an affinity with his subject. It was a thrill
to hear him suddenly put tremendous emphasis on the word
'painter' at random in the middle of a sentence. His passion for art
shone through in a most bizarre but wonderful way.
The prize for content has to go Allan Conway for his speech on
the science of graphology, or, to those not clued up in this field, the
study of handwriting and what it can tell us. A seemingly innocent
piece of handwriting was fervently scrutinised and made to reveal
the secrets of its owner: arrogance, timidity and even schizophrenia.
He also told us, quite interestingly, that the idle doodles we draw in
fits of boredom in class almost all have highly significant
connotations.
All in all we were pleasantly taught a great many things in Union
and we were occasionally encouraged to relax, such as the occasion
we spent listening to the musically gifted Jackoby Night and their
powerful brand of rock and roll. Every Union period proved a very
congenial way to spend a period in school and thanks must of
course go to Mr French for introducing us to such a fascinating
group of speakers.
Charles Booth
The Philosophers' Club
The Philosophers' Club offers boys in Years 1-3 the opportunity to
become acquainted with the wonders of philosophy. The club takes
its inspiration from Socrates' statement that the unexamined life in
not worth living. Each week a philosophical question is discussed,
the boys share their own ideas and the views of one important
philosopher are explored.
A.S. Westlake
Activities Monday to Friday
This year saw the start of a weekly activity programme offering the
boys opportunities beyond the rigours of their lessons and enabling
them to experience a wide range of challenges.We have had
enthusiastic pupils looking after the aquarium, with guidance from
Mrs J. Perdue, through to the Young Enterprise Scheme under the
guidance of Mr AndrewWright.Young Enterprise is the perfect
training ground for those sixth formers thinking of running their
own companies. Maybe we have the next Richard Branson in our
midst!
All of the activities on offer encourage our students to broaden
their minds and opinions. Options include debating and philosophy
clubs, funk, salsa and rock bands and many more. Action-packed
lunch times are filled with cricket practice in the nets and athletics
training for field and track events. Currently, 64 activities are
available to all pupils, every week, during the Summer Term and
options change each term.
Miss E.K. Sigston
Director of Activities
The Friday afternoon activity programme has had a very successful
start.The FirstYears have had an action-packed carousel of creative
and challenging experiences including hockey, water polo, art, and
sculpture, to name only a few. The long traditions of the school have
also made it possible for all pupils to learn the ancient skills of
archery, an opportunity which has existed, almost uninterrupted, at
John Lyon, for 125 years, and one we hope to see continue
throughout the coming generations.
From September 2003, all pupils from the First Year through to
the Lower Sixth will be taking part in Action, Creative and Service
activities. The Lower School is enjoying the carousel of events, while
the Upper School and Sixth Form will choose one event from each
area for a term, from the option booklet.
Miss E.K. Sigston
Director of Activities
CLUBS & SOCIETIES
Children of Courage Awards
On Wednesday II th December, eleven boys, Samit Unadkat, our
monitor, Ms Waldron and Mr Westlake, attended the Children of
Courage awards, which was held at Westminster Abbey. We left
school at eight twenty and arrived in London, via the tube, at about
nine thirty. In London, all eleven boys and Samit were kindly treated
to drinks. at Starbucks, by Ms Waldron (Thanks Ma'am.). It was quite
an eventful drink. When we had gone in, Kashif Shirazi noticed that
two actors from a Coronation Street were seated at a table and he
and a few ")thers got their autograph.
Amo; ;st the crowd in Westminster Abbey were: Roger Moore,
Gary Rh, les, Hand Claire from Steps, Greg Rusedski and even
Desmon Lynam. Most celebrities signed autographs. The idea of
the cerel ony was to reward children for showing courage and
characte; over the past year. The awards varied between saving lives
and COp:I',; bravely with life-threatening diseases.
Ross Kemp also made an appearance; it was he who had the
honour of kicking-off the ceremony with a poem, A 'Christmas
Tribute', Later that evening, on the news, he said he was very
nervous. This reading was then followed by a series of hymns and
carols. Then it was the presentation of the awards.
I think the most remarkable two winners are ChristopherVince,
who was twelve. He made a split second decision to save his older
brother at the expense of his own life. The pair were walking in a
viok
torm, when a thirty-foot tree came crashing down.
Christ ):)her dived and pushed his brother out of the path of the
tree and was struck by the tree. Hayley Okines, is four and from
Bexhill. She suffers from a serious case of progeria. This is a rare,
and cruel condition, which means that her body is ageing eight times
faster than it, should. She already has the heart and lungs of a thirty
two year old. Hayley is also crippled with arthritis and has lost
nearly all of her hair. But with these conditions, she refuses to feel
sorry for herself.
After the award ceremony, we managed to fit in lunch at
McDonald's before arriving back at school for the last two lessons.
We would all like to thank Mrs Gill Branston for her kind invitation
for us to attend the Children of Courage Awards. We had a
wonderful time.
Lavan Krishnamohan
thelyonian2003
SPORT
Join the
John Lyon Parents' and Friends' Association
and support our :chool
The John Lyon Parents' and Friends' Association has a long
tradition of supporting our boys and our School. Working
alongside the School and the Old Lyonians' Association,
our aims are to:
• organise activities and events that benefit the boys and
the School, including fund raising for significant projects;
• promote a wider sense of community and involvement
with the life of the School - amongst the existing
parents, boys and former students working with the
Old Lyonians' Association, and also with former
members of staff and interested people and
organisations in the local community;
• help promote and maintain the School's values particularly the strong sense of pastoral care which
attracts so many of us as parents to John Lyon.
What does the Association do?
In previous years the Association has run numE JS
events and social activities at the School, and r" ·d funds
for much needed resources from tents for Johr Ion
Outward Bound activities such as the Duke of f inburgh
Award Scheme, to stage lighting for performanc i in the
Boyd Campbell Hall, and contributions to the be IS' Sixth
Form charity appeal.
Association members have also supported school
events from Association Day and summer fairs to parents'
evenings and sports trips.
What are we doing next term?
Our next event will be an evening meeting for fonner
students, and boys in the fourth, fifth and sixth forn:s who
are making subject and career choices.
Former students working in the arts, profession"
business and the academic world will be on hand to tell
our boys about their experiences and the career choices
they have made.
We'll also be on hand at Association Day if you'd like
to talk to us. Look for our stall, bar and cream teas in the
marquee, or for members wearing the Association badge
shown above.
How to support the Association
We're always keen to welcome new members, so if you'd
like to help us organize events, or have enthusiasm, skills
or resources that you feel might benefit the boys and the
School do contact us at the addresses in the box.
We especially want to hear from you if you'd like to
tell the boys about your own career choices and work
experiences at our evening meeting in the September
term. This will be an informal event but a really valuable
one for our boys - and we hope old boys and friends of
the school with true stories to tell about the world of
work beyond school and college will enjoy sharing them.
Drop us a note and we'll tell you more.
To contact the Parents' and Friends' Association:
either email us at: jlpfa@lycos.co.uk
or drop a note to the Chairman, Peter Whitfield clo the
School Office.
Philip Ellaway
" Iyonian.
Monito r S
1003-1004
Standing: Christopher lam; Christopher leonard; Owen Peachey; William Deacon; Ryan Nicholas; Cameron Houston; Mayan Uthayakamur.
Seated: Prasanna Oe-Alwis; Samit Mapara; Joel Bubbers; Mr D. Rimmer. Deputy Head (Pastoral); James Mott. Head Boy; Joshua Sasto;
Jiten Halai; Swaraj Thancanamootoo.
Iyonian
The John Lyon Leavers'
Ball was quite simply the
highlight of the school's
social calendar. Exam
pressure out of the way
we were free to put on
our glad rags and have a
good time with old
friends before parting
our various ways.
Speaking of glad rags
there was an eclectic
mixture of black tie
attire. Almost all made
the effort to look the
part, which produced
some brilliant examples
of evening wear. Some
wore white jackets, (one
presumes to emulate
the classical style of
James Bond), some
wore cravats and
embroidered waistcoats
(to dazzle those around
them with garish
colour) and others, (well
· me), wore jacket tails
· and a cummerbund and
braved criticisms such
as,"Are you taking
drinks orders or are
you just our food
waiterl" in order to be
peerlessly suave.
The setting was
wonderfully decorated,
... the clothes were stylish,
the music suited many
tastes so that everyone
found at least one track
to dance to and the
.food tasted good. All
that was left to , . the
mood was the shared
· experiences we wert all
reliving, the friendships
we had formed and of
course copious amounts
of alcohol. So much for
good gracel All good
things must come to an
end, (except of course
for death and taxes but
• they weren't Invited),
and In the wee hours of
the night we were
thrown out onto the
streets still laughing all
the WIlf. A shining
success, which will be
difficult to top next year.
Charles Booth
thelyonian2003
of talented future stars were on
in Guys and Dolls,John Lyon's
at the Ryan Theatre, Harrow-on-the
2nd-4th April 2003. The cast, which
nearly forty pupils, included girls from
Northwood College and Mill Hill
High School, performing alongside
boys.
the moment the audience stepped
the beautifully equipped Ryan Theatre. we
overwhelmed by a sense of
ifo,~,:in"':lIi'tlm and theatrical magic.The front
team, dressed in immaculate
and clearly totally engaged, in their
set the audience buzzing in anticipation.
were not disappOinted.The cast were full
.Of'"""',",,,,, putting their hearts into wellmmrm.. r" such as 'Sit Down You're
the Boat', for which soloist jQnath~n
as Nicely-Nicely should get a special
....,..nf"iinn
has remarkable ~e
...' ...c .. n,.... and is clearly a talent to watch:
Maja Raskovic and Joel'Bubbers, MIsS
IfAdel.lide and Nathan,Detroit respectively, ,
the perfect comic coupte, exchanging:
banter in 'poifect' New York accenr,s.J
PJ'SOIIUtE!1Y adored their rendition of 'Sue Me'
perfectly demonstrated their talenu.
has a wonderful face and a lovely stage ,
~ "'·.. c~'n,..~ The audiences adored him.
Sarah Wakefield and Owen Peachey played
'prim soul-saver Sarah Brown and Incl,lrable
gambler Sky Masterson, and managed to
convey their developing relationship VerY
convincingly. Owen has a beautiful singing
voice and I was struck by the emotional, range
he brought to Sky's dramas.TheHot~,
, Girls and Crapshooters, both shonei~ th8lr
. big numbers,'A Bushel andA Pe«;k'".,..al<!t8licI(
Your Mink',The Crapshooters' Dance aricI
'Luck Be A Lady'.
Stefan Hargreaves playingArvlde
Abemathy performed a beautiful rehdttion of
'More I Cannot Wish You'. Daniel Stock, "
hilariously portrayed Ueutenant Brannlgan
and Ryan Nicholas performed the most
successful Big Julie I have ever seen.The
Crapshooters, including Charles Booth and '
Swaraj Thancanamootoo who were both
outstanding, were hugely energetic and filled
the stage with vitality and professionall~m.
The dancing was superb. The girls
captured the atmosphere of the Hotbox Club.
The Havana dance sequence was brea~
and it was amazing to see so manylatln daIlce
experts. The boys displayed outstanding
enthusiasm and their skill, commitment anc! cf~r
beautJtil1Jr
continued on page 43
thelyonian2003
The Crucible
he
Arthur Miller was
the main Autumn Term
T
production this year. Directed Mr
Crucible by
by
Arindom Roy, and performed to full
houses over the three days from the
28th to 30th November, it
comprised a cast mainly of fifth and
sixth form students from St Helen's
and The John Lyon School.·
The play is a devilishly -I use the
word deliberately - difficult one to
pull off. To quote Mr Roy's
programme notes, 'Salem
Massachusetts, 1692, is where our
tale is set. Arthur Miller's classic
parable of mass hysteria draws a
chilling parallel between the Salem
witch-hunt of 1692 and the
irrational fear of communism which
gripped America in the 1950s.This
story of how the small community
of Salem is stirred into madness by
superstition, paranoia and malice,
culminating in a violent climax, is a
true reflection of one of the
strangest and most awful chapters in
human history:
As you can imagine, the task Mr
Roy set himself was particularly
challenging but he rose to it
magnificently and with his customary
good humour and determination.
Beginning his auditions in July and
completing in September he arrived
at his cast of 16 girls and II boys all
of considerable talent.
The play opens inside Reverend
Parris' home where his daughter
Batty lies in bed unable to move.
Parris questions his servant girl,
Abigail Williams, here powerfully
played by Eiram Haq, as a troubled
and troublemaking young woman of
seventeen, about events that have
taken place in the forest. Parris
suspects 'abominations', have taken
place and the entrance of Sarah
Putnam and her subsequent
questions implying suggestions of
witchcraft, set in train a series of
events culminating in tragedy.
There were so many remarkable
performances coaxed from the
players that it seems unfair to single
out individuals. However, I must
congratulate Daniel StoCk for his
powerful portrayal of Jo~n Proctor.
Daniel gave a performance of great
force and conviction. He made
DRAMA
..------------------------------------------
~
DRAMA
Proctor's decision to take the honOurable path leading to his
"
ble death both entirely believable and heartbreaking at
the same time. It was a performance which will stay In the
".memory. He was sensitively supported by Natasha Watson with
;a wonderful coolness and restraint as his emotionally buttoned
':up wife Elizabeth. But make no mistake this production was an
ensemble performance and it will be hard to forget Charles
~'Booth's portrayal of John Hale as a thoroughly decent man
jt caught up in terrible events and believably possessed by the
potent Idea that he might eventually face 'a bloody fight with the
Fiend himself. Sam Dennls as Governor Danforth continued
this uncompromising theme in a performance of calculated
exactitude which truly chilled the blood.
."
The cast worked seamlessly together and it was marvellously
-. horrifying to witness the group hysteria of the girls and note how
:;,well they worked together and their power and capacity to
~ ·engage the audience's sense of horror. Although of course the
thelyonian2003
play was emphatically a group effort, a number of other
performances remain in the mind. Joel Bubbers gave a rollicking
performance as Marshal Herrick, and Eoin Connolly, Richard Jago
and Lorenzo Um turned in customarily accomplished
performances as Judge Hathome, Giles Cory and Thomas
Putnam, respectively. Congratulations to Daniel Hooper for. taking
on the role of Ezekial Cheever so successfully at the eleventh
hour.
We are particularly indebted to the girls of St Helen's for
their enthusiasm, stamina and sheer talent. I have already
mentioned Natalie Watson and Eiram Haq but Emily Warburton
gave her character,Tituba, a real emotional power and Rachel
Haas as Mary Warren proved a very believable witness. It is, I
know, invidious to single out particular actors and I should like to
stress the high quality of performance - a tribute to the
marvellous company spirit and Hr Roy's inspiring direction.
continued on page 41
...
thelyonian2003
I~@
I
DRAMA
thelyonian2003
DRAMA
Sodew~e[!je oVe[!j t~e
Reinbow
Somewhere over the Rainbow was the November 2002 production. performed in the
drama studio. It was directed and produced by our new Director of Drama. Miss
Deborah Gibbs and the cast was made up solely of years one to four. The basic
plot which was very close to our hearts. is based on a very contemporary event.
the 2002 World Cup Finals. held in Japan. The event takes control of the lives of the
characters. who are all England football supporters. and the audience is treated to
the roller coaster ride that is the tantalizing dream of qualifying for the
competition and the obsession it creates. Finally. the play deals with the way these
characters will deal with the sad truth that the England. is not destined for
greatness this time round.
The nature of the drama meant that the characters were very defined and
clearly played true to playwright's intention. Richard. played by Alykhan Kassam.
came across as a very controlled character. However. when thought-tracking
occurred and he revealed his psychological secrets. his gestures and movement
really came to life.
Michael Berryman played Mr Prime. Richard's boss. as a cold. unemotional man.
He spoke very clearly - well as far as is possible when the character has a tricky
Scottish accent. The child characters. Mickey.Adam Trepczynski.Jason.Joe Morell.
and Matt. Simon Winkler. however. added to the flavour. having a great on-stage
relationship with each other as well as showing powerful emotional contrast.
Convincing performances also came from Ravi Sodha as Mr Pass and Nasri EISayegh as Mr Strange. playing evil teachers. a speciality of the dramatist. The
commentators. who where also narrators during the piece. played very clearly
drawn and believable characters. Sven played by Stuart Onslow and Beckham by
Alistair Milne. added to the humour by playing them very satirically. But those who
played the crowd. which ranged from the thugs to an OAp, created neat contrasts.
and delivered realistic and memorable monologues.
The concept of the play was an interesting one and it had the effect on me of
recreating a recent and powerful experience and reflected the way the nation
reacted at the time. The unity achieved at the end of the play clearly mirrored the
sense of unity in the country as a whole. The set was very open and simple with a
raised audience occupying one side and the flags of many nations hanging in the
background. The lighting. with Daniel Hooper in charge. and the music. certainly
created the necessary atmosphere and allowed for the use of a simple set.
The audience were attentive throughout the play and the ensuing applause at
the end was a measure of how the play had gripped them. The play as a whole was
a great success and it made all the late night rehearsals and learning lines and
movements worth it. which was very obvious from the buzz in the dressing room
afterwards. I am sure that many of these boys will continue their interest in drama
and 0; course we are to expect many more productions directed and written by
Ms Gibbs.
Nathaniel Caiden
Cast
Richard
Mickey
Jason
Matt
Mr Prime
Mr Pass
Mr Strange
Dan
Bobby
The Lost Man
Harold
Commentator I
Commentator 2
Commentator 3
Commentator 4
Commentator 5
Alykhan Kassam
Adam Trepczynski
Joe Morell
Simon Winkler
Michael Berryman
Ravi Sodha
Nasri EI-Sayegh
Kunal Thakker
Dylan Liew
Atif Siddiqui
Andrew Morrisby
Milan Shah
Alastair Kidner
Jaysil Patel
Meeth Katira
Vikash Seth
Commentator 6
Commentator 7
Commentator 8
Commentator 9
Commentator 10
Commentator I I
David Beckham
Sven
Crowds. footballers
James Perkins
Ravi Pattni
Raminda Karalliadde
Sagar Shah
Luke Archer
Priyan Pankhan ia
Alistair Milne
Stuart Onslow
Mithunan Sothilingam.
Anuj Patel.
Asantha DeAlwis.
Pavan Paw.
Michael Leedham.
Mitesh Hathiramani
Written and directed by Deborah Gibbs
The Crucible
concluded from page 39
I must also mention Caroline Harrison's and Sam
Moreli's minimalist set which cleverly recreated the
narrow and claustrophobic world of Salem and
provided an effective framework for the tragic events
of the drama to unfold. Also. a quick glance at the
cast list below will reveal how many people have
been involved in this production both on stage and
off and so again many congratulations to Mr Roy not
only for such a marvellous production but for
juggling so many balls in the air and sustaining such a
tremendous team spirit in the company.
N.H.P.
Cast
Reverend Parris
Thomas Putnam
John Proctor
Giles Corey
Reverend John Hale
Francis Nurse
Ezekiel Cheever
Judge Hathorne
Marshal Herrick
Officer Hopkins
Governor Danforth
Betty Parris
Abigail Williams
Tituba
Susanna Walcott
Mrs. Putnam
Mercy Lewis
Mary Warren
Rebecca Nurse
Martha Corey
Sarah Good
Abigail's gang
Anuj Bhardwaj
Lorenzo Lim
Daniel Stock
Richard Jago
Charles Booth
Daniel Winkler
Daniel Hooper
Eoin Connolly
Joel Bubbers
Oliver Booth
Sam Dennis
Rosemary Cronin
Eiram Haq
Emily Warburton
Jennifer Morgan
Hannah Ritchie
Carla Gauci
Rachel Haas
Hannah Rosenthal
Laura Bosier
Alice Pervezer
Jennifer Morgan. Carla Gauci.
Laura Bosier. Alice Pervezer.
Rosemary Cronin.
Emily Warburton
Deborah Gibbs. Rajiv Koya
Deborah Gibbs. Matthew Dodd
Kate Higson. Antony Singer.
James Backer
Stage Crew
Adam Sharp. Nathan Langford.
Manjit Chita. Luke Archer
Set Design and Painting Caroline Harrison. Dom Roy.
Daniel Hooper. Eliot Haigh.
Adam Sharpe. Nathan Langford.
Manjit Chita. Luke Archer.
Martin Thompson
Back Drop
Caroline Harrison. Sam Morell
Kate Higson. Judith Perdue. the girls
Make-up and Costume
in Abigail's gang
Box Office
Lyndon Budd. Atish Lakhani
Ticket Distribution
Kevin Larkin. James Sylvester
Front of House
Nabila Khalid. Chris Tucker.
