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Fullerian 2014-15
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CONTENTS
The Fullerian 2014-15
Headmaster’s Notes
Martin Post
The E.S.Household Pavilion
School Life
Languages
English
Trips and Exchanges
Art
Music
An Assembly for Remembrance Day
Sport
Staff Leavers
Old Fullerians and the Antarctic
University/College Entrants
School Prizes
Acknowledgements
3
5
6
8
28
34
44
62
66
74
76
97
100
104
106
108
Editor: G Aitken
Student Editor: Deven Voralia 10N
Cover Design: Kit Gillman 10N
Design: Many thanks to John Dunne for his help this year.
Thank you very much to all those who helped with the production of this year’s Fullerian.
Watford Grammar School for Boys
Rickmansworth Road, Watford WD18 7JF. Telephone: 01923 208900 Fax: 01923 208901
E-mail: office@watfordboys.herts.sch.uk Website: www.watfordboys.org
Twitter: @WBGSExcellence
Student Editor
Deven Voralia has been the student editor of the Fullerian this year and has been
extraordinarily efficient. We have met occasionally, and communicated by email and that
has been all that it has taken for Deven to doggedly pursue teachers and students to write
articles. Where there has been any difficulty in finding someone to produce an article, and
Deven has been able to, he has set about writing it himself. As you will see, many of these
are entertaining and witty.
Deven came highly recommended by a number of members of staff who assured me
that if I wanted someone I could rely on to do the job well, then Deven was the man to do
it. He has been meticulous in his sending of emails, with helpful links and has a direct style
that makes resistance to his requests futile.
I very much hope that he will be able to continue in the role of student editor for the
next two years.
GA
2
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
HEADMASTER’S NOTES
A momentous year
W
e knew it was going to be such a year, when
at Easter, Martin Post announced he had been
appointed to be one of only nine Regional Schools
Commissioners. As he said in his leaving speech,
one of the few jobs he could ever be persuaded
to leave this school for. He thus spent the summer
term expertly leading the transition to the Acting Head and his team for
2014 to 2015.
As acting Headmaster, it’s been quite a year. As ever, the school
continues to move forward apace. Buildings have been a key feature of
the development of the school recently and this year was no exception.
In September staff and pupils returned to find another 22 classrooms
in the main 1912 block transformed with LED lighting, mood walls, and
state of the art interactive projectors. They were all carpeted and given
new ceilings to provide a 21st rather than 20th
century teaching environment. The brightness
of the classrooms and corridors was remarked
on by all and this became a key theme for the
year as we welcomed parents and prospective
parents to see the school. Down at the New
Field, things were progressing rapidly towards
completion of a new Sports Pavilion. The old
had been demolished in April and when I came
back from holiday in mid August, building was
already advanced and in early September, the
topping out ceremony took place. This is when
a building’s main structure has been completed.
The school took over the building at the end
of the year, on time and on its £1.2 million
budget, funded by the Academies’ Maintenance
Fund, Sport England and the Watford Fuller
Foundation. It was in use from the new year
with 10 changing rooms and upstairs clubhouse
and balcony. The official opening of the E.S.
Household pavilion took place in March with
John Taylor, former British Lions player, as guest
of honour. This inspirational new building will
now help motivate many more generations of school sportsmen.
The multiplicity of trips and visits continues to develop: this
year there have been repeats of many popular visits, such as ski trips,
Battlefields of WWI, Classics to Rome and field study visits. A cricket tour
to Barbados and diving trips were amongst other new opportunities in
the calendar.
At the end of last year, several legendary members of staff
left. Mr Post, after 14 years of inspirational Headship, whose massive
contribution to the development of the school is recognised in a separate
article. Mrs Wort, exceptional Maths teacher and Assistant Head, retired
after 12 years at the school. Mr Monks, teacher of RS and Assistant Head
left to become Deputy Head at his old school, Hitchin Boys. Mr Crozier
retired after 24 years as head of CDT. Their contributions to the life of the
school have been highly significant and they’ll be missed.
During this year, the school community was saddened to hear
of the deaths of two former members of staff. Douglas ‘Dougie’ Miller,
who passed away at 86 years. He was a key member of the History
Department between 1975 and 1992. Jean Walford, former Librarian
passed away at 92 years. Again, she served the school during the late
1970s and 1980s.
News of the sudden death of recent former pupil Jannik Lam in
February was tragic and his funeral was attended by over 100 of his
former classmates and fellow Nottingham students. His girlfriend gave a
poignant eulogy in tribute.
School sports continue to go from strength to strength. The Rugby
season was testing for all teams, perhaps reflecting the disruption whilst
the new pavilion was constructed. However, resilience eventually paid
off with some fine victories towards the end of term from the First and
other teams. The Hockey season was good, with some initial matches
cancelled because of snow or frost, but then all teams developing
strongly. Cricket has had a great season, with teams playing more
matches than ever before with strong weekly results against highly
respected schools. Cross Country and Athletics teams did consistently
well throughout the winter and into the summer. Basketball is now
played consistently well at district level and a range of age groups. It’s
also been tremendous to see other sports such
as golf developing and individual performances
in pole vault have been at national level.