Atish Lakhani. Greg Dillon
Photography
Michael Sadler
Video Production
Martin Thompson
Nina Holland
Programme & Admin
Publicity and Posters
Jaymit Patel. Atish Lakhani
Catering
Bruce Burrows
Other help and assistance Danni Sinclair and Michelle Head
for communication with
St. Helen's School
Lighting
Sound
Stage Managers
Director and Producer
Dom Roy
DRAMA
thelyonian2003
DRAMAEvents
The competition was very tight at the top and the lead kept
changing all day. Eventually Vaughan just took first place beating
Butler by just five points.
Summer Term 2003
Two Households
The Summer Term witnessed a very exciting new drama project
between The John Lyon School and Harrow School. Thirty boys
were brought together from both schools to perform a new play
written for them by our Director of Drama, Deborah Gibbs.
Set in the Big Brother House of 2020, the play draws parallels
with Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet by introducing two opposing
households, accustomed to a celebrity lifestyle. Key members of the
Beckham and Ferguson families are put under the microscope and,
like the Capulets and Montagues before them, they are not able to
forget their differences.
The piece was extremely well delivered, with some highly
exciting performances. Nasri EI-Sayegh,Vijay Doshi and Stuart
Onslow showed great passion as three of the house members. Atif
Siddiqui performed with great confidence as one of the hosts and
Simon Winkler made a highly convincing psychologist. The other six
John Lyon boys, Kofi Asante, Sam Belazka,Omar Butt, Nathan
Ireland, Krishan Patel and Kashif Shirazi, displayed excellent
commitment and enthusiasm in a range of roles. They had created
some wonderfully slick adverts, which really demonstrated the
power of the media over us. Performing in Harrow School's Ryan
Theatre, once again students had the opportunity of working in a
professional theatre venue. Bringing together boys from the two
schools has been a highly exciting creative venture and has provided
a valuable new experience for all concerned.
Drama House Competition
On Ist July a new style House Drama Competition was staged,
involving students from the First and Second Year. Both year groups
had to enter competitors in a variety of categories:
• a published monologue;
• a published duologue;
• an improvisation;
• group work.
There were a total of 48 different items throughout the day,
involving about two-thirds of all boys. Standards were extremely
high and reflected the effort and commitment demonstrated over
the rehearsal period. There were many outstanding performances
and there is clearly a great deal of talent in the school. I would like
to mention a few of the performers.
First Year
Raminda Karalliadde (Butler) and Dylan Liew (Moore) for
monologue performances;Anuj Patel and Ravi Patel (Butler) for
performance of a published duologue;Abraham Hassan and
Ashwanth Ravindrarajah (Moore) for their improvised work.
Second Year
JackAbelson (Butler) and David Titone (Vaughan) for monologue
performances; Jordan Thompson and Nikhil Raghavan (Butler) and
Andrew Watters and Pavan Paw (Norwood) for performance of a
published monologue; Meeth Katira and James MacDonald (Butler),
Declan Edwards and James Sellu (Norwood) and Gilbert Leaman
and Matthew Jobson (Vaughan) for improvised work; Gejen
Kamalatharan, Faisal Islam and Roshan Bhalla (Norwood) for their
advert.
Bernie & His Intended
Tuesday Ist July brought together the two sixth form drama groups,
four teachers and invited guests to perform a one-act play entitled
'Bernie and his Intended', written by Deborah Gibbs.This comedy
explores what happens when tempestuous family members, friends
and neighbours are thrown together to meet Bernie's 'intended'.
Modelling themselves on Elizabethan actors who had very short
rehearsal periods, the cast had one main day of intensive
preparation. There was only one performance to an audience of
friends and drama students. The whole experience was tremendous
fun, performed with remarkable slickness and enthusiastically
received. It was an exciting and fitting end to a very busy and
innovative year
Miss Deborah Gibbs
Whizzing from School to Street
First and Second Year Drama
he John Lyon School production, Whizzing from School to Street,
was held in the Drama Studio on the 3rd of March, 2003. The
school production was a mix of four different sorts of plays to
make a whole production. The four plays included were Grease, West
Side Story, Oliver and The Wizard of Oz.
The lighting of the play was controlled by Daniel Hooper and
Matthew Dodd. The play included the school's first and second
formers and the director of the play was Mrs Higson.
Backstage we were helped by Mrs Sharma who kindly helped
the performers to get into their places and put on different types of
costumes for The Wizard of Oz. We were also helped by Miss Gibbs
who was in charge of other productions. Avinash Murthy was a
performer in the production and this is what he had to say about
the play:"1 was pleased with how the play went and I would like to
be a part of another play like this soon."
I played the part of Oliver and A-Rab in the play and thought
that the play was fun and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
T
Raminda Karalliadde
Bernie and His Intended
B
ernie and His Intended was a light hearted comedy written by
Ms Gibbs which witnessed Bernie and a group of ill-assorted
guests, including his mother's three ex-husbands, his eccentric
godmother and a professional clown, wait for his wife to be.
Performed at the end of the summer term, the cast included staff
from John Lyon, Mrs Higson and Mr Roy and the author herself, Ms
Gibbs.We also had a guest appearance by Miss Bethan Davies from
Harrow School. The students taking part were the departing Upper
Sixth boys and the Lower Sixth, ably supported by Daniel Hooper
on lights and Johnathon Bullock on sound.
We (the cast) took on Elizabethan style performance
conditions, all actors meeting for one intense rehearsal after having
learnt their lines. Despite this challenging task, the group quickly
gelled, no doubt spurred on by an increasing sense of panic as we
realised it was now the day we were due to perform and we were
still missing cues. However, as is often the case, this mixture of
nerves and adrenalin fuelled our performances and gave an extra
frisson to the performance. I think many of us felt we were arriving
thelyonian2003
DRAMA
at a bizarre party and were not quite sure what would happen next.
The play is very reminiscent of Abigail's Party. as in the end we
do not actually meet the intended.We await the sequel with
enthusiasm.
Our performance was very well received by an audience who
clearly enjoyed the wit and humour of the piece. The performers all
heaved a huge sigh of relief at having got through it without too
many obvious blunders but it was actually a very enjoyable
experience and many thanks to Ms Gibbs for organising this event
at the end of such a busy term.
Ryan Nicholas
Guys and Dolls
concluded from page 37
was infectious.
The set and costumes were spectacular. and really helped to evoke a
sense of place and time. as well as comedy! The stage crew and technical
teams performed with absolute professionalism. The stage crew had clearly
spent hours rehearsing difficult transitions and it was wonderful seeing
them integrated into the production in their own costumes.
Alongside a talented cast was a wonderfully professional band led by
Stuart Miles. I have seen Guys and Dolls many times. but I have never
enjoyed the music as much as I did at this production. It was altogether a
fun-filled evening. skillfully directed and choreographed by Deborah Gibbs
and performed by an enthusiastic cast who were obviously enjoying every
moment!
Rachel Holt
Cast in order of appearance
Nicely-Nicely
Benny Southstreet
Harry the Horse
Sarah Brown
Arvide Abernathy
lieutenant Brannigan
Nathan Detroit
Miss Adelaide
Sky Masterson
joey Biltmore
MC
Bigjule
General Cartwright
Craps hooters
Hot Box Dancers
Mission Band
rom the first auditions to the final performance. the Guys and Dolls
'experience' was an incredible journey and one not to be forgotten by
those involved. Having been through the initial and nervy audition process
- in my case my first experience of public singing - the pleasure at gaining a
significant role was indescribable. especially with the added curiosity of it
being musical theatre. something that none of us had ever experienced
before.
The start of the Spring Term brought with it much excitement as
rehearsals got underway and friendships were formed through our
demanding but always exciting schedule - typified by five consecutive days
of rehearsals during half term. It was this desire to get it right which drove
the production throughout and made it so memorable for all. as the
professional attitude of those in charge rubbed off on the performers and
raised the standards immeasurably. This was increased by the first-time use
of the Ryan Theatre which. with its incredible facilities. gave everyone added
impev~. and combined with the use of microphones. stunning costumes
and our own professional band. made the cast feel more and more like they
were part of a West End musical rather than a traditional school
production. Never have I been in a show that produced as much
enthusiasm among the cast. with spontaneous outbursts of song and dance
becoming a regular feature of school life for those involved.
The performances themselves were hugely enjoyable. and although
each dressing room was full of nerves. every person was fully prepared and
focused on their role within the show. which meant that the sell-out
audiences only added to the experience. It was this camaraderie built up
among those involved that made it such a success; whether it was the
performers themselves. the technicians. stage crew or front-of-house. each
person was fully confident in the quality of their show and those around
them. That this was so was due partly to the tremendous work of Mr Miles
who brought the musical numbers to life. but largely due to the drive and
inspiration of Miss Gibbs whose energy and enthusiasm astounded us all
and raised the standards of everyone involved.
Overall. Guys and Dolls was an incredible experience that brought
together boys and girls from three different schools. and gave us all the
chance to act. sing and dance - and in the end. left us all wanting more.
F
Joel Bubbers
Bar Customers. New Yorkers
The girls
The girls
Davison
jonathan Bullock
Swaraj Thancanamootoo
Charles Booth
Sarah Wakefield
Stefan Hargreaves
Daniel Stock
joel Bubbers
Maja Raskovic
Owen Peachey
Richard jago
Anuj Bhardwaj
Ryan Nicholas
james Backer
Kofi Asante. Nasri EI-Sayegh.joshua Golga.
Ishil Mehta. Stuart Onslow,Atif Siddiqui.
Sagar Shah
Leanne Bean. Holly Coulson. Roseanne
Feinberg. Lenice Fry. Paula Hynd. Natalie
Karim. Elizabeth Moore.lindsay Muir.
Amy Ross. Hannah Rowland
Paul Burke.Alistair Milne. Krishan Patel.
Robert Young
Luke Archer, Daniel Artus. Omar Butt.
jaysil Patel. Ravi Sodha
of Northwood College appear by kind permission of Miss Celeste McCoy
of Mill Hill County High School appear by kind permission of Or Alan
The Band
Flute
Reeds
Law.
French Horn
Trumpets
Trombone
Bass
Drums
Keyboards
Production Team
Stage Management
Stage Crew
jiten Halai
Nathan Hassall. Will Henry. Ben Hull. Tom
Kathryn Stagg
Viv Davies
joe Auckland. Pablo Mendelssohn.
Robbie Robson
Oliver Druker
lan King
jason Holling
Chris Grey. Stuart Miles
Anuj Bhardwaj. Richard jago
Zaid AI-Katib. Luke Archer. Oliver Booth.
Sunal Das. Varun Goel. Krishan Parmar.
jai Paul. Benjamin Sehovic. Ravi Sodha
Technical Director
Curt Peirson
Daniel Hooper. Vikash Seth
lighting Operators
Andrew Karim. Bhavik Shah
Sound Operators
Spodight Operators
Nathaniel Caiden. Yousuf Salmasi
Set provided by
Stage Productions
Grant Braithwaite. Shiv Tailor.
Signs and Pipes produced by
Caroline Harrison & pupils
Costumes provided by
Theatrical Costume House. Southend-on-Sea
Box Office
Nick Loudon. Shiv Tailor.joel Bubbers.
Charles Booth
Front of House Managers
Shiv Tailor. Richard Stevens
Front of House
Prasanna De-Alwis. Grant Morris.
Osman Ishaq
Photographs
Graham Ryder
Programme
Nina Holland
Musical Director
Stuart Miles
Choreographer and Director Deborah Gibbs
Special thanks to the Ryan Theatre especially Martin Tyrel/. Curt Peirson.
Dave and Kieron
MUSIC
thelyonian2003
Guitar Ensemble
The guitar ensemble has gone from strength to strength this year,
expanding our repertoire even further.james Perkins and Nima
Imani joined Adam Sharp,james Matthams, Rory jackson and me,
jonathan Mizler in the Autumn Term. From then on, the six of us in
the Guitar Ensemble have been invited by the Headmaster to play at
the John Lyon School Open Day, and by the music school to play at
the Winter Chamber Concert and the Autumn and Summer
Concerts, playing a wide range of music from the Baroque period to
twentieth century and world music. Many thanks to our guitar
teacher Mr Boyle for his kind and patient support over the year.
Next year we are going to strive even harder in our practice and
rehearsals to bring an even higher standard of music to our
audience. To end with, we in the Guitar Ensemble, say goodbye to
Nima who has now left the school and we wish him all the best.
jonathan Mizler
Training Band
Jazz Band
This past year has been a very successful year for the John Lyon jazz
Band.Yet again Mr. Grey has selected and arranged a great range of
traditional and popular jazz songs. Highlights of the year have
included solo performances by Sam Pickering and Gareth james
playing a particularly tricky Charlie Parker tune, along with a
performance ofWes Montgomery's West Coast Blues by myself.A
special mention also goes out to the extremely tight rhythm section
of Anup Paul on bass,jai Paul on the drums and Mr.Grey on piano.
Mark johnson
Throughout the year the Training Band gives young musicians the
opportunity to play in an ensemble with other pupils of the same
standard. The first couple of years are always fairly difficult when
learning an instrument. In the Training Band the pupils get to hear
their instruments in a different musical environment which helps
individual technique a great deal. With many boys arriving at John
Lyon already quite advanced on their instrument the standard of
music in the Training Band is getting better year after year.
During the year the band performed contrasting pieces of music
ranging from pop songs to African Tribal music. The bands
performances at both School concerts were a tribute to their hard
work and determination with special praise for the young clarinet
section of Anuj Patel, Francis Handzel, Rishi Sethi and jasjote Bhasin.
It has been a tremendous year with many musical high points!
Oliver Druker
L
thelyonian2003
MUSIC
Finals of the
National Festival of Music for Youth
Queen Elizabeth Hall
Thursday July 10th 2003
After 125 years the school is moving with the times by adding a
new flavour to musical life. The funk band, led by the master of
groove, lan King, is leading a group of young "talented" individuals to
echo the sound of great funk songs and artists ranging from Prince,
to Stevie Wonder, and now moving to James Brown. The band is in
its infancy but Mark Johnson (lead guitar), Gareth James (bass),
Freddie Atkinson (drums) and I (vocals) are striding forward into
the light!
See you next year!
On May 1st 2003, four handsome but modest young men prepared
for the annual show extraordinaire that is the Summer Concert.
Sweaty and nervous, we braced ourselves for what was to be a
lesson to the audience in harmonious indie rock. Ten minutes later,
relieved and tired, we were bemused to see our Headmaster
climbing the stairs to the stage. He spoke about our band,Jackoby
Night, now officially branded the school rock band, and a certain
competition that had been long forgotten. It seemed that our very
first raw attempt at producing a demo had actually been listened to
by the panel for the Music for Youth National Festival. Not only this,
but they had actually liked it and had chosen us to perform at the
finals in July.An eruption of applause; ecstatic hysteria - our mothers
were in the audience - exploded upon these dumbfounded soon-tobe rock legends ...
July 10th finally arrived. Having lined our stomachs with the
finest breakfast on offer, from Waitrose, our chauffeurs, Messrs Miles
and Druker, effortlessly glided the stretch-minibus to the South
Bank.To our dismay, the four superstars were forced to wait for
another two hours prior to the unloading of equipment. "Where
were our baths of Evian, our pure Egyptian cotton towels and bowls
of fresh organic pasta?" Settling for a bag of crisps and cartons of
Ribena, our roadies, Messrs. Miles and Druker, set about the
unenviable task of moving the immovable - my infamous clavi nova
keyboard.To my relief, it was unharmed, unlike Mr Miles's back.
After the three-minute sound check, we were almost set for
action. With Sir Matthew Collins applying the final spray of
deodorant, the band was escorted to the Green Area backstage in
preparation for our performance. Tensions were running high.
Adrenaline was pumping. This was it.
As soon as we bombarded the stage, we felt like we were home.
We could feel the support of all our teachers, family and friends
who had made the long trip to see us on this hot day. It was a
moment of honour, of pure amazement, to play in front of such a
large crowd on such an important evening. During our
performance, the excitement buzzing between the four of us was
simply awesome - we just looked at each other, smiled and knew
this was where we belonged.
On behalf of Matt Collins, Anup Paul and Jai Paul, I would like to
say a huge thank you to our chauffeurs, roadies and devoted
teachers who made this whole event possible, as it will live long in
our memories.
See you at Glastonbury ...
Michal Len
Joshua Sasto
Salsa Band
A friend of mine who heard the salsa band this year remarked on
how surprised she was that none of the band is South American,
despite, as she put it in her thick Colombian accent, "their r;tma and
groove". As a sax player in the group, I'd have to agree with her
assessment of the rhythm section, expertly headed up by our
resident timbo/era and bandleader,Jason Holling.Jason, who is a
faultless drummer in his own right, has brought a lot of authenticity
to what started as just a school ensemble - securing arrangements
of everything from Santana's ubiquitous cover of Oye Cama Vo to
traditional Cuban arrangements, and bringing those deciding
touches of sovo;r (o;re to our horn line, which as well as playing, can
also dance (thanks to Miss Gibbs for the lessons). Next year, the
band hopes to play the final set with its current line-up in Italy,
which should mark its complete transformation from musical
gringos into fully-fledged salseros, a process already well under way.
Cameron Houston
Funk Band
thelyonian2003
MUSIC
Inter House Music Competition
Associated Board
2002 Prizewinner's Concert
Spring Term 2003
Thursday 21st November
Adjudicator:Jo Rowley Jones,Assistant Director of Music,
Trinity School, Croydon
Examination Results
1st Moore (37)
3rdVaughan (24)
2nd Butler (35)
4th Norwood (22)
Ist and 2nd Forms
1st
2nd
1st
1st
2nd
1st
Jack Turton (Butler House)
Stray Cat Strut
Brian Setzer
Gejen Kamalatharan (Norwood House)
Proud Horseman
Avinash Murthy (Moore House)
An Evening in the Village
R. Fuchs
Bartok
Edward Matthams (Butler House)
Air
R.Milford
Avinash Murthy (Moore House)
The Bottom Line
J. Rae
James Macdonald (Butler House)
Little Piece No. I
G.Jacob
3rd and 4th Forms
1st
2nd
1st
2nd
Joel Levitt (Moore House)
Tequila Sunrise
John McCabe
Daniel Van Goens
Haydn
1st
Thomas Ashwood (Vaughan House)
Palotas and Friss
Balogh
5th and 6th Form
2nd
1st
1st
2nd
1st
1st
ShivTailor (Butler House)
Raindrop Prelude
Chopin
Ryosuke Okazaki (Moore House)
Allegro: Sonata in F (I st Movement)
Mozart
Tommy Bowen (Moore House)
Gavotta - con due Variazioni
Matthew Collins (Vaughan House)
It's Okay
Mayan Uthayakumar (Vaughan House)
Improvisation (Beat Solo)
Cameron Houston (Moore House)
Sal ut D'amour
Jiten Halai (Moore House)
Duet for Flute and Piano (Movement I)
Owen Peachey (Vaughan House)
Concerto in Bb (Movement I)
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass with merit
Pass with merit
Pass with merit
Pass with distinction
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass
Summer Term 2003
Paul Burke (Vaughan House)
The Artful Dodger
Christopher Grover (Moore House)
Violin Concerto in G major
1st
102
I11
118
124
120
126
121
130
120
115
101
115
118
141
I11
116
124
115
115
134
118
127
118
Associated Board
Delius
1st
2nd
Grade 2 Clarinet
Grade 3 Clarinet
Grade 2 Clarinet
Grade 5 Clarinet
Grade 5 Guitar
Grade I Guitar
Grade 7 Piano
Grade 2 Piano
Grade 2 Piano
Grade 5 Piano
Grade 3 Violin
Grade 5 Violin
Grade 3 Violin
Grade I Trumpet
Grade 4 Trumpet
Grade 3 Trumpet
Grade 3 Trumpet
Grade I Trombone
Grade I Trombone
Grade 3 Trombone
Grade 4 Trombone
Grade 5 Clarinet
Grade 7 Clarinet
P.Wedgwood
Narin Hengrung (Vaughan House)
Prelude
Stefan Hargreaves (Butler House)
Scherzo
Matthew Dodd
David Knight-Johnson
Christopher Duncan
Thomas Ashwood
James Matthams
James Perkins
Paul Burke
James Caldecourt
Alexander Shaw
Avinash Murthy
Jack Li
Jenk Elkiner
John Lou
Abhiram Sahathevan
Nima Imani
Selwyn Sivagumar
Stephen Harland
Shaffi Chogley
Kwasi Yeboah
Jacob Sharp
Baiju Vaidya
Rishi Sethi
Jason Powell
Stravinsky
Delirious
Mirudangan
Elgar
Copland
Mozart
Practical Results
Stefan Hargreaves
Michal Len
Benjamin Sehovic
Harry Campbell
Karam Ismail
Joel Levitt
Angelo Arulanantham
Adam Sharp
Rory Jackson
Nima Imani
Jonathan Mizler
Milan Shah
Sameer Jethwa
Cameron Houston
Jasjote Bhasin
Krishan Patel
Gareth Corfield
Rickesh Shah
Max Hird
Meeth Katira
Jes Dulay
Adam Neidle
Matthew Whitfield
Andrew Watters
Adam Branston
Grade 6 organ
Grade 5 guitar
Grade 3 piano
Grade 2 trumpet
Grade 2 trumpet
Grade 5 trumpet
Grade I trumpet
Grade 5 guitar
Grade 3 guitar
Grade 2 guitar
Grade 2 guitar
Grade I guitar
Grade 4 saxophone
Grade 6 saxophone
Grade 2 viola
Grade 4 viola
Grade 5 clarinet
Grade 2 clarinet
Grade 2 clarinet
Grade I piano
Grade I piano
Grade 3 piano
Grade 2 piano
Grade 2 piano
Grade 2 piano
131
122
118
113
102
115
105
112
105
127
139
I11
126
124
123
104
113
125
108
114
116
100
II1
116
102
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass with merit
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass
Pass with merit
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
Pass
pass
It's Edward Again
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....
Concealment
They have bright eyes,
Which catch you by surprise,
They have padded paws,
Terrifying claws,
Nine lives each.
Whatever could they bel
They have feet that clack,
Enough to make the floorboards crack.
They have tickly tongues,
And savage teeth.
Whatever could they bel
Christian Binder- Skagnaes
It's Eclward again.
He's rebellious again.
Go to bed!
He wonders why he is tired.
Do your homework!
He wonders why he is in trouble.
Have a bath!
He wonders why he smells.
Eat up!
He wonders why he is hungry.
But then it struck me;
Why not tell him to do the oppositel
Stay awake!
He's up with the larks.
Don't do your homework!
He receives a merit.
Starve!
He is quite plump.
So life now is very good.
I just hope he does not realize,
The psychological truth.
Robert Haines
IJ2
Sweet sneakers,
Chair squeakers,
Teacher freakers,
Door peekers,
Football kickers,
Ice cream lickers,
Homework trickers,
Choir singers
Moaning mingers,
Door knockers,
Watch clockers,
Messy lockers,
Chair rockers,
Children hitters,
Child critters,
No homework kidders.
Abraham Pirry
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The Cheetah
He needs to show his brave. ferocious body.
He needs to be contemptuous and cruel with his praying prey.
He needs his legs to run 60 mph to catch his prey.
He needs his shark-sharp. stabbing. shocking. shiny.
Slashing. slaughtering. smashing white teeth.
To tear the tearful. tense. tasty. puny prey.
A Fox
He needs:
Fluffy. fast. flying feet. keeping him secredy
A dark set of eyes. darkly carroted....... ,~ .....r~
A high-flying tail. a right show-off near the
Seventy sharp. stabbing teeth. biting into
James limbrey
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Fireworks
A shooting rocket,
Agiant bomb.
A bright light,
A lava-spl'tt'lng volcano.
Amazing colours.
A fire light,
Great explosions.
Falling fire.
Zooming fire.
Many colours.
Roaring red.
Grassy green.
Sky blue.
Sunlight yellow.
Dark to see.
Noise-maker.
lighting light.
Clement Hutin
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The Child
It is a fierce fighter.
A devious dodger.
A city slicker.
A rinning growler.
A grough disobeyer.
A scruffy giggler,
A fast eater.
A tedious trickster.
A hell raiser.
A destructive destroyer.
A weird weapon.
A toy hunter.
A fiery volcano.
Dylan liew
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How to make a Leopard
He needs,
The light of the sun for his soft fur,
The darkness of the night for his spots,
Sharp teeth like a swan's beak,
Claws to cling on to trees.
He pounces on his prey to pin it to the ground.
He comes out at night to hunt,
So that no one knows he's out there,
Creeps up on his prey and stabs it to death.
His speed is just right
So that he could outrun any of his prey.
He makes his den deep deep down in a cave,
So that it is so dark when you creep in,
You can only see his eye.
Clement Hutin
He needs,
Spots which splinter on his smooth-skinned,
Streamlined structure,
Teeth that tear titanium,
Dig like thunder into the catch,
Paws that stiffen,
Waiting, watching, whispering,
Speed as swift as stars starting in the sky,
Eyes ignoring everything except its prey,
laziness lingering onto him,
As he lies in lush leaves.
Adam Trepczynski
Underwater
I see a slim figure that glides over me,
Followed by a pair of legs kicking frantically.
I hear funny noises I don't expect to hear,
like little air bubbles passing by my ear.
I feel my body agree with the flow.
At this stage I feel I don't want to go.
I can't see anything if my goggles aren't on,
But once they're over my eyes
The pain is gone.
I don't hear anything when I'm down below;
The most I can make of it is a faint echo.
I don't feel I'm in this world,
When I'm down under.
I don't feel any less sharp than a roar of thunder.
Anon.
yellowpages
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The Sea
The sea is lovely.
A limber pusher.
A soothing sound.
A relaxing rider.
A galloping grinder.
Of slippery stones.
To peaceful pebbles.
And shiny sand.
A super splasher.
A serene swerver.
Of whirling waves.
And ghostly greens.
Into merging sky.
A mystery mover.
Ashwanth Ravindrajah
Writing to the Beloved
From her eye a tear swelled.
Back to the page the ink gasped.
like a feather the tear quivered.
like a race the ink neared end:
The transparent fell to the opaque.
And the empty full stop engulfed.
The flow of ink ceased.
And a living became a deceased.
Gagandeep Aulja
The Australian Bush
An empty plain.
Thousands of miles of emptiness.
Shivers sent on cloudless nights.
To small creatures.
Swimming under the sand.
Scorching heat,
Ridges the day.
And drought is.
Cast over the empty space.
The sun pounds the bush.
Towering.
High in its heaven.
Civilisation some distance away.
And surviving.
Something nears impossible.
The bush boy.
Someone quite remarkable.
Living.
Surviving!
Jay Jadva
yellowpages
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Elephant
Elephant
A rumpled-wrinkler.
Flabby-fleshed.
Elegant-eared.
Tremendous tusks.
Twirling-trunk.
Padded feet.
Mud-wallower.
Tree-eater.
Loud stomper.
Jungle King.
A ruling race.
Heir of herds.
A never forgetful nomad.
A slow stomper.
A definite daredevil.
A fat figure.
An enormous eater.
A valued vegetarian.
A grumpy groaner.
And a jubilant joker.
Arun Sharma
Adam Trepczynski
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Lightning
Guess Who?
Fierce fighter.
Fast and furious.
Big and bold.
Eager eyes.
Bloodthirsty jaws.
Clever and cruel.
Hot-headed.
Barbaric brain.
Tangy teeth.
It has to be a lion!
Sanjeiv Asokan
I am as dangerous as any disaster.
Ripping down brick. roof and plaster.
Like a sheet of light, I brighten the sky.
Brilliant dashes of sparks fly up high.
I whip the ground with all my might,
Like an alligator holding its bite.
I smash the earth. like a pile of bricks.
Denting it, chaotically shaped like a fist.
Seconds after smashing the ground.
I am followed by a gigantic sound.
And. after clearing the night's shrouding mist,
Everything silences into utter bliss.
Rajiv Chabria
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Chapter One: The Lost Flower
It was cold, very cold that evening. The icy wind sent shivers up the spines
of all those who had gathered at the local cemetery, and threatened to
chill their tones. But nobody complained - this was not an appropriate
time to do so.
There was an unprecedented silence in the normally deafening
neighbourhood. For once, the streets were silent. All the shops, factories
and even schools were closed. There were no grey clouds of smoke to
damage people's health and no masses of voices, which prevented
anybody from hearing someone three inches away. Nothing was as usual.
Everybody was in mourning.
The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of horses' hooves
rhythmically trotting along the cobbled streets. The people nearby looked
up with tears streaming down their faces and with orderly respect. A
carriage, driven by a man who himself seemed to be wallowing in misery,
carried the object of the people's sadness - their flower ...
One of the onlookers was a young boy, no older than three or four
years of age. He was dressed smartly, in an all-black gentleman's suit. His
blonde hair almost covered his big, round eyes, which were filled with
sadness of course, but also confusion. For this boy, being so young, found
it difficult to understand the seriousness of what had happened. His small
right wrist held on to a gigantic left hand, which almost eclipsed his
miniature one. A kind- looking face stared down at the boy, a face, which
forced a smile, although it was perfectly clear that the owner was filled
with devastation. The owner of the face, a tall, well-built man, dressed
exactly like the boy, except his clothes were about ten times larger, began
to sob. Silently expressing his feelings unashamedly was not out of place
that day. This was because, for once, all others around the man shared his
feelings. They were united in their sorrow.
This day would be the boy's earliest recollection. In the years to
come, whenever he tried to look back into his past and attempt to
remember his childhood, this would be the most ancient thing he would
be able to think of. All the elders would talk about the deceased for
decades and every time this happened, the boy would remember this
black evening. Many people nowadays would be astonished by the love
that so many residents of that neighbourhood felt for the man who had
had his life so tragically taken from him. But those people would be
simply ignorant. The youngster, who was only in his early twenties when
he died, had achieved so much in his short life. On top of that, he had
shared his glory with all those from his hometown. He had been very
modest too, and despite his superstar status, lived very humbly and
treated all as his equals. He had been the people's flower.
As dusk began to settle. the people began to slowly make their way
home.A few had stayed to gaze longingly at the cold. stony grave of their
flower, the small boy amongst them. As he began to tear his eyes away
from the new home of the star. something caught his attention. He leaned
forward and saw a stalk - alone. surrounded by eerie gravestones and
filthy brownness. It was the stalk of a flower. which had just started to
bud.
The boy thought for a moment. Something about the flower triggered
a new sensation inside him. He suddenly dreamed of becoming the next
flower of the town. It was almost as if he had been sent a sign. It was
ironic that it had come in the shape of a flower. The boy walked away.
confused yet excited. This was the start of something bold. something
fresh. Many had thought that this was a day that a legend died, but for the
young boy, it was a birth. a new beginning. Yes. one flower had been lost,
but now a new one had begun to bud.
Meer Shah
yellowpages
Opening Lines
A dry leaf drifted from above and settled on the hard.
moistureless ground. The soft wind whistled in the trees as
if it were birdsong. but it was not. There were no birds
here. Neither the piercing laugh of the Kookaburra nor the
screech of the magpie pervaded the summer stillness. On
the side of the track. a blue tongue moved leisurely out of
the bush and up the side of an arid, lifeless gum tree. to its
peaceful rest in a branch.
A long, slender snake appeared from a crack at the base
of the hollow eucalyptus. It lay there, basking in the
scorching heat of the sun. but not for 10ng.An unusual
sound was coming through the bush. one not often heard
by the animals that dwelt there. It became progressively
louder. but the reptiles kept their ground, having no reason
yet to fear this alien sound.
As lightning. out of the bush. shot a gleaming red
vehicle, large in size and vile of resonance, piercing the
tranquillity. The lizard leapt from his branch to scatter back
into the bush, while the snake spun its head around as it
returned to tree. But the wailing entity was gone as quickly
as it had come, and with its departure the bush returned to
its original concord.
Suddenly. a young. dishevelled man materialised from
the side of the track. He was short and weakly built, with
dark hair and a scarred face. His jeans were torn and,
wearing only a vest, he may have been attempting to show
his impressive muscles. should he have had any. looking
around frantically, he unscrewed the cap of a can he was
holding and threw whatever liquid was inside. deep into the
undergrowth. and taking his cigarette. tossed that in with it,
before running down the side of the track in an
indeterminate direction. Flames erupted behind him.
There was a loud whirring sounded overhead, and the
man paused. RealiSing what it was. he leapt off the track and
scrambled away into the bush in the fashion of a frightened
rabbit. As the footsteps faded. the snake again emerged to
find itself faced with flames. the power of which could not
be superseded. But no other life was here. as any animal
with sense had fled. Only evil resided in the bush. From the
south. came a roar that heralded the arrival of the greatest
evil of all. the most hideous roar that any animal could
possibly hear, worse than the roar of a lion in the Sahara.
From the south. came the bushfires.
Stefan Hargreaves
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ E'
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the john lyon school
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yellowpages
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The Boat
The harbour,like my mother,
Gives me birth,
And sets me on my journey,
My journey of life.
The people are my food,
They fill me up inside,
The sea, the path ahead of me.
I must choose the right path,
To reach my destination.
The crew are my blood,
Which circulates around my body,
The blood that keeps me to my destination.
The sea ahead of me.
There will be obstacles in my way,
The way ahead of me,
My departure behind.
RaamJoshi
TV Pictures
Mouse
A cheese-eater,
A hole-maker,
A cat-teaser,
An enemy of Tom,
A fast-scurrier,
A good hider,
A timid person,
A Mickey-mouse,
A scary-monster,
A funny fur ball,
As quiet as ...
A perfect pet.
WiIIWilson
The Struggle
Two huge monsters,
Both of the same species,
Capable of decent thought,
Frustrated and angry,
They stood not far from one another,
And small white flowers lay crushed under their feet.
There would never be a victor,
Inseparable as they were,
Only victims.
I
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Danny Brett
The camera keeps its steady vigil on the distant skyline
Waiting, expectant,
A sentry at the end of the world,
A cold, impartial viewer.
Its eyes see the slaughter,
The sky lit with burning,
Or the misleading calm.
Through it we witness,
The murder of hundreds;
Lives snuffed out in an instant,
Each explosion adding to the casualty list.
And yet I'm still indifferent,
It all seems strangely detached
Like a computer game or a film,
But not real life.
The buildings are empty,
Each air raid is just another firework display
Am I so desensitised as to become a machine, like the camera~
Able to observe everything, but feel nothing.
Narin Hengrung
.....
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2003
john lyon school
yellowpages
Christmas
,..~
.~
,..-~'--"
........... ... -.-.-
Media
This was a battle fought on TV,
Joumalists died to show you and me,
We've never seen anything like it before,
So much media coverage of the war,
Saddam proved he could use these tactics well,
He went on TV to show he wasn't in hell,
We saw tanks, explosions, fighting and pain,
But still it won't stop us from fighting again.
Jimmy Irwin
A joyful time,
A prayerful time,
Christmas time,
Family gathering,
Mince pie-eating,
Pudding-steaming,
Turkey-roasting,
Present buying,
Gift-giving,
House-decorating,
Tree-preparing,
Tinsel glittering,
Light-twinkling,
Snow-fluttering,
Ice-glittering,
Fire-crackling,
Coal-glowing,
Christmas-time.
Arun Sharma
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the john lyon school
2003
yellowpages
Growing Up
I know a lad named Robert
He's a funny cheeky lad;
He raves and rants,
He scowls and pants,
And his mum thinks he's quite bad.
This boy I know called Robert.
I know that he really tries hard.
His sisters are tough,
So he has to be rough,
But he sends them a birthday card.
Thinks he's got talent that Robert,
He works 50 hard in sports,
He scores some goals,
And steps on moles,
And when he's losing, he supports.
Strange looking boy that Robert,
He's eyelashes grow like trees,
His ears stick out,
Anc! cabbages grow out,
And he has terribly knobbly knees.
That Robert is finally maturing;
His growling days are through.
His old self has gone,
And the new one has come,
And his jolly self shines through and through.
Robert Rowland
Shakespeare Trigger
Spirit of the Battlefield
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I sit on the fields where,
Soldiers have tried,
To bring home their,
Longing countries' pride.
!
As the wind brushes past,
The spirit is felt,
Of the marching soldiers,
As they fought and battled.
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The presence of ghosts,
Makes you quiver with fear,
As they rush past you,
Chanting their war song.
Death is present,
As the ghastly smell is unearthed,
From beneath the ground,
Which is the spirit of the battlefield.
Anand Mistry
,
"
Is Brutus sick and is it physical
To walk unbraced and suck up the humours
Of the dank morning
When the birds will make sounds,
And the sun will shine through window,
And my hand will touch your face,
And see you 1111 God help you.
May you be healed by your faith in the Gods,
As the gods are almighty,
And they will save you.
For if they do not you will go to the lakes of fire.
RaamJoshi
Dangers in the State
It is the bright day which brings forth the adder
And that craves wary walking,
That serpents may bite,
Pardon serpents, pardon.
Why are you biting todayl
Your hearts are full of mutiny and rage,
The sufferance of our souls is destroying us,
Tell them not to come today,
There is not a nobler serpent than you, dear friend,
Tell your army to retreat,
From the beautiful City of Rome!
Anon
yellowpages
AFearsome Serpent
kis the bright day
Which brings forth the adder.
Whoever knew a serpent menace so?
ARoman
hfear.
Cast awa:t his bosom joy.
Amonstrous quality.
Open graves.
brofdeath.
To see fierce impatience
Of a serpent.
Amatter of envisaging death.
oGrief!
The serpent entombs the Capitol.
Who goes farthest on the Ides of March?
Man or beast.
Atale told by a soothsayer.
Jay Jadva
The Bright Day
It is the bright day which brings forth the adder,
And all the greybeards have walking sticks in hand.
As the streetboys are having fun chasing a badger,
To the sound of music being played by the band.
As Cassius thinks up a plan.
To put Caesar in his grave.
Will Caesar be a scared man.
Or will he be brave?
It is ...
It is the bright day which brings forth the adder.
It commands the ground;
It doth so in a frightful manner.
Cowering all beings with its greatness.
Thy art is colourless. no odour too.
Moving at free will.
Thou canst swallow the earth in one gulp.
Where will thy destroyer go?
Thy art is all around.
No escape. none at all. not even a sound.
Priam Patel
Wolf
Slashing claws.
Digging teeth.
Razor-sharp.
Fighting fit,
A howl of hunger;
A fast sprinter.
A skilful seeker.
A greedy eater;
A goat hunter;
A heavy pelt.
Excellent eyes.
Elegant ears.
A bushy tail.
Softly misleading.
Priyanth Yoganathan
Suraj Shah
Disaster
It is the bright day which brings forth the adder,
Something which could make the universe shudder,
Deadlier than any natural disaster.
Worse than a tornado. faster.
Its first sign will be to brighten the sky.
Omni-directional sparks will fly up high.
Could God be the creator of this cause?
For all the time we've bent the laws.
Is there any way out of this frightening disasterl
Or will we end. facing the master?
Maybe panels. pores or hidden doors.
Will save us from this disastrous cause.
Rajiv Chabria
Rat
Wiry whiskers.
Dangly tail.
Curled claws.
Pied-piper followers.
Goofy toothed.
Verminous.
Flea-infested.
Quadruped runner.
Sewe...lurker.
Junk-eater.
Suspicious-scavenger,
Big-breeder.
Feisty-fighter.
Nocturnally-natured.
Sharp-eyed and beady.
Running rat,
Round rodent.
Anon
The Old Lyonian Association
What is 'it? '
Where is iO'
What does it do?
Ilil
,11
Who are the mejb'ers?
How do you make contact?
What else would you . ' it to do?
i
lill
,
I#,if
'I" ,
The Association is open to all former pupils of the John Ly
, hool. Under the current arrangements, all
boys who leave the school are automatically life members. T "is a complete mix therefore of Old
Lyonians from 18 years to 80 years plus.
,.~"
The Association is based at its clubhouse and sports ground ~ Pinner View, Harrow, HAl 4QF
The Association is a contact forum for Old Lyonians and grot'of Old Lyonians. It runs "le avers nights",
year group reunions, an annual dinner, cricket teams for Ass~tion Day against the school and a news
~~.
Under the auspices of the Old Lyonian Sports and Social Clui'::::"'t the Pinner View club house, the
following sports are available: archery (Fridays), badminton (, " nesdays), cricket (Saturday and Sunday),
Football (Saturday and Sunday), and petanque (available mo ',~ the time). (A fee of £25 p.a. is payable if
you wish to join the sports and social club sections, £35 for thcrjI'chery and £45 for the cricket and football
sections ) \ t , · ,
There is also a licensed bar and when this is open, darts, put~ billiards and snooker are available.
Various social events are organised by the sports sections throughout the year from curry nights to full
medieval feasts.
I,
tl
The members are YOU or potentially YOU, (Parents are also most welcome to visit Pinner View as are Sixth
Formers and younger boys who·are involved with the sports sections, e.g. Archery.)
To contact us you can phone the clubhouse on 0208 424 2641
or E-Mail editor@oldlyonians.demon.co.uk
1'1::
1
You can contact any of the sports sections by writing to the section secretaries at the Pinner View address.
By far the best method however, is to come and see us on site. Friday nights and Saturday and Sunday
lunch times are popular times and there is usually a good crowd in the bar. As Chairman of the archery
section I am around most Friday evenings - please make yourself known to me.
I hope to see you soon at Pinner View
ColinMNunn
(President, the Old Lyonian Association)
:I@@
thelyonian2003
Debating
Senior House Debate
This year's competition was particularly well contested, over two
sessions, with two tricky motions and eight debaters battling with
their wits before staff, the entire Sixth Form and some guest Upper
School boys.
Moore and Butler, contested the first event, the motion being:
'This House believes that terrorism is no more of a threat today
than it has been for many years.'
Moore proposed and Butler opposed, and in this post 9/11
world, Moore had the more tricky task from the outset. All that we
currently read and hear in the news suggests that international
terrorism is more of a threat now than ever before.
Moore adopted the 'historical perspective' approach - quite
convincingly, given that their first speaker, Sam Dennis, is a
Cambridge History applicant. He reminded the audience that
'terrorism' - even if under a different name or incarnation in
previous generations - has always been with us, and has in the past
spurred on far worse international events than 9/11, World War
One for example! Sam amassed a lot of information in a convincing
style. English scholar, Cameron Houston, who had a more gentle
delivery, but equal conviction, ably assisted him.
Tarang Katira and Kevin Larkin of Butler House, tried to
incorporate some humour into the proceedings by propelling a fake
'bomb' into the audience and commenting on the response.
Whether this tactic had the desired response, is in itself'debatable'.
Kevin, adopting a political approach, had also amassed an impressive
selection of fact and example in his speech. Questions from the
audience were diverse and informed. Overall, the debate was of
excellent quality.
The second event, following two days after the first, sawVaughan
and Norwood debating the motion:'This House believes that sport
and politics should not mix.'
This is a bit of an old chestnut in the debating world, but coming
as it did hard on the heels of the England/Zimbabwe cricket
matches, it remains as relevant as ever.
Norwood, in opposing, had the difficult task, as most of the
audience supported the motion, but once again the teams came up
with sophisticated ideas where definitions of what is actually
'political' pertained, and a constant pattern of idea and counter-idea
set in between the teams, spurred on by good questions from the
audience.A very close competition for dominance ensued.
The opportunity to incorporate humour into the proceedings
was, as with the first talk, limited, but the battle of wits was close
and fascinating, so much so that the teams tied in quality. The
speakers forVaughan were Charles Booth and Owen Peacheyand
for Norwood,Atish Lakhani and Mark Gettleson. Many thanks to
Mr Barnes for adjudicating.
Final results:
L.D. Budd
Moore 1st.
Norwood and Vaughan 2nd.
Butler 4th.
Junior House Debate
This year's competition was notable for the complexity of the
motions in relation to the year groups involved. Debates on the
proposed new Wembley Stadium and England playing cricket with
Zimbabwe, may sound like debates on 'football' and 'cricket' but in
fact are so much more than that. Through the debates and floor
questions some of these complexities emerged.
The first debate was contested between Moore who proposed
and Norwood who opposed, and the motion was: 'This House
believes that the new Wembley Stadium will be a huge waste of
money.'.
Pardeep Bahra was the first speaker for Moore and he had
amassed a large array of statistics and figures which spelled out the
huge cost involved for this enterprise. He compared it with the
hapless Millennium Dome and the fact that it would cost more than
twice as much as Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, and so why wasn't it
sited somewhere cheaper than a North London suburb?
The first opposer, Declan Edwards pointed out the matter of
national pride involved and the unsatisfactory nature of travelling
between different stadia. The question as to its unsatisfactory nature
was later posited from the Floor and, though delivering a brief
speech, Declan was qUite stirring.
Avinash Murthy and James Perkins respectively, made up the
remaining members of each team and not a great deal more
substance could really be added to the speeches of the first two
speakers.
The proposers had a hard job to persuade London boys that
London does not need a national football stadium but they won the
debate, convincing many to change their mind.
The second debate was contested between Butler, proposing
andVaughan opposing and the motion was:'This House believes that
England should not be playing cricket with Zimbabwe in the current
circumstances.'.
The amount of time that one could spend on talking about
cricket is obviously limited here, and before long the messy business
of racism and the muddy waters of politics and international
relations and to what degree 'sport' had something to play in all this
ensued.
Jack Turton and Edward Matthams of Butler delivered pleasing
and rational debate and Max Hird and Matthew Jobson replied,
stating that cricketers should not be picked on or discriminated
against for something beyond their control.
Once again there were many questions from the floor and the
final responses to them were quite well managed.
Mr Barnes, as adjudicator, declared his appreciation and
enjoyment of the event and declared the rank order as follows:
Final reslyst:
Butler Ist.
Moore 2nd.
Vaughan 3rd.
Norwood 4th.
L.D. Budd
thelyonian2003
Reading
Junior Reading Competition
This Year's competition was particularly hard to judge as a number
of boys gave good performances in their public reading, and the
range of literature chosen and voices adopted was so varied in
scope and style that comparisons of quality were hard to make.
As it turned out, the first reader of the afternoon was the
winner - by a hair's breadth!
Nima Imani read a section from the late Douglas Adams'
Restaurant at the End of the Universe, a satirical follow up to the
equally hilarious Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The difficulty in this
reading lay in the varied voices, the contrived and made up language,
and the satirical tone required for it to work. For a second year boy,
this was a tall order indeed. Nima rose admirably to the challenge,
and sustained the pace and humour of the piece.
A close second in performance was Nicholas Hallam, who read
a very different piece, an excerpt from Slaves of the Mastery by
William Nicholson. A very evocative and descriptive piece with a
gentle and 'easy on the ear' rendition. It was a bit like listening to
Radio Four and 'Book at Bedtime' - an interesting contrast after
some of the high-energy renditions that preceded it. As this was
such a different reading, it was difficult to judge one as being 'better',
but there could only be one winner and Nicholas came very close
to being that.
Michael Leedham, the eventual winner, read a passage from Pig
Heart Boy by Mallory Blackman, and this was an excellent choice.
The idea of having to have a heart transplant is difficult enough to
take on board and the idea of it being an animal heart is even more
perplexing. The extract Michael read was very affecting and he read
it excellently.
The other participants were Karan Sharma and Jacob Sharp of
the First Year, Max Hird of the Second Year, and Omar Butt, Stuart
Onslow, Nasri EI-Sayegh and Tardeh Kraskian of the third Year. Well
done all.
L.D. Budd
Senior Reading Competition
What a pleasant afternoon I had adjudicating the Senior Reading
Competition. It was not because the sun was shining through the
window, nor my sudden release from the last two lessons of the day,
but because the eight boys that took part were so keen to share
their books and so positive in their support of each other.The
selection of texts was varied and impressive, and showed that a
great deal of very worthy reading is taking place outside the
classroom. All the competitors showed a real sense of control and
delivered their pieces with great clarity. As an English teacher, I find
myself constantly fighting the cause of punctuation, and it was
pleasing to hear pupils responding intelligently to the way this had
been used to shape meaning.
Of the eight pieces we heard, there were three that particularly
stood out.Jonathan Bullock delivered a sensitive reading of
Wladyslaw Szpilman's The Pianist. He brought the piece to life with
the use of accents for the characters. He demonstrated a high
degree of control, allowing the pace to build but knowing when to
let the words speak for themselves. It all amounted to a very
moving performance. This was balanced by the humour provided by
Richard Jago's reading from Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson.
He phrased things beautifully, used a variety of voices to engage the
listener and, perhaps most importantly, knew what made the jokes
funny. Here again, the control of pace and tone were superb.
On the day, however, there has to be a winner, and Charles
Booth's delivery of Alexander Pope's The Rape of the Lock was
impressive enough to take the prize. It is a difficult text and Charles
used his intelligence to cut through the challenge of the language.
He produced an impassioned performance that conveyed both the
drama and the humour of the piece. His rich voice is certainly an
asset and was used to its full effect, showing great variety in cadence
and volume.
It is a tribute to all the competitors that their readings left me
wanting to experience or re-visit the books they had chosen; I
certainly came away with several additions to a holiday reading list
that already has my suitcase straining.
The competitors (and their books) were: Ahmed AI-Nahir
(Northern Ughts - Philip Pulman); Charles Booth (The Rape of the
Lock - Alexander Pope);John Breakell (Leisure - W H Davies);
Jonathan Bullock (The Pianist - Wladysaw Szpilman); Paul Burke (The
Alchemist - Paul Coelho); Matthew Dodd (Unless I am much mistaken
- MurrayWalker); Richard Jago (Notes from a Small Island - Bill
Bryson); Christopher Leonard (A Child called It - David Petzer).
T.D. Pender
thelyonian2003
Young Enterprise
The motto of the Young Enterprise Programme is
'Learning by Doing', and this is exactly what we did. We
did things, learnt things, and then did more things!
Sometimes the things we did weren't that good, but we
learnt the good and the bad from everything that we
did.
At the start of the year, we were told about YE, and
three companies emerged; New Era, Diavlo, and
Xcellerate. We were all intrigued about the concept of
starting up a company, creating and making a product,
and selling it to the public.
As financial director of New Era, I oversaw all the financial transactions and
credit and debit accounts; which actually means that I kept the money and kept
records. But in fact, everyone in New Era had many roles to play within the
company, and we all helped each other out. Through our experiences, we learnt
to work together; and gained some good friends as a result.
To begin with, we had no idea what to make as our product.We first
thought of making a bouncy ball that lights up, but then we realised what we
needed to do to make it, and scrapped that idea! In fact, we spent so long
thinking about a product that we didn't really leave much time to make the
eventual product, which was The Versafile'. The first opportunity to showcase
our product was the first Trade Fair at Harrow Shopping Centre. Here,
companies from the Harrow Area meet up to sell their products to the general
public. This event was a big success for us, with all ourVersafiles sold within the
morning!
Every company had help from Mr Wright, who was the Young Enterprise
link teacher for our school, and he kept us all in check when we weren't doing
any work, which was fairly often! There was always a scramble before a big
event to get things organised and get products made, but somehow we always
managed it!
However, all our hard work paid off, when at the finals, New Era won the
Most Innovative Product award for the Versafile. The judges said our product
had the most original design and fully deserved to win.
At the end of this programme, everyone who took part gained something
from this experience, whether it was learning how to make fliers, or keeping
order in company meetings.This is an experience I found nowhere else, and I'm
glad that I had the chance to take part.
I would like to thank everyone who participated, and for the teachers who
helped us on our way to success. Good luck to next year's Young Enterprise
companies!
Christopher Lam
Financial Director of New Era
bronzeexpedition
Day I
When we arrived at Chesham Station, everyone was keen and ready
to start the day and reach the first checkpoint. The teachers
checked that we had all the equipment and we were ready to go.
However, the first checkpoint took a bit longer than expected.We
left at 9:45am and arrived at II :OOam. During the walk, I had a
blister on my foot but a plaster soon sorted this out. As we were
walking along a footpath we came across some bulls who had a
decidedly aggressive look in their eyes. However, we decided to
ignore them and continued our walk.
The second checkpoint also took longer than expected because
at the start we took the wrong route which cost us 30 minutes.We
left at 11: 10 and reached the checkpoint at 12:40. Our morale was
still good and no one was injured or tired. Every half an hour we
had something to eat and drink while we were walking which
helped to keep our spirits up.
The third checkpoint was one of the best we had because we
arrived there in 45 minutes. We started at I2:50pm and reached it
at I:35pm. Our morale was excellent and we couldn't wait to reach
Green Park.
The fourth checkpoint was the Green Park checkpoint, and we
reached it in 45 minutes which was good going. We did not get lost
once throughout the walk. Our morale was high but took a bit of a
knock when we found out we were the second group there.We
talked with the other group and hoped the next day would be as
successful as this.
Day 2
On the second day, just before leaving, I felt a little dehydrated
because I had not had enough water to drink and I had to rest for
30 minutes before we could leave. By the time we left though, it was
about one and a half hours later than everyone else so our morale
was rather low. It was extremely cold as well.We reached the first
checkpoint at a reasonable time, having left at 8:25am and arrived
there at 9:45am. Morale got better as we walked because the sun
appeared and helped us out a bit.
We reached the second checkpoint in good time - about 45
minutes and there we had a 15 minute break where we ate some
food and rested. Morale was getting even better.
The third checkpoint was a little harder.We nearly got lost but
in the end found our way and arrived at the checkpoint at 12:45pm.
It took us about I hour 55 minutes. Morale was still good.
The final checkpoint took one hour although we thought we
had walked about five miles.We arrived at 2:00pm and our spirits
were in excellent shape.We handed in our kit to the stalwart
teachers still waiting for us and bought our train ticket home, our
minds intent on food and a warm bath.
Many thanks to the teachers who supervised us and especially
to Miss Sigston for providing us with the opportunity to go on the
expedition.
Bhavik Shah
thelyonian2003
silverexpedition
I was awoken at 5:30 am on a
very cold December morning by
my alarm clock and as I opened
my eyes I knew that there was
going to be a very long four days
ahead of me. I met up with the
rest of my group at Watford
Junction Station and by about
seven we were on our way to the
South Downs. We made it to
Hassocks Station, our start and
finish point, at 8:30 and got stuck
in to the walk straightaway.
Unfortunately, we got lost
between the first and second
checkpoints and ended up
walking aimlessly for three hours.
None of us was really ready for
the intensity of the walk and we
made little headway during the
day. Eventually, we made it to our
campsite at Ford Farm, having
walked through the rain in pitch
black conditions for an hour and
a half. None of us at this point
had the stomach for a further
three days' walking and camping,
but we managed to get our tents
up and went to sleep.
On the morning of the
second day, we were an hour
later than the other group to
leave the campsite and I felt a real
sense of desperation as I saw the hours of sunlight going to waste.
This was always a major problem as the sun rose at 8 am and set at
4 pm and if you were walking outside this time period, you were
going to experience real trouble. Remarkably, the group rallied
behind James Mott's map reading skills and we had a very successful
day.We reached the Lancing College campsite with plenty of
daylight left and were able to take full advantage of the heated
changing room facilities. A particular highlight of the day was when
we scaled a hill and were able to see much of where we had walked
and where we were going.
The following day, about half our route matched a fellow group
of the three on the expedition and so many of the local residents
awoke to see thirteen teenagers in full walking gear and fluorescent
backpacks walking down their street. Although we were all settled
into the expedition at this point, we were comforted by the thought
that what was left was only going to be equivalent of the D of E
Bronze expedition. However, we all agreed that David Selby was
going to find it hard adjusting to home life when we got back. He
had spent a lot on equipment before the expedition and could now
only walk using his poles. Furthermore, all of his clothing was
completely watertight meaning the deepest of puddles were no
problem for him. As well as this, all of his drinking :,ate~ was
.
supplied to him through tubes in his backpack-makmg him look like
some sort of walking machine. As such, we affectionately
nicknamed him 'AT-DS' - the 'All Terrain David Selby'.
The third day went smoothly, but we were sad to see our map
reader extraordinaire,James Mott leaving that day due to prior
commitments.That night at the campsite, we were glad to know
that there were to be no more nights after this one, sleeping in
tents and so we eagerly went to sleep knowing it would all be over
the next day.
On the fourth day, we walked with real enthusiasm and
whenever the conversation dipped it was clear that everyone was
just thinking of what they would do when they got back home.We
managed only one slight detour at the beginning of the day but
otherwise the walk went without incident. Before arriving at the
fourth checkpoint, we reached the top of a large hill and saw the
motorway that we had walked across three days earlier to begin the
expedition In front of us. There was a real feeling of achievement as
we strolled back over the bridge towards Hassocks Station and
from this point onwards we steamed towards the finish line. When
we got there we were congratulated by Ms Sigston, Ms Hinson, Mr
Read, Mrs Perdue, Mr Perdue and Mr Sadler, who very kindly
supervised our expedition and for which we are all very grateful.
The train on the way back dropped us off at Harrow and
Wealdstone Station and from then on all that was left was to do
was to go home and tend to the slabs of meat that were once our
feet.
Group: Rabeeha Daba,William Deacon, Richard Jago,James
Mott, David Selby,James Stiff.
William Deacon
SPORT
thelyonian2003
goldaward
III
i
i
After the annual Lower Sixth Outward Bound in the Autumn Term. I
was offered a scholarship to take another course with Outward
Bound. It was a fantastic opportunity and I took full advantage and
accepted to sign up to the classic course the following summer. My
reason was that it seemed extremely challenging and it also gave me
the chance to add the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award to my tally of
Bronze and Silver.
After the summer of AS exams. I believe this three-week break
was well deserved. At first. I was anxious that it might just be
twenty one days in a tent eating dehydrated food. On arrival at
Aberdovey.Wales I saw the itinerary and found I wasn't too far off
the mark. There were no problems settling in. in a group of four
boys and five girls. Paul. our instructor let us in on all the activities
we would do as we walked from Aberdovey. north to Porthmadog
in sixteen days before we took a final ninety kilometre hike back
down south to the Outward Bound Centre.This meant covering
some one hundred and fifty miles in the twenty one days.
The idea was to take us north while providing us with the
essential skills needed for the final four day hike. However. some of
the activities such as gorging. rock climbing and canoeing were
simply for pleasure. Out of these. gorging had to be the most
thrilling. It was something I had never heard of. let alone tried. until I
got to the centre. The idea was to walk in fast flowing water while
speeding down natural slide.The rocks were worn down so the
rock itself was extremely smooth and you could pick up speed quite
quickly.We also jumped of a forty foot waterfall. which was very
scary as I looked down.
I treasure the moment we reached the summit of Cadar Idris.
893 metres high.We could see the cloud cover move over us as the
heat from the valleys rose. Unfortunately. just as we go to the top
we could not see the sunset. but the idea of staying at the top was
great. Regrettably. I got no sleep and waited for sunrise but the
cloud cover had not cleared in the morning.
One exceptional challenge was the forty eight hours that we
had to spend in a forest by ourselves.We were given four pieces of
string and a plastic sheet about two metres by one from which we
had to make a temporary shelter. Having only four items of food: an
apple. a packet of crisps. a Mars bar and a flapjack. we had to ration
our food well. This was not as bad as it sounds. as we had to stay
put in one place in the forest. We were made to spread out so that
nobody could see each other.The two main problems were midges
and coping with the sheer boredom as watches. books and
walkmans were all taken away.
The final expedition back south seemed to pass quickly. as we
just wanted to get back and have a shower and eat some good food.
It does make you realise the privileges we have in our concrete
jungle and without a doubt the experience has had a big impact on
my present life. If I were to recommend this course or any other
with the Outward Bound. I would do so without thinking twice.
Having completed the Gold Award. I am looking for new and more
exhilarating challenges to extend my limits and most of all to find
out more about myself.
Joshil Lodhia
,
,"4
thelyonian2003
,SPORT
Daniel Hooper intends to join the army.
Below are two articles which describe two
·of the hurdles he has J·umped to achieve
his ambition.
The Army Scholarship
Army Adventurous Training
Earlier in the year I applied for an Army Sixth Form Scholarship and
in February I was asked to attend an interview at Horse Guards, in
Whitehall, for the first stage of the process.
An Army Scholarship allows a sixteen-year-old to secure a place
at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, (RMAS), for officer
training with added financial support. Over 10,000 people apply yet
only 43 are given the award, and I was fortunate enough to be one
ofthe 43.
The interview was based on current affairs, and so the war in
Iraq was discussed. I was also asked to give a short presentation
along with providing all I know about the way the UN works when
discussing Iraq. After managing to pass the interview, I was asked to
attend the Regular Commissions Board, (RCB), at which every
soldier has to pass if they wish to train, as officers, at RMAS. Being
only sixteen, I only had to attend a two-day assessment whereas it
would usually be four days for a soldier.
During the RCB we were put into teams of eight and
participated in various activities including a run and various
command tasks, testing our teamwork and leadership abilities.These
involved getting a burden, and the team, across an obstacle with
restrictions. I felt I was given the hardest task to lead when I had to
take a life size casualty over, whereas the others had a block of
wood. Out of the eight tasks, we completed one; it wasn't mine.
We also took part in aptitude tests, interviews, mission planning
and an army medical. On the second day it was up at 6:30, running
until 7:30, then breakfast.The RCB ended with the individual
obstacle course and whilst doing that I began to realise my
strengths and my weaknesses.
Within a week of completing the RCB, I was notified that I had
passed with scholarship marks.
I would recommend the scholarship to any who wish to join the
army because it has already planned my career for me and it is
definitely rewarding.
Due to gaining an Army Scholarship, I was invited to attend a
Summer Mountaineering Proficiency Course, or SMp, with the army
- all expenses paid. This took place in Snowdonia National Park,
North Wales, and due to being in Wales, the army had booked us
rain for the week.
Over the course of the week the group had scrambled rock
faces and mountains, all without ropes. Due to this I felt, at various
points, that I was going to die and so would you if you were hanging
on with no ropes with a 100-ft drop below you!
We learned navigational skills over mountainous areas over the
week and so we were ready for an expedition up on the mountain
ranges. During the expedition, we climbed the third highest peak in
the National Park, Carnedd Llewelyn, at I064m. Over night we
experienced gale force winds and so it was to no surprise that I
woke up at 6:00 to find that my tent had torn in half.
After the expedition, the group returned back to base very wet
yet morale was high due to the fact that we had completed the
course. Every person on the course was an Army Scholar and so
there was always something to talk about. including talking to
various psychopaths who wished to join the Paras.Within my 4-man
group was a MerchantTaylor's student which tells us that the army
is going soft.
The SMP award does not come into effect until I attend
Sandhurst where I'll be qualified to take walkers up on the
mountain ranges. The next step will be to take a Mountain
Leadership course, (MLT), which will enable me to organise
mountaineering expeditions.
Daniel Hooper
Daniel Hooper
thelyonian2003
~~ut~ard
-...'
bound
t was a cold, rainy winter evening when we
arrived in FortWilliam. Expecting the worst, we
got off the coach to be greeted by several
Outward Bound representatives, who welcomed
us and ushered us into a large warmly room. After
the initial shock of the group selections, our team
leader then showed us to our rooms for the week.
This room was where we were going to sleep and
live for the next week, and the people in the group
were the people we were going to live with. It was
vital we got off to a good start and we did.
After we had unpacked our bags and eaten, we
were straight into the activities. These were coordinated in military fashion which meant that if
we were late even by one minute we would have
to get down and do five press-ups. Although we
did not like this, we later realised that it was only
our team leader who made us do this. The first
activity we did was the zip wire, by far one of the
better and more enjoyable activities.
Our activities during the next two days were
designed to help us during the big expedition,
which was going to take place later on in the
week. Activities like Jacob's Ladder - climbing a
ladder with ever increasing gaps between the
rungs - helped us co-ordinate ourselves in
teams, whereas activities like kayaking helped us
to build our own personal skills. Another good
confidence-building exercise was the daily
report we had to do after each day of our activities. This small
exercise provided us with information as well as providing the
instructor with information on our progress and what we felt.
On the three-night expedition, we walked up two mountains or
as our instructor said two wee burns. These mountains were
coupled with another twenty-mile walk over the two days that we
were there. Apart from the bitter cold that we had to face when
sleeping, we found the expedition fun and a new challenge to get
through, which we had to achieve as a group. From a Duke of
Edinburgh perspective, this was excellent training for our Silver
Award. The kit, tents and hiking were ideal for the Silver expedition.
The whole purpose of the training and the Outward-Bound
experience was to get an understanding of our team members and
to fine-tune our leadership skills. For me it did just that and helped
I
........
in more ways. From the year
above we were taunted about the fact that we had to run three
miles then dip into a cold lake. Outward Bound was nothing like
this. It was a fun experience, one that the current Lower Sixth will
enjoy as much as we did.
I'd like to thank several people for making the experience what
it was. Mr A. Jones, Miss Sigston, Mr French, Miss Gibbs and Mr
Wright were instrumental in the success of the course. An extra
thanks goes out to the all the instructors including our instructor,
Oily Baylis, whose comedy and language made the week what it
was.
ShivTailor (from the concrete jungle)
OUTWARD BOUND
thelyonian2003
t was a cold and gloomy morning. I was awoken at some
unearthly hour by my father who with an evil glint in his eyes
reminded me that it was time to leave cold, wet England for ...
even colder, even wetter Scotland.
I think it is fair to say that I had been pretty much dreading the
Outward Bound trip for my year group. Whyl Because plenty of
obliging Upper Sixth Formers who had been on the trip the
previous year happily described the freezing mornings which were
started off with the legendary run and dip, and then of course there
would be the three day long expedition into the middle of nowhere.
Still, I thought to myself, at least everybody else in my year group
had to go through it too which
was scant consolation.
Having reached Euston
Station, we were reminded of
the promptness of British
trains, as we had to wait what
seemed like hours for our
train to be ready for us. In
reality it was about half an
hour, but with all the
excitement, it seemed much
longer. Finally, we were on
our way. The gruelling ninehour journey passed
agonisingly slowly.
Upon arrival at the
Outward Bound Centre, we
were randomly sorted into
our 'clans'. I was in the
MacDonald Clan. Looking
forward to a large portion
of fries (!), my clan was led
through the canteen into a
small room ...
First up on the agenda,
however, was the safety
harness initiation. I
listened intently as the
instructions for how to
put on the harness and
make sure it was tight
enough were given to us.
I soon realised the emphasis that would be placed on
safety. It was the first and foremost issue on everybody's mind.
Satisfied that the harnesses would support us, we proceeded to the
first activity, the zip line over a fast-flowing river and in complete
darkness - a serious adrenaline rush!
During the next few days, we completed various activities
including abseiling, kayaking and the legendary Jacob's Ladder. I was
amazed at the amount of teamwork required to succeed in almost
all of these tasks, and this was the fundamental message behind the
trip - with teamwork and co-operation, almost anything can be
accomplished.
On Friday morning we set off for the expedition. A three daylong camping expedition on a mountain didn't seem like it would be
much fun to us, but how wrong we were.
After a short (!) trek to our destination, we set up the tents and
Oily, our enthusiastic instructor, decided to take us on a trek to the
top ofa mountain, just to 'warm us up' for the longer, more
gruelling trek the following day.
After finishing the delicious meal of spaghetti veggienaise people will eat anything hot in the freezing cold weather - we
I
decided to get some well-earned sleep. At least. that was the idea.
Unfortunately, due to a combination of the energetic stags, a lot of
snoring, and the freezing weather conditions - there was snow
around our tents in the morning - some of us woke up the next
morning feeling less than refreshed. Those who laughed when I
packed multiple fleeces in my bag were left eating their words. The
main part of the expedition was on the second day - a long walk
with amazing picturesque landscapes was the best part of the trip
for many of us.
Sunday morning was spent packing up the tents and ensuring
that no litter was left anywhere, followed by a long, but enjoyable
walk back to the minibus that would take us back to the centre.
That evening was spent orienteering - we all had to run
around the centre looking for certain checking points, and the clan
with the most points would win. Simple in theory, but a bit more
difficult in practice - some of us ended up very wet and muddy.
On Monday, after having packed everything away and survived
the kit inspection, we said our goodbyes to the instructors and left
for London. The somewhat anti-climactic journey back to London
seemed to take forever, but once we got there, I was disappointed
to see that in the week we were away from most of civilisation, the
London public transport system hadn't changed - wishful thinking!
Upon reflection, the Outward Bound Course really did show
me the value of teamwork, perseverance, compromise ... and a lot
of warm jumpers. I am sure that I speak for all of my year-group
when I say that the Outward Bound was a fantastic experience. On
behalf of the John Lyon Lower Sixth of 2002/3, I would like to say
thank you to Mr French, Miss Sigston, Mr A. Jones and Miss Gibbs
for organising and taking us on such a great trip.
Samit Mapara
thelyonian2003
thelyonian2003
Biology Field Course
rielton Field Centre
Pembrokeshire
middle of November, the nineteenUpper 6th Biology set left behind the
iar surroundings of Harrow and the John
School for the coast of South Wales.
we were split into three rooms and
the introductions soon over we got
straight to work. The first few days taught us
about the ecology of the area as we visited
various parts of the coast during the day,
studying the features unique to each site.
Evenings were spent mainly in the classroom
analysing the data collected in the field while
our free time was used 'recovering' in the
games room. Much to our dismay and
, teachers' delight, we were expected to work
until 9 pm, well past an Upper 6th former's
bedtime!
The preliminary studies of the first few
days were to help us with our coursework
investigations conducted over the rest of the
, week. For our coursework, the group spent
its time spread over two shares, counting and
measuring up to 200 snails, barnacles and sea
weeds. Who says science is all theory?
On the last night we presented our
findings to the group, describing the aims,
methods and results of our investigations.
This was followed by an impromptu awards
ceremony where prizes included a bubble
blowing sheep and then a slide show.
Exhausted and deprived of sleep, we
packed our bags and enjoyed a trial of a card
game renamed for the teachers' benefit. The
next day we boarded the Yellow Perils and
set off down the M4 with more legroom due
to one of our members leaving earlier in the
week.
Fortunately, the weather had not been
too bad for November except for the night
we were awoken by the fire alarm at 4am and
forced to assemble in the middle of a field in
our pyjamas. Many thanks to the field centre
staff,Jo our tutor, Mrs Perdue and Mr Ryder
for organising and accompanying us on such a
memorable trip.
Charles Mukherjee
TRAVEL
thelyonian2003
Second and Third Year Trip
Normandy : Pare Asterix
May 2003
At five o'clock on the 23rd of May, forty five sleepy second and third
years left Lower Road and headed for our destination, Chateau du
Tertre, north west France. The journey to Dover was ... eventful,
and surprisingly enough, not many of us slept on the coach.This was
partly due to Priam Patel subjecting us to The Patel Rap' for a good
half hour!
We arrived at Dover, in the ferry we all gathered together on
the top deck and despite the cold winds we were all in high spirits.
At Calais we all embarked on to the coach and met Alien, a jolly
chap who would be driving us around for the next five days. We
discovered that the motorways of France look strangely like their
British Counterparts, but we actually felt like we were in France
when we spoke to a service station clerk in French.
Three hours later and we arrived at the chateau, where Sagar
said, dismayed," This is in the middle of nowhere!" We all settled in
to our rooms and went off to dinner where we met the girls from a
school in West Birmingham. Their accents were a bit too annoying
for us, so the majority of our group left them at that, but one boy
made some fans ... Yes, it was Stuart.
We had some free time after dinner where we all played either
football or pool and Nikhil proved himself a master of the latter.
One turbulent night later we all shoved back into the coach and
headed for Fougeres, where we saw the largest standing medieval
castle in Europe. We all wandered round the bustling market where
I found some great cheese, and everyone else bought rings and
chains from a dodgy-looking Frenchman.We then headed for Mont
St Michel, a beautiful mountain capped by a cathedral built in 709
AD. Up the winding road we found sugar crepes, and went thirsty
when we saw the extortionate price of a can of coke, but as Mr
Gladwell pointed out, "You can't get drinks anywhere else, therefore
they can sell a can for 2.50 euros."
Back at the chateau, we had dinner and got dressed in old
clothes for 'capture of the flag' in the woods and where Priam
caught a barrage of mud in his eye! It was a draw in the end. It was
another turbulent night in which a room was raided ... by teachers!
The next morning we headed to see the famous Bayeux
Tapestry and marvelled at the wonderful models of castles and
medieval towns. Next we went to Omaha Beach which was the set
of Saving Private Ryan and also fierce battles at D-Day. We saw
horrific scenes replayed on a 360 0 cinema screen.We were
overcome by the sight of 10,000 American graves at the American
Military Cemetery where we saw American Gls perform a service.
That night there was a disco, and we all sat admiring the views.
The highlight was Grandfunk MasterVijay dancing the night away.
We said goodbye to John 'ige' and Hayley'ige' our PGL staff.
After a great tour of Paris and stopping at the Eiffel Tower, we
checked into the hotel at Villepenten, called the Brit Hotel, where
no one spoke English! We nicknamed the hotel manager'Mario' as
in Super Mario, because of his great moustache.
The dinner was great - miles better than PGL.We stayed up for
a while watching French TV and were surprised to find that the
Simpsons didn't have the same voices! We departed for Parc Asterix
in the morning and we loved the wooden roller coaster, and the
water rides.
On the ferry on the way back, we were all amused at Dev being
searched by the guards at the Sea France Shop. We had a sleepy
journey back from Dover, but were all glad to be home. "My
Mummy, my Mummy!" shouted a jubilant Sagar as we got off the
coach after an exhausting five days.
Many thanks to Mr Loudon, who organised the trip, Mr
Gladwell, for keeping discipline, Mr Roy, the paramedic, Mr Irvine,
French speaker, and last but not least Miss Gibbs.
Omar Butt
Lower 6th Geography Field Trip
Lake District
After beautiful weather in Norfolk, two weeks earlier, hopes were
high as Mr Preston assured us again that the weather would hold
during the half week we were going to spend in the Lake District at
the end of March. He has, as yet, to have bad weather during a field
trip at our school. We did, however, hold serious doubts that the
weather in late March in the Lake District could possibly stay sunny,
so we all packed our bags full of warm pullovers and wet-proof
jackets.
On that Wednesday morning, we set off early from school, semiprepared for the long journey that awaited us. Several music CDs
and magazines later, we found ourselves only half way to our
destination and were glad to stop off at a motorway service station
for some lunch.We were reluctant to remount the minibus, but
were rewarded by a magnificent view when we finally reached the
Lake District and drove towards the Field Centre.
Awoken early each morning, we wandered slowly down to the
canteen and made ourselves a packed lunch and had breakfast
before we had to go to a classroom to do some initial work for the
day, kindly taught by Mr Shaw and Mr Preston, but with enough time
to relax and wake up before we actually set out.
Thursday was undoubtedly the most tiring, but also one of the
most rewarding days. We hiked up Easedale, a very tiring task, but
made easier and more worthwhile both by the stops made to make
field notes to aid our A2 exams, and also by the amazing views.
Friday and Sunday morning, before we headed back home, saw
us walking along the River Glenderaterra, which was the river to be
studied if we had decided to do rivers for our coursework.This was
a welcome and easier walk than the one on Thursday, but no less
spectacular for the scenery, and it proved to be very funny each
time someone fell into the water.
We woke up on Saturday morning to find what Mr Preston had
told us might become true; the weather remained sunny, or at its
worst, just cloudy.A field-centre teacher joined us on this day, to
teach us, as JLS hit Carlisle, and we tried to explore the different
patterns of buildings and land uses. This was a welcome day as we
returned, temporarily, to a city environment so familiar to many of
us.
We finally arrived back at school late on Sunday, after a long and
tiring week. However, we all found the work to be fun and
rewarding, and it will be a time none of us will forget quickly.
Julian Bennett
thelyonian2003
First Year Trip
France
Thirty-nine first years and five teachers met atWhitmore Road on
Monday 14th April to board our coach to Dover.We were all very
excited as we approached the ferry for Calais as its giant doors
opened to let the coach drive on. The journey lasted about an, hour
and we eventually reached Calais.We had about another hours
journey to Hardelot, near the town of Boulogne, where we were
.
.
staying at a PGL centre.
We all huddled into our room to unpack and when It was time
for dinner, we rushed down the stairs as fast as we could for pasta
bolognaise. After dinner we went down to the beach to play
football - the final score was 3-1 and then back to the hotel to
make our ten o'clock curfew.
Tuesday came all too soon as we were woken at 7.30 am.
Before breakfast we had to tidy our rooms, as Mr Read inspected
them each day. In the morning we had to complete various activities
including the assault course, boulder wall, nightline and initiative
tasks.We ate our own home-made baguettes for lunch. Then we
went to the Nausiccaa Sealife Centre, where we saw exotic fish,
sharks and giant crabs. We also had the opportunity to touch live
stingrays!
Back at PGL we ate dinner - chicken nuggets and chips - at last
something English for a change. Then we set off for another
expedition to a French cafe where we learned to order a drink in
French with the help of the staff.When we came back from the cafe
it was very dark and humid.We found our way back to the centre
and had a shower. The water was boiling!
Wednesday arrived in no time at all.We rushed out of bed,
eager to eat breakfast. We completed some more activities at the
centre and then jumped onto the coach for a visit to La Coupole,
the World War Two V2 bomb site. It was interesting but very cold
inside because it was built inside a mountain. Afterwards it was
back to the beach to play some more games and then another
boiling shower.After lights out all was quiet until about 2 am. Then
there was a loud shout of'Ugh!' Unfortunately someone had been
sick. Mr Roy nobly changed the bedcovers!
Thursday was the day everybody had been particularly looking
to. After a breakfast of croissants and yoghurt we went to Le
Touquet where there was a traditional French market. In the
afternoon, we went to a massive swimming pool called Aqualud
which had lots of slides and one of them went at 45 kph.
When we got back to the PGL centre we had a traditional
French dinner, including French bread and butter, chicken in garlic
sauce followed by snails and frogs' legs and then fruit salad. Mr
Westlake and Mr Read were so hungry they had to resort to just
eating just snails and frogs' legs to survive!
After dinner, at about eight o'clock, we all got ready to go out
to a nightclub PGL had hired for us. Before we went,James,As~ntha
and Nick all styled up Mrs Plummer's hair so it looked like Davld
Beckham's.The best dancer was Mr Roy. His slick moves impressed
the girls, Mrs Plummer and Ms Sigston! Eventually the evening drew
to an end with a last Eminem song. Our curfew was extended by an
extra half an hour. Then we all had a decent night's sleep.
Finally, Friday, the last day.We were sad to leave PGL as we were
going back home. After an hour on the coach, we arrived in Calais,
where we boarded the ferry for England.We arrived safe and sound
at Whitmore Road again where our happy parents awaited us. This
trip was enormously successful and we had a great time.We would
like to give a special thanks to the PGL staff, Mr Read, Mrs Plummer,
Mr Roy, Miss Sigston, and an especially big thank you to MrWestlake
for organising the trip.
James Caldecourt and Asantha De-Alwis
thelyonian2003
,
Soccer
1st XI
A brand new team with many boys new to senior football always
presents particular difficulties at this senior level. The boys in the
squad this term have worked very hard to make up for their lack of
experience and once again lack of physical stature which is a factor
when playing against sixth form colleges and many of the larger
football-playing schools. That the players have made such progress. is
testament to their ability and determination to make up any
shortfall very quickly.
,
i
,I
i
1I
1
I
!
1
'
Autumn Term
Ryan Dale. despite being hampered by a nagging thigh injury. has
been a very influential figure in our matches. with his play maturing
in each game. both in terms of his overall contribution particularly
in his distribution and in terms of captaincy. Ludovic Aldersley. in his
third year in the Ist X I. has used all of the experience he has gained
and has probably been the most consistent performer. proving an
equal to most of the strong attacking units he has faced. Rhodri
James has made real progress in his ability to knit the team together
in midfield and is still improving in this aspect. However. his
enthusiasm and ability to deliver has been one of our most potent
weapons as he was joint top goal-scorer in the first term with eight
goals from midfield. representing an excellent return.
With so many newcomers it has been almost inevitable that the
squad has lacked consistency. They had their wins. particularly
against St Ignatius. Christ's College and St Edmunds. showing that
they possess enough quality to become a real force if they are able
to sustain their improvement. Ryan Nicholas and Peter Fernandes in
midfield have both made a real impact. Fifth formers. David Choy. in
goal. Charles De Haan. Chris Gooder and in particular the emerging
Craig Lynch and Paul Choy up front represent an ever improving
strike force.
The overall review of the first term is best summed up in our
performance against Brentwood in the ISFA Cup. As holders.
Brentwood were a strong powerful side who expected to win.
Having conceded a poor early goal that turned into three by half
time. the signs were ominous although our display was far stronger
that the half time score suggested. Then. in an inspired thirty
minutes. we got back to 3-2. with Christopher Gooder's goal in
particular. scored from a move that involved at least six different
players. showing all that we had the ability to match any opposition.
Unfortunately. we were unable to get back on level terms and again
conceded some late goals. as finally our strength waned. to finish
with a very unflattering score line that does no justice at all to our
efforts on that day.
The final game of this term was a prestige friendly against a
mature Corinthian Casuals team boasting five ex-professionals in
their ranks. A 4-0 loss did not hide the enjoyment of a game where
the boys played against men of true quality but also showed enough
of their own skills to suggest good things for the future. The Boxing
Day encounter. with a very strong Old Lyonian side. was its usual
success in the Somme-like conditions of PinnerView which ensured
that any remaining Christmas indulgence was run out of the system
just moving around in the cloying mud.
Spring Term
The second term was a frustrating one. When at full strength. the
squad really had made progress but so rarely was the whole squad
fit and available at the same time that there was very little chance of
real. cohesive team improvement. I think that so many boys were
having to play flat out just to cope with the standard of Ist XI
soccer. that this took its toll and niggling injuries to the likes of Ryan
Dale. Rhodri James. Ryan Nicholas and Paul Choy. meant that the
squad strength was severely compromised throughout the latter
part of the season.
However. there was still one stunning performance to look back
.
on. that again summed up the essential quality of the squad. At
Brentwood. in our traditional fixture. a mixture of inspired
performances by the likes of Ryan Dale. Rhodri James. Ludovic
Aldersley and David Choy in goal. saving a penalty. plus real
resilience. saw us triumph 3-2 against the reigning national
independent school champions. This was a result to savour for this
squad. Not surprisingly. this was the only occasion in the whole of
the second term that we had a full. healthy squad to choose from
With a rather tame. final few games of the season. the h
was probably the debut of fourth former Daniel Hawes in the
Barnet League game. who showed real assurance and quality. In
Corinthian Casuals match. other fourth formers. David Jones. Neil
Changela and Ben Gill had all shown real promise. However. we
now look to next year with optimism but also say farewell to a
group of boys who have served the senior soccer programme for
SPORT
thelyonian2003
three years with real distinction. Ryan Dale. Ludovic Aldersley. who
was 'oted player of the year this year. Rhodri James. who was voted
Ist).1 clubman of the year. and Andrew Karim have all been
invo! led with the I st XI for three years and we thank them for
their sterling service and enthusiastic support. The changing room
will t ertainly be a quieter place on a Saturday morning without
Andl 'ew's vocal contribution. We wish all of these boys and all those
in th'~ squad who leave school this year such as Alessandro
Pasquino. who worked so hard to improve throughout the year.
James Lancaster and James Narine. much success in their footballing
future.
Team from: D.J-H. Choy. LT. Aldersley. AP. Pasquino. A Karim.JA
Lancaster, R.J. Nicholas. E.C De Haan. R.T. James. R.C Dale. P.M.
Fernandes, S.J. Morrell. P.M.J-W.J. Choy, CD. Gooder.
Cj. Lynch. JA Narine
CJ·Jones
2nd XI
Played: 24
Goals for: 52
Won: 5
Drawn: 5
Goals against: 76
Lost: 14
The 2nd XI squad embraced players from all the senior year groups.
Only four players remained from the previous season ensuring
places were available to those with confidence. ability and
commitment. Encouraging signs were evident during the first few
training sessions and in the opening fixtures of the season.
T ,e younger players adapted quickly to the demands of senior
footb lit was clear that Ben Moss. Rajiv Koya. Raheem Jivraj.
Jasmr r Bhatti and Rahim Manji would all make significant
cont! Jutions as the season unfolded. Rajiv Koya proved to be the
mostersatile of players. performing with credit in goal, midfield and
as a striker. Ben was our most effective front player and, with nine
goals. was top scorer. All made impressive progress and should be
pressing claims for a regular slot at the next level.
Confidence and commitment formed the cornerstone of the
individual and collective development of the team. A Willingness to
listen and to support one another also led to the excellent team
spirit that prevailed throughout the long season. In fact. the spirit
was as good as I can remember and a credit to all the players.
particularly to the tremendous efforts of Robin Turner. captain and
midfield general. Robin set an example through his endeavours and
the positive attitude to all aspects of the game.
He was supported by Eoin Connolly who remained calm at all
times. organised the defence and gave great encouragement to the
younger players. His reading of the game ensured he compensated
for any lack of pace. and provided the necessary structure that
restricted most opposition forwards to few genuine sights of goal.
Eoin deservedly collected the player of the season award at the
annual dinner. Owen Bennett. our regular keeper, certainly found
more protection than one could normally expect at this level. When
he was called upon. he displayed a high level of agility. bravery and
positional sense. As the season progressed he displayed a growing
confidence in dealing with crosses and a sharper awareness in his
distribution; he has been one of the consistently good performers.
Another player crucial to the balance of the side was Joshua
Sasto. Joshua played a number of games for the first team but was
unable to secure a regular slot. However. at this level he was
composed and his poise on the ball provided a starting point for
most attacks. The solid defence was enhanced by the presence of
James Mott and Chris Cook whilst the team were deprived of the
regular services of Daniel Rosenberg and Joshua Golga through
injury.Jason Powell and Philip Johnson both worked selflessly for the
team and their contribution must not be underestimated.
Although wins were hard to come by. most of the positive
results were achieved in the Middlesex League fixtures. As a result
the team qualified for the league play-offs. Harrow College had
inflicted two heavy defeats on the side during the course of the
season. However, the performance during this game gave a clear
indication of the measurable improvement. Trailing by a goal after
ten minutes. the response was to dominate the rest of the half.
deservedly levelling through a Koya drive. Both sides created
chances in the second half with each keeper excelling. However. a
goal conceded three minutes from time was cruel reward for an
outstanding effort against the league leaders and winners of the
final.
Many players appear ready to make the transition to the first
team. I wish them well for next season and thank them for their
endeavour and commitment.
Team from: R.D.R. Turner (Captain). E.F. Connolly. CJ. Barbaric.JA
Taylor. R.D. Palmer. P.M.J-W.J. Choy. AK. Ferguson.
O.M. Bennett, P.R. Johnson. AA Sodha. J.L Sasto. J.E. Golga.
JA Powell. D. Rosenberg, J.E. Mott, JA Narine, S.J. Morell.
R. Manji. B.R Moss. R Jivraj. R. Koya.
D.A. Rimmer
U15 XI
Played: 16
Goals for: 23
Won: 1
Drawn: 1
Goals against: 68
Lost: 14
The overall statistics do not really reflect the efforts of the team
and the competitiveness of the matches played. In five of the
matches. defeat was by the odd goal to many of the strong
traditional soccer schools. Enfield Grammar. Finchley. Chigwell.
Latymer Edmonton and East Barnet.
The season has been one of disruption to the boys in the squad.
mainly due to staff changes and having a number of different
managers/coaches. which prevented the continuity that is essential
to the success of a team. Also. a number of key players from the
previous season had other commitments with Ben Gill training at
Arsenal and playing regularly in their under sixteen and under
seventeen teams. Daniel Hawes at Fulham and Simon Childs playing
national and county tennis for Bucks U 18s. David Jones. arguably
one of the best goalkeepers of his age in the county, was also
injured for a number of matches.
However. many positives could be gained from this; it opened up
the opportunity for other boys to play representative soccer for
the school and for boys who had been in the squad previously. to
take greater responsibility and show leadership qualities. Neil
Changela, in the centre of defence. was probably the pick of the
players. Anthony McCarthy. in the centre of midfield, improved in
every game and Kwaku Pepera. who took on the difficult role of
captain. organised the team both on and off the field in a positive
manner.
Arun Nahal, Bhavik Shah and Bunkim Patel played with great
spirit. In defence. Nikin Ruparelia. Roy Elie and Steven Palmer.
worked hard to develop their tackling and passing skills in midfield
and Emerson San-Andres andVikash Seth improved their
understanding of forward runs and creating space by pulling away
from defenders in each game.
The only victory of the season was a 4-2 win at Enfield. with
Ruparelia scoring a hat trick. and reversing the narrow defeat at
home earlier in the season. This. above all. illustrates the spirit and
SPORT
thelyonian2003
U, 5 6-a-side team winners of the Plate trophy at Malvern
enthusiasm displayed by the team.
The team entered the Independent Schools National Six-a-side
competition at Malvern in September, winning the plate
competition. The squad was probably as strong as any other team
there, and narrowly failed to qualify for the main competition. Only
Millfield, the overall winners, had the skills to match our boys. We
dominated the plate competition, beating Wolverhampton in the
final.
I am sure the boys will be disappointed with the statistics, but
the talent is there. Many of the boys will go on to represent the
senior sides next year and I am sure they will show the same
commitment and get the enjoyment, comradeship and spirit
generated in playing team sports.
Goals scored: Childs 4, Elie 4, Ruparelia 4, Seth 3, Hawes 2,
San-Andres 2, Shah 2, Changela I, Mistry I.
Team from: KAAC. Pepera (Captain),
AT. McCarthy (Vice-Captain), N.C. Changela, S.W.P. Childs,
RA Elie, B.o. Gill, D. Hawes, D.W.M. Jones, AS. Mistry,
AS. Nahal, S.J. Palmer, BH Patel, N. Ruparelia, E.R. San-Andres, V.S. Seth,
B.o. Shah.
I.R. Parker
U14 XI
The under 14s season got off to a thrilling start at Sudbury playing
fields on a sunny Saturday morning in September. Playing the everstrong Chigwell,John Lyon won a nine-goal thriller by 5 goals to 4,
with the winner coming from an Adam Gill shot from outside the
area. The squad continued its impressive form into its next couple
of games with wins against Hampton (2-1) and another 5-4 win
against St Ignatius with a hat-trick from the team's top scorer, Elliott
Bertram, and two from Michael Betts.
However, this rich vein of form was not to last and despite
showing a great deal of grit and determination, the team was heavily
defeated by both Dr Challenor's and Enfield Grammar School. It is a
credit to the squad that despite these results they managed to
maintain their levels of enthusiasm and courage in the next couple
of games. A hard fought out 1-0 victory at home to Finchley was
capped by a great goal from captain, Stuart Onslow, and was
followed by the crushing 6-0 win against East Barnet where the
team showed just how well they really can play.
The next game was the return match against Enfield, and
following the last meeting of the two sides, it was always going to be
a tough game. However, the players were inspired and played out of
the skins. Despite going 2-0 down early on, and goals from Elliott
Bertram, Michael Betts and Philip Whatley, the team went down 4-3.
This was not only a fantastic performance conSidering the last time
that these teams met, but also a game in which all the players
showed their true worth and one which they also should have won.
This fine performance helped in the final few matches of the
season, with fines against CardinalVaughan and another thrilling
game against Latymer Upper, which was lost 2-0.
This was an enjoyable first season for me as a soccer coach at
John Lyon and I wish the whole squad the greatest success next
year whoever takes them. The captain, Stuart Onslow, Elliott
Bertram, Raam Joshi, Michael Betts, Stefano Perdoni and Nathan
Ireland should all be congratulated for making up the spine of the
squad, as well as Michael Moriarty for helping to keep up the team
spirits with some of his antics.
Team from: L.K.C. Hurst, N.J. Ireland, T.M. Kraskian, S. Perdoni, SA
Belazka, E.N. Bertram, O.N. Gattas, AS. Gill, T. Higgins,
M.J. Moriarty, S.R. Onslow, PH Whatley, K.Y. Asante, MA Betts, R.Joshi,
N.G. Kraskian, AJ. Milne, P.J. Patel, F.V. Stahl, V. Doshi.
AL.Jones
U13 XI
The Under 13 football team played with such enthusiasm and
determination that it is amazing to think they have ended the
season without a win. The level of performance after Christmas was
exceptional, and they were close to winning on more than one
occasion. The camaraderie amongst the boys was one of the
outstanding features of the year, and they were an extremely
pleasant and receptive team to coach.
The pre-Christmas term saw various formations and
permutations tried out and many different players given a chance. It
was unfortunate, in some ways, that many of the hardest games,
such as Chigwell, Finchley and St Ignatius came so early in the year.
It was clear though that the spirit of the boys would stay high, even
in defeat. Rishi Patel in goal, epitomised this wholehearted approach.
often keeping the score in single figures! Suki Mann, Russell Elie and
Alfred Showunnmi, also began to perform with skill and passion,
with Russell becoming a regular scorer.
After Christmas, results began to improve: a close defeat to Dr
Challenor's. a 2-2 draw with Latymer Upper and a 5-4 'thriller'
versus East Barnet showed there had been a huge improvement.
The game versus East Barnet could so eaSily have gone our way; the
boys were 3-0 down at half time and eventually hit the post in the
last minute that would have made the score SoS - one to savour!
As mentioned, the whole team were a pleasure to coach but it .
would be unfair to finish the report without mentioning three other .
members of the team. Kristofer Milne, Jack Abelson and Declan
Edwards formed the heart of the team and played with great skill
and invention. Kristofer dominated the defence and when moved
into ~idfield became a real goal scoring threat. Jack made the
opposite move and his reading of the game and general awareness
were exceptional. Declan captained the team and was the main ball.
carrie~ from midfield - dangerous in attack, he frequently deceived J
oppOSition with his excellent close skills.Together these three,and
Russell, were the main scorers.
I would like to thank the whole squad for their time and efforts
this year. They approached games and training sessions alike with
determination and good humour and I hope that some of the
SPORT
less' ·s learnt will stay with them into next
year wish them the best of luck as a team.
We' done!
Te<! I from: j.S. Abelson. S.N.P. Childs. DA
Edw ·ds. S. Mann.
E.J. I ltthams. AS. Mhajan. K.P. Milne. P.
Nar lkumar. J. Patel. R. Patel.
J.H. ~lIu. V.N. Shah. N. Varsani. R. Elie. MA.N.
Job n. G. Kamalatharan. J.R. Perkins. AA
Sh( unnmi. N. Balarajah. A Murthy
J.R 'reston
U12 XI
This has been another pleasing year for our
Ur,der U 12s. I am indebted to Mr Read for
his assistance during the season. and he will
be missed at Saturday morning football. The
be 1S and I wish him well on his retirement
fr lm JLS.
This season has been one in which many
( our pupils have had the opportunity to
r ay against strong. competitive schools in a
1 iendly six-a-side league. The emphasis is on
: <ill. passing and positional awareness. The
quad is coached during games sessions on
hese areas. I have been particularly pleased
vith how our boys have developed and
;ained confidence in their own abilities.
There have been so many good
)erformances. that it is with regret I cannot
mention all of them. However. the energy of
James Neidle as captain cannot go
unacknowledged. nor the physical strength
of Kwasi Yeboah. or the skills of Sonny
Flynn.
I look forward to next season and wish
my current squad well for the future.
Team from: J.M. Neidle. S. Flynn.
R.V.E.c. Rowland. M.W. Barker.
K.J. McPhee. K. Yeboah.J.E. Kerley.
C.H.M. Hutin. M. Leedham. B.H. Khan.
W.E. Wilson. D.W. Knight-Johnson.
A Sawhney. F. Karmali.
T.Mahon
thelyonian2003
Cricket
1st XI
Played: 16
Won: 7
Drawn: 4
Lost: 5
A tremendous team spirit. an enthusiasm to learn and play the game in the right manner. have
made it a pleasure to be master in change of the I st XI this season. The team has followed
the very high standards set by Rhodri James. the I st XI captain. and has made progress
throughout the term against some very strong cricketing schools.
Easter Saturday. dry but overcast. saw our first match of the season at Sudbury against a
very strong Hampton side. We lost the toss and were put in to bat by Hampton. with only
Silvester coming to terms with the tight bowling.We were unable to score quickly enough.
and so Hampton won comfortably. However. the response to this defeat could not have been
better and the next five matches brought four victories and one draw.
Aldenham were bowled out for 57. Johnson taking 3-10. James 2-0. Rughani 2-15 and
Swain 2-16. and we scored the runs for the loss of two wickets. A draw against Berkhamsted
was followed by a win against Greenford in the Middlesex Cup.James scoring 73 not out. De
Alwis 27 not out. and Johnson taking 3-1 to rip the heart out of the Greenford innings. Then
there was a 9-wicket win over the traditionally strong Enfield Grammar School. who were
bowled out for 65.Johnson taking 4-11. Desai 2-6 and Cook 2-11. Patel and James put on 51
for the second wicket to see us home.
A nail-biting 40-over match followed against Haberdashers'. Habs scored 113-8 in the 40
overs.Vasa. 3-18. being the pick of the bowlers.We reached 115-9 in the 40th over. winning by
one wicket - Rughani. 33. held the innings together.
A disappointing defeat against Q.E Barnet was followed by a draw against St Benedict's.
John Lyon scoring 13 I all out. St Benedict's scored 75-9. and just held on despite Desai taking
5-17 - the start of remarkable streak in which Desai took 33 wickets at an average of 10.54.
This was followed by a 9-wicket win over Harrow College in the Middlesex Cup (lames
48 not out. Rughani 21 not out). and then a win by 187 runs against St Edmunds. Ware: I st XI
228-5 declared (lames 60. Rughani 59. Patel 53); St Edmunds 41 all out (lohnson 2-3. Cook 25.Vasa 2-16 • Desai 3-7).
We experienced two disappointing defeats. by Harrow School. and by Enfield Grammar in
the semi-final of the Middlesex Cup (we had beaten Enfield so convincingly earlier in the
season). A drawn match at Mill Hill. with Desai 4-32 and Cook 4-41 being the pick of the
bowlers. was followed by another nail-biter at Merchant Taylors': the Ist XI scored 128-9
(Rughani 56 in 56 overs!) and then Merchant Taylors' were 10-4 but won narrowly. scoring
128-9 with seven balls to spare - their last wicket partnership put on 16 runs. one of the
highest partnerships of the match; Desai took 5-12 and Cook 3-27 were the pick of the
bowlers.
The traditional fixture against the MCC was drawn. The MCC side was captained by Old
Lyonian C. Gupte. who took 5 wickets. and another Old Lyonian. N. Goh. took 3 wickets and
caused the I st XI the most problems. Our last pair.Juma and Cook. batted out the last 9
overs to ensure the draw.
The team enjoyed a comfortable 3-wickets win against the Staff XI. with only Mr C.
Jones putting up resistance with the bat. Cook took 4-12. and then James and Silvester put on
63 for the second wicket.
Association Day brought a wonderful finale to the season. and many recent Old Boys
came back to play and entertain the many spectators. Rughani was the pick of the batsman
and Swain of the bowlers. The Old Lyonians were captained by D. Mehta who picked up 3
wickets and G. Hughes was top scorer in the run chase.
It has been a very enjoyable season. the many Fifth Formers performed well in their
debut season in the I st XI. Desai. Rughani. D. Patel.Juma. De Zoysa. A Mehta and De Haan
will all have important roles to play next year.
Johnson.Vasa and De Alwis will build on their experience last season.and with Ruparelia
and Hawes coming through from the Fourth Form. it should become a strong squad. I would
like to thank Rhodri James for his contribution as captain and for the influence he has had on
the team with his outstanding fielding. batting. and his occasional off spin. leg spin and
medium pace.Thanks also to J. Silvester.T. Cook. E. Swain and R. Dale for their inputs into the
team and support during the exam period.
I would also like to thank Mr A. Jones. Mr Preston and Mr Gladwell for coaching the
other sides and I am sure the boys will miss Mr. Flanagan and Mr. Read and remain grateful to
them for all the coaching and umpiring they have done over recent years as they move on
from John Lyon.
SPORT
thelyonian2003
2nd XI
Played: 7
Thanks also to John Jarvis for umpiring, to Bruce, Liam and the
many mums who volunteer to help with cricket teas, and to Andy
and Lee, the groundsmen, for preparing such excellent wickets.
Thanks are also due to Massey's for providing the Massey bat, this
year won by Rhodri James.
The Fraser bowling award was won by Krunal Desai and the
Gupte fielding award was won by James Silvester.
Boys, thank you for an enjoyable season.
Team from: R.T. James (Captain), J.MH Silvester 01. Captain),
D.J-H. Choy, E.F. Connoliy, T. Cook, R.C Dale, P.B De-Alwis,
E.C De Haan, K. Desai, M.K. De Zoysa, P.R. Johnson, S.H. Juma (wk),
S.N. Mapara, A. Mehta, DN. Patel, N. Rughani, N. Ruparelia, E. Swain,
K. Vasa.
I st
Batting (Qualifrcation: 50 runs)
Inns
16
R.T.James
N. Rughani
16
D.N.Patel
12
M.K. De Zoysa
7
J.M.H. Silvester
10
R.CDale
8
E.Swain
10
K. Desai
10
(Fewer than 50 runs)
P.B. De-Alwis
S.H.Juma
K.Vasa
T.Cook
P.R.Johnson
10
8
10
6
3
XI Averages
5
2
I
3
I
2
0
2
Runs
476
322
186
65
113
65
101
51
HIS
73*
59
53
28*
35
13*
23
13
Ave
43.27
23.00
16.90
16.25
12.55
10.83
10.10
6.37
3
3
0
4
I
44
23
38
7
6
27*
7*
9
3*
5*
6.28
4.60
3.80
3.50
3.00
N/O
Also batted:
N. Ruparelia 10; D.J-H. Choy 7; E.C De Haan 16*; E.F. Connoliy 4*
Bowling (Qualifrcation: 10 wickets)
0
M
113.4
K.Desai
25
47.3
P.R.Johnson
10
110.2
T. Cook
17
97
R.T.James
17
N. Rughani
86.2
11
R
348
175
359
297
302
W
33
15
20
13
12
BIB
5-17
4-11
4-12
2-0
2-8
Also bowled:
P.B. De-Alwis 3-1-4-1; K.Vasa 18-5-56-5; M.K. De Zoysa 6-2-12-1;
E. Swain 54-8-174-7; D.N. Patel 20.5-0-127-4; R.C Dale 5-1-20-0;
E.F. Connolly 4-2-4-0; A. Mehta 1-0-5-0; S.N. Mapara 1-0-1 1-0
Catches
15:James; 6 (+2 stumpings):Juma; 4:Vasa; 3: De-Alwis,Johnson, Dale;
2: Desai, DN. Patel; I: Silvester, Rughani, Cook, De Zoysa, Choy
I.R. Parker
Ave
10.34
11.66
17.95
22.84
25.16
Won: 2
Drawn: 2
Lost: 3
It was evident from the number of those attending net sessions
from September 2002 that I would have a large and talented pool of
players to choose from. I am pleased to say that my early optimism
was not misplaced. I have been impressed with the ability and
enthusiasm of so many that played for the Seconds this year.
One note of disappointment must be that of the fixtures that
were originally scheduled, our opponents, due to player shortages
caused by examination pressures, cancelled a large minority. I have
not experienced that problem atJohn Lyon, which is a credit to the
members of our squad.
Our record this year is two wins, two draws and three losses
with four cancelled. This year's squad has been harder to beat and
has shown a pleasing determination. This was typified in the hardfought draw with Berkhamsted. Our opponents amassed over two
hundred on a placid pitch but, with a fine show of batting resolve,
we secured a creditable draw.
We have also been able to regroup after batting first against
sides which appear to be gaining the upper hand. Such an example
was against QE Barnet, who were replying well to our good total of
166-8. A number of wickets were taken quickly to put our hosts
under severe pressure, although they did well to claim a draw. These
matches displayed the ability of the squad to respond to challenging
situations.
Not all performances, however, were so commendable. Both
Haberdasher's and Merchant Taylor's overwhelmed our batting with
accurate and controlled bowling. There is a lesson for the future
with regard to patience and concentration, but I am sure that this
will be absorbed for next year. The major disappointment came
when we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory againstAldenham
in our first match of the season. Silly batting left us defeated by just
two runs.
Two fine victories should also be discussed. Christ's College was
put to the sword by a very good bowling and fielding performance.
Defeat last year to Enfield was avenged with an excellent all-round
display from the entire team. What was most pleasing about this
result was the way that initial batting reverses were calmly
overcome and a sizeable total constructed with thoughtful innings
from several of the side that day. This was the most complete
performance of the year.
There are many individuals to be mentioned from this year's
squad. Chetan Gagoo bowled superbly all season but often did not
get the rewards his endeavour warranted. Shaan Bhatnagar bowled
and batted excellently with commitment, skill and great heart. AIi
Somani supplied two particularly devastating spells of spin bowling
that gave a little more variety to the attack. Both Joel Bubbers and
Charles De Haan batted with authority and patience to give us
solidity at the top of the order. Shiv Tailor showed in glimpses why
he is capable of being a fine opening batsman. Divian Patel batted
very well at the start of the season and, with a half-century against
Berkhamsted, deserved his call-up to the Ist XI squad. Samik Patel
displayed with the ball and bat why is he such a useful cricketer.
Rajiv Koya and David Choy both kept wicket impeccably, and Rajiv's
explosive batting in the lower-middle order was a vital weapon.
Joshil Lodhia again excelled in the field, and he should look to carry
his batting form from the nets into match situations. Samit Mapara,
although not as successful as last year, still performed well as an allrounder.
I have been very pleased with all members of the squad this
season. I do believe, however, that one individual stands out as my
'Player of the Year'. Amar Mehta's commanding batting, his useful
&l
Football: I st XI
Football: 2nd XI
Football 3rd XI
Football: U 15 XI
Football: U 14 XI
Football: U I 2 A & B squad
Football: U 13 XI
Cricket: Ist XI
Cricket: 2nd XI
Cricket U 15 XI
Cricket: U 14 A XI
Cricket: U 14 B XI
Cricket: U 13 XI
Cricket: U 12 XI
Basketball: U 19
Tennis: U 14 & U 15
Tennis: UI2 & U 13
Athletics: Intermediate
r--
Athletics: Junior
Cross Country: U I5
Cross Country: U 14
34
SPORT
spin and his outstanding fielding has given the team an extra
dimension. His enthusiasm has also been first-rate. He should be
proud of what he has achieved this year.
My final mention with regard to squad members must go to
Tal ang Katira and Eoin Connolly. For the last two years they have
be,n Captain and Vice-Captain, respectively, and I have greatly
va Jed their fine contributions to the 2nd XI. As they leave the
se 1001, I wish them well for the future.
Although we played most of our matches away from Sudbury, I
Vv )uld still like to thankAndy and Lee for yet again preparing such
e cellent pitches when we did act as hosts. I am also grateful to the
p rents who supported the squad this year.
My final thanks go to lan Parker, Master-in-Charge of cricket at
J( ,n Lyon. His organisational skills and support make my task as
c ach of the 2nd XI that much more simple.
1
~am
from:T.K. Katira (Captain), E.F. Connolly (Vice-Captain),
$ :. Bhatnagar, IN. Bubbers, N.]. Caiden, D.J-H. Choy, R.e. Dale,
[ :. De Haan, M.K. De Zoysa, e. Gagoo, P.R. Johnson, S. Jothinath,
, Koya, ].V. Lodhia, SN. Mapara, A Mehta, AH. Noon, D.N. Patel,
Patel, N. Rughani, AH. Somani, S. Sundaralingam, S.u. Tailor.
~.D.
Gladwell
U15 XI
Our opening fixture of the year saw John Lyon plunder the
Aldenham School attack. We scored 190-3, with Ruparelia hitting 80
not out, Seth an unbeaten, and maiden, fifty, and Desai picking up 534. A convincing win was secured, confidence was high, the sun was
shining, and commentators were talking of cups for once, and not of
plates.
The Berkhamsted bowlers were despatched on the following
Saturday in equally cavalier fashion with Hawes scoring 97 not out;
our bowlers, however, were unable to dismiss the last of their
batsmen and the game was drawn but our opponents finished 90
runs in arrears. The temperature started to climb, buckles were
swashed, and hakkas were performed as we approached our first
round game in the Middlesex Cup. But cricket, as we know, is a
great leveller; the boys from Christ's College skittled us for 67 and
they were on their way back to north London in less than 90
minutes with a 9-wicket victory under the belt.
Our rehabilitation was less certain and took longer than had
been anticipated although our first game 'back in the saddle' saw us
secure an 80 run win over Enfield Grammar; however, the batting
was shaky apart from the exocets that Parikh launched towards the
end of our innings and, although Ruparelia (3-12) and Patel (4-4)
bowled tidily, we were flattered by the score line. A 62 run defeat
at the hands of Dr Challoners in the next match confirmed the false
dawn.
In a much more competitive game against St Benedict's,
however,John Lyon played with the panache and skill they had
shown at the beginning of the season and we won the match by 10
runs; Ruparelia's 46 was the innings of the season scored on a
seaming green top. At Teddington, in the middle of June, Hawes and
Ruparelia smashed 186-0 (Ruparelia 101 not out; Hawes 50 not out)
in 14 overs and victory was secured by 114 runs. And by the time
we faced Rooks Heath, confidence again was brimming over; Hawes
picked up a triple wicket maiden and we came home as I I run
victors.
In our final fixture, we just couldn't shoot out the last of
Merchant Taylors' batsmen (in spite of 5-17 from Nahal) and we had
to settle for a draw with our opponents still 40 runs short and 9
wickets down. Still, the playing record - P9W5 D2 L2 - was a good
thelyonian2003
one with a number of important performance standards
established: Ruparelia averaged over 54 scoring nearly 400 runs, and
our leading bowlers, Desai, Nahal and Patel recorded season figures
of 14 for I 17, 10 for 87, and 10 for 114, respectively. Patel, in his role
as captain, was outstanding; he was cunning and shrewd, and his field
placings were insightful. He is an excellent motivator and leader.
Throughout the team there is a great deal of potential and there
are promising cricketing futures for those who are prepared to
work on the game. Ruparelia was our most prolific batsman but he
was also the most improved player and he worked deliberately on
playing through the line of the ball. Hawes, Patel, and Seth, all great
strikers of the ball, must get their feet moving more qUickly; they
were all trapped on the crease, or played inside the line, far too
frequently and they fell short in terms of the runs they could have
amassed. In the middle order, Nahal showed he could both bat and
bowl, and won our single wicket competition by a country mile, but
he needs to bowl much more consistently to a length;
Sundaralingam swings the ball prodigiously and, whilst he looks
elegant at the crease, he could get a little rowdier with the bat in his
hands; and Desai, deadly accurate with the ball, needs to inject the
same kind of ruthlessness into his batting.Juma and Joshi both
demonstrated they could bat a bit, and bowl quickly, but sometimes
the desire was lacking; and Lad, for whom desire was never an issue,
could be prone to letting enthusiasm and excitability get in the way
of the gloves! Nonetheless, he stuck to his task manfully in the face
of claims from at least two pretenders and proved to be a vital team
motivator from behind the stumps. Good luck to you all, and to the
many players vying for contention from the wings, in your cricketing
futures at the school.
May I thank Nick 'hole-in-one' Loudon and Brian 'albatross'
Holgate for covering in my absence and may I also record my
gratitude to lan 'the wand' Parker whose organisational skill,
support, and infectious love of the game have made running cricket
sides at John Lyon a real pleasure, and never a chore.
Team from: S.P. Patel (Captain), S. Jothinath, KAAe. Pepera, PJ Shah,
S. Sundaralingam, RA Clarke, N.K. Desai, B.o. Gill, AS. Gill, J.H. Sellu,
MAK. Parikh, V.S. Seth, B.o. Shah, K.R. Shah, D. Hawes, Z Juma, A Lad,
AT. McCarthy, AS. Nahal, N. Ruparelia.
P.A Flanagan
U14 XI
The U 14 team has been very enthusiastic over the course of the
year and all through winter nets, there have been over thirty boys
working hard to improve their skills and trying to impress with
their enthusiasm for the game. I expected this enthusiasm to wane
but the opposite occurred and numbers increased in the Summer
Term. Selection became very difficult and many boys were
disappointed when the time for choosing the team arrived. This is,
without doubt, the most improved group of cricketers I have had
the pleasure of working with over the years at John Lyon and their
improving skills and enthusiasm have made team selection easy in
one respect but extremely tough in terms of whom to leave out. I
was confident in knowing that whoever was selected to play, I
would always have a strong squad and that it would take a very
good team or a lucky one to beat us.
We lost the first game, at Berkhamsted, in the last over of the
day and this harsh warning served to be the inspiration for a more
focused approach to the following games. The batting, bowling and
fielding improved-throughout the year and the boys who had been
most famous for their lack of fielding skills, became heroic in their
efforts and this was a major contribution to the team's success.
thelyonian2003
SPORT
In a team with so much potential and promise. I am reluctant to
name individuals but Gurpreet Dhami is proving to be a very good
all-round cricketer who bats with style and bowls leg breaks.
Adam Gill is 'Mr Enthusiasm' and drives the team on with his
total commitment to all aspects of the game; his fielding is
outstanding and his batting seldom lets the team down.
Tommy Higgins is developing into one of the best bowlers I have
seen at John Lyon and this is the boy who only started playing
cricket last year. His bowling technique still needs a great deal of
work but he hits the ball hard and looks capable of achieving very
high scores in the future.
The Captain. Priam Patel. leads by example; he is thoughtful in
his captaincy. a good fielder and occasional bowler. but also an
outstanding opening bat who has frequently laid a good foundation
for the team to build on.
I have also been impressed with the improvement of Rajan Seth
who is developing into a very good all-round cricketer and Michael
Moriarty who is always totally driven to do his best. His poor
mother must spend a fortune on keeping his whites clean after all
his diving about on the field. Apart from all those I have mentioned.
I think Nicholas Hallam and Raam Joshi are developing really well
and will mature into very good cricketers next year.
I apologise for not mentioning all the other players who have
impressed me but I would like to say that all the extra time has
been worth the effort. I know that the future of cricket at John Lyon
is in safe hands while this group of boys continues to work hard and
to improve at the present rate. I am sorry I could not organise
more second eleven games but I know this will be addressed next
season and your talents will be displayed to the full. Thank you all
for making it such a happy time for me and many thanks for the
regular support from the parents. especially Mr Higgins and Mr Gill.
A final thank you to all the mums who provided the lovely teas and
to Andy. the groundsman. for his skill and time in providing the best
ground in the area and to Mr Parker for giving us more away
fixtures than home which meant we really appreciated our time
down at Sudbury.
Boys. enjoy your cricket and continue to search for perfection
and remember. it is a game to enjoy and you will enjoy it more by
winning with good grace and style.
Team from: P.J. Patel. (Captain). AAN. Arulunantham. K.Y. Asante.
M. Chandran. S.P. Clements. D. Chauhan. G. Dhami. AS. Gill.
N.S.L. Hallam. T. Higgins. J.M. Holas. J. Jadva. R. Joshi. L. Krishnamohan.
M.J. Moriarty. AI. Neidle. AP. Patel. N. Patel. R. Seth. AJ. Shah. S.N. Shah.
K. Shirazi.
I.R. Read
U13 XI
Played: 12
Abandoned: 3
Won: 8
Lost: 3
Drawn: 1
The U 13s enjoyed a successful and entertaining season last year and
can be extremely pleased with the way in which they approached
their cricket. They tried at all times to play positively. and the fact
that they only drew one of their matches suggests this has been the
case. They built on their hugely promising first year at John Lyon and
have the potential to be one of the best school year groups in
recent years. Only the failure to convert a good position in the
Middlesex Cup semi-final at Enfield cast a shadow over the season.
The all-round ability in the side was obvious from the first game
of the year. Avinash Murthy thumped Aldenham's bowlers to all
parts on a difficult pitch and never allowed the opposition to settle.
®®
His century (103*) was matched by Jack Abelson (I 02*) against St.
Benedicts Ealing. and at this level that is a fine achievement indeed.
Other batsmen to shine were Anek Mhajan. who scored the most
runs in the team and played a number of patient and well timed
innings. Declan Edwards who was particularly strong through the
offside. Kris Milne and Rishi Patel. Both Kris and Rishi will hope to
score with more regularity next year. Because of the strength of the
top six. the bowlers rarely had the opportunity to show off their
skills but Suki Mann revealed a penchant for hitting sixes.
Most of the matches resulted in easy wins. often batting first to
put the opposition under pressure with runs on the board. Only
against St. Martins in the Jet National Cup did we bat first and lose.
only scoring 98 in our 25 overs. The Middlesex Cup was more
successful and three facile wins took us to the semi against Enfield.
A target of 135 in 25 overs was. in the end. ten too many for the
team with only Jack and Rishi able to come to terms with the
scoring rate.
The race for the leading wicket taker was keenly contested.
Jasjote Bhasin bowled superbly all year. and almost always took
wickets with his flighted off spin. Jesal Patel bowled some wicked
inswingers and had the ability to bowl straight. which is generally
underrated as a means of attack at this age group. Anek Mhajan and
Kris Milne both bowled some highly testing spells of leg spin and
probably deserved more wickets than they actually got and Rishi
Pate I got in on the action with a hat-trick against Berkhamsted.The
seam attack was led by NiravVarsani and Praveen Nandakumar:
Praveen suffered from an early attack of the 'wides' but could swing
the ball away from batsmen. Nirav. though. proved to be the most
adept bowler and took wickets almost at will early on. He has a
simple. yet effective. approach to bowling and is the most eventempered of young men.
Even though the bowling and batting skills of the side were high,
they were surpassed by the fielding ofthe team. The wicket-keeping
duties were shared between Declan and Jack and both performed
admirably. Jack was the outstanding outfielder though, and was a
constant source of encouragement to the rest of the team. Kris was
not far behind in terms of ability and commitment, although it
would be unfair to single out only two individuals; everyone played
his part.
End of season junior colours were awarded to Avinash Murthy,
NiravVarsani and Anek Mhajan. Anek led the side with pride and
skill and proved to be capable of ,running' a cricket match and all itS
nuances with ease. He has a great future ahead of him as a captain"
and cricketer. I offer my sincere thanks to the whole squad who '
were a pleasure to coach and encourage all year. My best wishes
them for all the seasons ahead. On behalf of them could I
thanks to the groundsmen and tea ladies and gents. Your efforts
not go unnoticed.
Team from: A.S. Mhajan, A Murthy. R. Patel.J.S. Abelson,
DA Edwards. K.P. Milne, J. Patel. J.S. Bhasin. P. Nandakumar. N. Varsan~
I.M. Keshani. S. Mann. G. Kamalatharan. P.S. Bahra. J.H. Sellu.
J.R. Preston
U12 XI
Played: 10
Won: 6
Drawn: 1
Lost: 3
As expected after basking in glorious sunshine throughout the
Easter holidays the first cricket match of the season started in
pouring rain. The first years opening game against Latymer Upper
resulted in an overwhelming defeat. However. the squad soon
realised just what was needed to succeed and set about laying the
p
thelyonian2003
SPORT
foundations for a gloriously spectacular summer.
A close 8 run victory over Berkhamsted where
captain Asantha De-Alwis recorded bowling figures
of ( -19 was quickly followed by easy victories over
w< cnbley High (Dhruv Barchha hat-trick) and
En eld Grammar School (De-Alwis 83 not out).
H wever. more often than not while the team's
b( .vling figures showed depth throughout the squad
ar I we were able to bowl out most teams. the first
y' lrs often struggled with the bat. either relying
h wily on a few individuals to knock up the runs or
tI =bowlers to keep the opposition score down.
T le defeat against St. Johns is just such an example.
It is thus because of this that despite the defeat
a ainst Q.E. Barnet it was one of our best batting
prformances with MitulVora hitting an excellent
" I and Kumar Patel 37. If these boys can be more
( ',nsistent next year we should be a handful for any
1 am we play.
Victory against Haberdashers' was also followed
I ya comfortable win over Erdington (Vora 37). and
n impressive draw against St. Benedict's which saw
JS bowl them out for 128 (Jack Turton. hat-trick. 518) and after some embarrassing batting. when we
looked to have grasped defeat from the hands of
victory. David Knight Johnson and Sanjeiv Asokan
batted superbly to allow us to hang on for a draw.
The final game of the season was away to
Merchant Taylor·s. After hitting a sound I 19-7 (DeAlwis 57) Merchant Taylors' seemed to have victory
in their grasp. With three overs remaining they only
required eight runs to win with three wickets
remaining. at which point Jack Turton who had
bowled so well and consistently throughout the
year stepped up and bowled his second hat trick of
the year to win us the game. Fantastic stuff.
This has been a particularly enjoyable and
successful year and Captain. Asantha De-Alwis.Vice
Captain.Jathu Shasiharan. Anuj Patel. MitulVora and
JackTurton should all be congratulated on
consistently performing at the highest standard.
Well done.
Averages
Batting
Asantha De-Alwis
Jathu Shasiharan
MitulVora
Kumar Pate I
(83*)
(22*)
(40)
(37)
44.7
13.7
12.3
8.5
Bowling
Asantha De-Alwis
JackTurton
Anuj Patel
Dhruv Barchha
Jathu Shasiharan
53-8-138-14
57-6-202-19
35-4-130-9
36-1-157-10
36-0-165-6
9.9
10.6
14.4
15.7
27.5
Team from: S. Asokan. S.M. Girling-Heathcote. D.W.
Knight-Johnson. A Ravindrarajah. AR. Trepczynski. M.
Vora. W.E. Wilson. P. Yoganathan. DA Barchha. AI. DeAlwis. J.M. Neidle. J. Shasiharan. JA Turton.
A.K. Patel. K.H. Patel. A. Sahay.
AL.Jones
Tennis
Senior
The Senior Tennis team again enjoyed many successes despite to a great extent
relying on younger players. The season started in March with a fine 6-0 win over
Twyford C of E School in the Senior Students Cup. After other schools withdrew
from the competition this proved to be the vital match and we were declared the
London Area Champions.
Next. in the Glanvill Cup. the main national competition. came more quality
tennis in convincing wins over Latymer Upper and Chigwell to reach the regional
semi-final. Unfortunately. we then met a very strong team from Coopers Company
and Coborn School. consisting entirely of Essex county players. so we just missed
out on a second successive London regional final.
Finally. in the Independent Schools' Championships at Eton. we enjoyed two
more stunning victories; first RGS Guildford were outplayed. then Cheltenham
School were convincingly brushed aside. Having reached the third round of the main
event. we could not maintain our good form and on damp. overcast morning we
rather meekly succumbed to our old rivals UCS.
Simon Childs. despite being only a 4th year in 2003. is clearly the school's top
player. He has developed a most mature game and has a very promising future in the
sport. With James Silvester not always available due to exams. we often relied on the
talents of Avinash Murthy and Alex Golding. who amazingly made their senior debuts
as a 2nd year and I st year respectively. Thanks also go to all the other members of
the team; David Jones. Nathaniel Caiden. Mark Webster and Ben Wealthy. We are
looking forward to our young talent bringing us even more success next year.
CL.M. Tucker
Junior and Intermediate
The season started with trials for Years 7 to 9 at the Esporta Riverside Tennis Club.
Northwood. Many of the youngsters had been regularly attending the club; some had
been playing for fun; others had honed their skills on the Astroturf courts. preparing
for possible team selection. Four main players. and two reserves were chosen from
each age group. Year 10 players also had trials and similarly a squad offour was
formed.
The Year 7 squad played against Rooks Heath. Sam Deacon and Alex Golding
winning their doubles. Year 8 played the same school. and won comfortably. thanks to
Alex Golding and Anek Mhajan. Golding being good enough to play in the age group
above his own.
Both the Year 8s and Year 10s won against Drayton Manor School. all four players
winning their singles and doubles. I would like to thank Mrs. Golding for arranging
our match at the very plush David Lloyd Centre in Bushey.
The Year 7 and 8 squads had a cup match against a very scary looking Kidbrooke
School team in south London! It turned out to be a one-sided match with hardly any
games lost.
The season finale came in the You 11 Cup. at Eton School's courts. The pairing of
Alex Golding and Stuart Childs did exceedingly well to reach the Under 15 quarter
finals. beating much bigger and stronger boys in the process. Their final opponents
were Harrow School. and in a tempestuous match the smaller combination of Alex
and Stuart lost two close sets. They should take heart from this as their opposition
were physically stronger. We could go further next year.
The school has many promising players in Years 7 to 10. Robert Rowlands.
Matthew Lee and Sam Deacon have made significant improvements. Stuart Childs.
Neil Ewington. James Sellu and Anek Mhajan. of Year 8. also improved.Avinash Murthy
continued to be in a league of his own. which has unfortunately exempted him from
most competitions. Raam Joshi and Richard Pacey remained as steady and thoughtful
players.
I am looking forward to next season. when we hope to have more matches.
Thanks to all the players - they have worked hard and have been thoroughly
committed!
SPORT
thelyonian2003
Badminton
Our Trip to Wimbledon
On Friday 4th July, I, members of the tennis
team, spent the day at Wimbledon. Anek's
grandfather, previously an umpire at
Wimbledon, had given us ground tickets.
The players in the Year 7 and 8 tennis
teams, with Mr Roy and Mr Budd, arrived
early enough to allow us to wander around
the seventeen outside courts. We watched
players practice and chased stars like Andy
Roddick through the grounds, before
settling into a few games of mini-tennis in
the kids' zone.
Mini-tennis, played on small courts with
soft balls, is often used as an introduction to
the game. We entered short competitions
and for every game won were awarded a
sticker. Once a player had collected a few
stickers, these could be exchanged for
rewards such as pens etc. This was great fun
and became quite competitive.
Before lunch, Anek's grandfather, Mr
Mhajan, arranged for us watch the
spectacular Number I men's doubles pair in
action on Court I.
The weather was good, and we had
lunch on Henman Hill and soaked up the
atmosphere of the place, cheering as the
players fought on the big screen for their
places in the next round. After lunch, a few
of us made our way to Centre Court where
we met some fans leaving. They offered us
their tickets and of course we didn't
hesitate to take up their offer. We were
seated in Row D on Centre Court and
watched Martina Navratilova and Leander
Paes win their exciting mixed doubles
match - they subsequently won the
tournament.
Thanks to Mr Roy, Mr Budd and
especially Anek's grandfather. for giving us
the opportunity to be part of this great
British tradition.
Neil Ewington
Inter-House
Norwood
Vaughan
Moore
Butler
I.R. Parker
0
Vaughan
Norwood
Butler
Moore
P
3
3
3
3
W
3
2
I
0
L
0
I
2
3
Pts
6
4
2
L
Pes
6
4
2
Seniors
Butler beat Moore
Vaughan beat Norwood
Butler beat Norwood
Vaughan beat Moore
Vaughan beat Butler
Norwood beat Moore
Vaughan
Butler
Norwood
Moore
P
3
3
3
3
W
3
2
I
0
0
I
2
3
I.R. Parker
Basktball
Inter-House
Seniors
Moore beat Butler
Norwood beat Vaughan
Vaughan beat Moore
Norwood beat Butler
Vaughan beat Butler
Norwood beat Moore
P
3
3
3
3
W
3
2
I
0
L
0
I
2
3
Pts
6
4
2
Colts
Butler beat Moore
Norwood beat Butler
Vaughan beat Moore
Vaughan beat Butler
Norwood beat Moore
Moore beat Butler
Norwood beat Vaughan
Norwood beat Butler
Vaughan beat Moore
Vaughan beat Butler
Norwood beat Moore
W
3
2
I
Colts
Norwood beat Butler
Vaughan beat Moore
Vaughan beat Butler
Butler beat Moore
Norwood beat Moore
Norwood
Vaughan
Moore
Butler
Volleyball
P
3
3
3
3
Inter-House
L
0
I
2
3
Pts
6
4
2
Vaughan
Norwood
Butler
Moore
I.R. Parker
P
3
3
3
3
W
3
2
I
0
L
0
I
2
3
Pts
6
4
2
Cross Country
This was another successful season for the
John Lyon cross country team, with a number
of new faces helping to support the
achievements gained last year by many of the
runners.
The Under 12s had an impressive season
with Matthew Barker finishing 6th in the Hatch
End Open Cross Country Competition at the
start of the year. This was followed by 4th in
the Harrow School Championships, and with
Alex Golding 25th, Sonny Flynn 35th and
William Wilson 38th the team finished a very
creditable 4th overall. Matthew was also
selected to represent Harrow in the Middlesex
championships where he finished a notable
23rd.
The under 13s continued where they had
left off last season, by performing well in a
number of relays, as well as the Hatch End
Open race. The team of Matthew Barker;
Declan Edwards, Kris Milne, NiravVarsani,
Alex Golding and Avinash Murphy finished 2nd
in the St Martins relays where Matthew
claimed the third fastest time of the day. Also
with the help of Jack Abelson, the squad went
on to finish 3rd in the 'OTI' relays at Belmont
School. The team has shown a great deal of
strength in depth throughout the year and
does not have to rely on one or two
individuals to see it through. This will hold the
team in good stead for the future.
The Under 14 team demonstrated the
enthusiasm and motivation over the year
which has helped them to become a year
group with a strong sporting reputation. At
the Hatch End cross-country race, a depleted
team finished a very creditable 10th overall.
With Adam Gill finishing 12th, Florian Stahl
24th, Stefano Perdoni 5 Ist and Elliott Bertranf
71 st. The squad also performed well at the
Harrow Schools championships.With two
teams entered, the A team took 4th place
Stuart Onslow finishing an impressive 9th,
Florian Stahl 27th, Nathan Ireland 44th and
Elliott Bertram 47th.
The Under 15s had another excellent
cross-country season, with three athletes
selected to represent Harrow at the County
Championships. In the Harrow School trials,
David Jones finished 4th and Neil Changela
- both fantastic performances. The team
took third place in the team completion at
Hatch End cross-country. Ben Gill 4th, Neil
Changela 12th, Sam Steel 13th and Daniel
Hawes 36th, should all be congratulated.
This was a fine season and I look
to seeing the boys build upon their su,:<;,,:,~'"
next year. Well done to all those who
represented the school over the mud!
A.L.Jones
thelyonian2003
SPORT
Athletics
The athletics season has been condensed into a frenetic 5-week
p )riod, which started with the Harrow Championships in May at the
refurbished Bannister Stadium. With so little time to prepare for
1 hese championships it is always pleasing to see how many boys still
;.ctually manage to come through on the day and end up competing
or Harrow in the Middlesex Championships in June.
This year we had five boys who were selected for Harrow
:hanks to their efforts in the championships. Ben Gill again qualified
n the 400 metres with a personal best time of 55.6 seconds. His
·un in the heats at the County championships reflected his
)erformance and it was sufficient to give him fifth fastest place
)verall in the Intermediate section. Next year he will be able to
lave a real attack on the top three places as he enters the top end
::>f the age range.
Adam Gill as district champion in the discus was not able to
take on the challenge of the Middlesex Championships on the day
because of other sporting commitments, which was a
disappointment for him, as it was a chance to match up against
some very talented athletes. Robert Clarke, although probably not
competing in what he would consider to be his strongest event,
won the district javelin event with a throw of 31 metres. At the
Middlesex Championships he threw 33 metres to record a personal
best and finish sixth in the final of that event, again competing at the
bottom end of this two-year age range.
David Jones gained real experience in running in the 1500
metres. He finished fifth in the final with a respectable time of 4m.
44 secs. but undoubtedly will gain real benefit from the tactical
awareness he gained running in such a high quality field. He had a
very prominent season showing his versatility in winning both at
100 metres and at high jump in the Harrow League meetings
Our most successful athlete on the day of the Middlesex
Championships was Brett Heasman. With limited opportunities to
run his favourite 200 metres, Brett, as district champion, competed
in the long jump. On the day the winner was a class above everyone
else in the field jumping over 6.3 metres. Brett however jumped a
very impressive personal best of 5.67 metres to finish second in the
county which was an excellent performance.
As well as our top athletes getting the chance to compete, this
season has seen the emergence of many athletes lower down in the
School who gained valuable experience in both the Harrow
Championships as well as the Harrow league meetings. The St
Ignatius trophy meeting also gave our first formers a chance to
compete against the very best athletes from four different London
Boroughs. Sonny Flynn was the pick of these, showing not only
ability in the 200 metres but also great determination and heart
when competing, which shone through in his relay leg as well as his
debut in the Harrow Championships where he was competing
against athletes a year older than himself. The likes of KwasiYeboah,
Clement Hutin, David Knight Johnson and Robert Rowland also
showed the potential to do well as they go through the school.
In the rest ofthe juniors, Jack Abelson led the way with ever
improving performances in the hurdles, with Kris Milne,Veer Shah,
Declan Edwards and NirajVarsani all making real progress. In the
third form many athletes really broke through. Michael Betts
showed increasing maturity as a sprinter, whilst Elliot Bertram
displayed a real taste for sprinting and sprint hurdles. Stuart Onslow
was the most successful athlete winning the very competitive St
Ignatius trophy 1500 metres as well as the Harrow League meeting.
The Inter-House Athletics Championships took place at the
impressive Woodside Stadium for the second year running.This
allowed our athletes a great opportunity to perform at their best.
The Junior section was dominated by Moore House who won
10 of the 13 events including the 4x I 00 metres relay, which they
won in a new school record time of 56.8 seconds. Kris Milne won
both his individual events in the 100 and 400 metres as well as
anchoring the relay win. NiravVarsani also won both individual
events in the 800 metres and the high jump.A first former, Sonny
Flynn made a big impression, carrying on his progress throughout
the season with a storming win in the 200 metres in a personal best
time of 27.7 seconds and also finishing a narrow second in the 100
metres.
Praveen Nandakumar threw a respectable 23.75 metres in the
javelin and JackAbelson continued his rapid improvement in the
high hurdles in a respectable 15.6 seconds.
Final scores
Moore
Vaughan
Norwood
Butler
165
III
106
104
In the Colts there were fine individual performances from several
athletes. Ben Gill won both the 400 metres in 58.4 seconds and the
1500 metres in 4m. 41 seconds. Robert Clarke won both the javelin,
with a throw of 3 1.81 metres, and, showing his versatility, the 800
metres in 2m. 20.5 seconds. Eliot Bertram produced one of the
most impressive performances in this section with a win in the 100
metres in 12.9 seconds and Michael Betts ran well to win the 200
metres in 26.4 seconds.
It wasVaughan who completely dominated this section winning
by over 60 points.
Final scores
Vaughan
191.5
Norwood
129
Moore
107
Butler
90.5
In the Senior section, Rhodri James was a comfortable winner in
both the distance races the 1500 and the 3000 metres which was
an impressive double! Christopher Cook also won both of his
individual events the 800 metres in 2m. 18 seconds and also the
high jump in Im. 45 cms.
It was Brett Heasman however who produced the outstanding
performance of the day winning the 200 metres in 25.3 seconds and
the long jump in 5.30 metres. He also anchored Norwood to a fine
relay win in the 4x I00 metres relay which helped secure a thrilling
section win for Norwood by just four points.
Final scores
Norwood
Butler
Vaughan
Moore
c.J.Jones
144
140
I 18.5
101.5
SPORT
thelyonian2003
Archery
euW a 4fwtt/ (tn~ . . .
breathing is very relaxing. Top Olympic archers have this down to a
fine art - tests have shown a recent British medallist is capable of
slowing his heart rate down to just a few beats per minute whilst
shooting!
Mixed with the adrenaline rush that comes with the knowledge
that I could win a competition, the relaxing quality of the repetitive
sequence of events and the social times have made archery the
perfect sport for me. Those who start this sport rarely stop and, as
the first years are now aware, the rewards that are brought by
steady personal improvement are very satisfying.
For information about local clubs in your area, please contact
Mrs Ingham.
a4.a. ~ 4pzt?J
Many fifth and sixth form boys have chosen archery as a games
option in the past. This year, all first form boys also had the
opportunity to shoot as part of the new activities programme.
Supposedly a 'minority sport', many thousands of archers regularly
attend practice and competition meetings across the country every
week. So what's the attraction?
For many, the club that they join soon becomes a firm part of
their social life, with regular events such as barbeques and 'funshoots' organised. In the winter months, although the indoor season
may be in full swing, 'frostbite' competitions are still shot outside.
Many are drawn to the sport by an interest in the historical
aspects. Being one of man's earliest and most-used weapons, the
bow and arrow have contributed greatly to the shifting powers of
past monarchies and political groups and everyone has heard of
Robin Hood of course!
Whilst many are happy to have a relaxing day's archery every
now and again, other people thrive on the more competitive aspect.
Regularly winning a medal or trophy soon becomes addictive! As
well as competing against other people, those in the know improve
their shooting by competing against themselves. The most satisfying
feeling comes from beating a 'personal best' score.
One of the tricks to consistent shooting is to control the
breathing so that the chest movement does not disturb the aiming
process. I find this the best aspect of archery, as controlled
Mrs E.J. Ingham
Karate
Shotokan Karate is taught at The John Lyon School by two sen
instructors of Shotokan Karate International, a world renown
organisation set up by Mr Kanazawa.This martial art style is
recognised at GCSE and at 'A' Level as part of the sports
curriculum. This year the boys of John Lyon put forward a tea
enter the National Championships and finished in second plac
Club practises straight after school on Thursdays and is open
boys of the School and outsiders.
In Japan nearly every pupil and student practises a martial
improve concentration, confidence and academic progress.
Mrs Brenda Wise
The Archery
team,
with coach, Mrs E.J. Ingham, receive the Silver Arrow t rop h y at S peeches
.h
. .
L e f t to fig t: Wllham Deacon, Mrs E.J. Ingham, Sujeevan Nandagopal M "t Ch'
.
,
an]1
Ita, Tarang Katira.
p
SPORT
thelyonian2003
Swimming
Not surprisingly.Vaughan dominated this age group.
accumulating twice the amount of points of the next House. Butler.
Inter-House Gala
February 2003
The Inter House swimming gala was a very competitive event
reflecting the strength of swimming that is growing rapidly within
the school.
It is noticeable how competitive the events are throughout the
age groups with each House able to produce swimmers of a high
calibre and very competitive nature. In the Junior Section. no less
than three of the events were won by first formers with Clement
Hutin. Robert Rowland and Sam Deacon winning the back crawl.
front crawl and butterfly races. respectively. with Kristofer Milne
just holding off another promising first former. Matthew Barker. by
half a second in the breast stroke. It was Butler House who
emerged victorious. helped by wins in both the freestyle and medley
relay to secure the section win from Vaughan with Moore third and
Norwood fourth.
Final points totals:
Juniors
I
2
3
4
Butler
Vaughan
Moore
Norwood
35
25
23
17
Final scores:
Colts
Vaughan
41
Butler
22
Moore
13
Norwood
II
In the Senior Section. Peter Davis Adkins. Andrew Karim and
Richard Jago all had impressive and relatively comfortable wins in
the individual events. in the Individual Medley backstroke and
butterfly. respectively. with Rabeeha Daba and James Cuthbert both
winning exciting races by less than a second in the front crawl and
breaststroke races. It was Moore who. perhaps surprisingly. won the
closest section overall with a dramatic win in the freestyle relay and
a second place in the medley relay producing a win by just four
points from second place Vaughan.
So an extremely successful and competitive gala with much
thanks to the staff for their time in officiating and scoring and for
the work of the house tutors for organising teams. for the
enthusiastic spectators. staff. students and parents and especially the
swimmers for their expertise and enthusiasm.
Final scores in the Senior Section:
In the Intermediate Section. RichardVoke of Norwood won two of
the individual events both the butterfly and the front crawl. In the
latter. he set the only new school record of the day with an
impressive time of 28.98 seconds. Robert Clarke was among the
other individual winners in what was a very strong age group with
Sam Steel completing a very strong trio of county standard
swimmers. with a host of very competitive and competent
swimmers such as David Jones. Simon Childs. Ben Gill. Khilan Shah
and Neil Changela just behind them.
Seniors
Moore
Vaughan
Butler
Norwood
C.J.Jones
33
29
16
13
thelyonian2003
The Solar Challenge - Munich 2003
l
I,
Having been given permission by the Headmaster to take a day off
school. I travelled. on Friday 27th March. with twenty one other
members of my swim club (Ealing). the Head and Assistant Head
Coach and some parents to Munich. Germany.We were to take part
in the Solar Challenge at the Olympic pool which is in the Olympic
Park. just to the north of the city. where the Olympics were held in
1972.
We arrived in the afternoon and travelled by a very efficient
train and tram service to our hotel which was about a twenty
minute walk from the park. After a team talk. we had dinner before
going to bed at 9:00pm as we had to be up and at the pool by
7.30am.The hotel arranged to bring staff in early so that we could
breakfast at 6.30am. As in all sports. it is important to eat properly
to keep your energy up.
The swimming hall is amazing; it has eight lanes and is fifty
metres long. Underneath the 2500 spectator stand. are another two
pools which cannot be seen by those watching. The rest of the park
consists of an Olympic hall. used for gymnastics. an Olympic stadium
for track and field and other small areas for cycling and other
leisure activities.
This was a huge gala. There were eighty plus teams from twelve
countries including Germany. Switzerland. Croatia. Slovenia.
Americans and Canadians from the European Forces League and. of
course. our team from England.
like all galas. the teams set up as a group around the pool.We
placed ourselves near the start by the diving pool. The swimmers
stayed there unless they were competing or cheering on other
members of the squad.
On the first day I took part in three single events. the 200
metres backstroke. I 00 metres freestyle and SO metres backstroke.
In the first. there were some one hundred and twenty eight
competitors. with age groups ranging from ten years to twenty
years plus. I took gold in my group and on my time would have won
the next two age groups above me. In the second. two hundred and
eighty eight competitors and I took bronze in my group. The SO
metres backstroke was slightly different as it is an open event and
SPORT
has finals which the others do not. I came second in my age group. I
also took part in two relays the backstroke which our team won
and the freestyle in which we came third.
During lunch I was able to look around the park before eating
at the Olympic restaurant. The weather was fantastic and the park
was full of people on roller blades. cycles. and skateboards or just
relaxing in the sun. Some of our parents found the Olympic Beer
garden and enjoyed Sitting in the sun with a glass of famous Munich
beer and eating German sausages.
That evening after dinner in the hotel. it was early to bed as the
clocks were going forward and we had an early start. After another
early breakfast we were back at the pool. I had another three
events. the 100 metre backstroke. the 100 metre butterfly and the
200 freestyle. In the first. I took gold. fifth place in the second and
gold in the third and on that time would have won the next age
group. Although I took three individual gold medals I am most
pleased with the time improvements that I made in the 100 and 200
free.
After my last event. we made a quick dash back to the hotel to
collect our luggage and made our way to the airport for the last
flight to Heathrow. It was an exhausting but great time.
Samuel Steel
~
i .
i:

Lyonian Magazine 2003 - The Lyonian Association

Transcription

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