Music has been another personal
highlight of the year. The regular concerts that
Stephen Hussey and his team put on are always
a delight, but are never predictable in the sense
that our many musicians are always challenged
to play pieces that stretch yet showcase their
ability. When that’s put together with other
players and in a programme for an evening as
a whole, one is left asking the question posed
by our German visitors: ‘where are the ordinary
boys?’ We don’t do ordinary in this school.
In February, I travelled to Mainz to
celebrate 50 years of exchanges between the
Schloss Gymnasium and WBGS. The warm
welcome there and impact of the exchange on
students from both schools, cemented my wish
to cycle from Watford to Mainz in June. I duly
completed this ride in June, covering 900km
and raising £11,000. All after welcoming the
German party back to Watford.
A general election loomed in the spring and WBGS was host to
the Watford Observer question time in the Theatre. A packed audience
heard the five candidates for Watford answer questions for an hour and
half. I quietly enjoyed keeping these sometimes unruly ‘students’ and
audience in check as chair. We also had a lively hustings as part of our
Sixth Form lecture programme; no candidate was allowed to get away
with an unchallenged statement! Our lecture programme this year was
well punctuated with inspirational former pupils who challenged all who
heard them to, well, change the world, but do it often in small steps with
a reminder to value and nurture friendships. Linked to a much closer
relationship with the Old Fullerians’ Association, two very successful
careers and networking conferences were organised during the year;
these will now become annual events.
I’ve been fantastically privileged to lead this great school over the
last academic year. Every day is genuinely inspirational and every hour is
different. This really has been the best job in the world and I hand over
in September to a very fortunate and talented man, Ian Cooksey who
comes to us from Dr Challoner’s High School. I believe that the school
is in a very strong place to face its challenges and to take the many
opportunities out there for the future.
Mark Allchorn
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
3
T
Old Fullerians
as Leaders
he most important lesson of Charles Darwin was
that the species that adapts itself to change the
fastest will survive. Any organisation that wants
to survive in difficult times needs leaders. Many
of our Old Boys are indeed leaders who lead the
way to change and some of them have returned
to WBGS to provide just that type of leadership.
There was a momentous time from September 2012
until July 2014 when the leadership of the school was in the
capable hands of Old Fullerians, David Arrighi (Chair of the
Watford Grammar School Foundation), Paul Shearring (Chair of
Governors) and Martin Post (Headmaster). All three are pictured
here at the official opening ceremony of the new E.S. Household
Pavilion in March 2014. Of course many of our Old Boys return
to support the school in many other ways as teachers, parents,
governors, or trustees.
One Old Boy described the experience of supporting the
school as ‘coming home to give something back’ to remember,
refresh and reconnect. ‘Remembering’ involves looking back at
their time at WBGS with pride. ‘Refreshing’ involves learning
new things to grow as a professional by networking and
keeping in touch with other Old Boys. ‘Reconnecting’ means
seeing classmates, teachers and staff, the old classrooms and
playing fields – the WBGS family home.
4
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Old Boy memories help the school to celebrate its past but
also build its future. Many Old Boys make a contribution to the
school not because it makes them feel good but because it gives new
generations of students a chance to get a free, first rate education.
There are thousands of WBGS alumni and each one holds
in his hand the power to push the school forward. Old Boy
involvement in the school helps it to develop and grow. The
end result is that new generations of students can step in the
footsteps of so many successful Old Fullerians - entrepreneurs,
managers, artists, engineers, civil servants... Countless Old Boys
lead companies, government departments and communities
through change, and into a better future and each year many of
them come back to do the same for the School.
There are many ways Old Boys can help support the school
by becoming governors or trustees, delivering assemblies
and Sixth Form lectures, career mentoring our Sixth Form
students, supporting events through sponsorship etc. Old Boys
supporting the school are choosing to be part of a community
of Leaders of Change.
If you feel you can help make a difference by giving us
your time and sharing your skills and experience or would like
more information about what is involved, please contact the
Headmaster, via his secretary on brownc@watfordboys.org.
ES
I
Martin Post
n his final Headmaster’s report to the Governing Body, Martin said how lucky and honoured
he has been to have worked at Watford Grammar School for Boys, firstly as Deputy Head
and then for 14 years as Headmaster. As Chairman of Governors, I know how fortunate we
have been to have Martin leading the school since 2000.
When asked to describe Martin Post, governors and students came up with a
litany of positive adjectives: genuine, respected, commanding, energetic, determined,
approachable, honest, legendary and, of course, tall! These accolades are a measure of
the esteem in which he is held by the school community and over the years Martin has
defended our school; he has driven our school forward; he cared for all students, for all
of whom he wants the school to provide the breadth of opportunities to learn, enjoy and
succeed in their time here.
Proud of his staff, which he describes as ‘the very best’, Martin has led them to
deliver academic success year after year, while also leading and supporting pastoral
developments throughout his time here which have bolstered individual student success.
Alongside these achievements, he has embedded a strong degree of financial stability in what has been,
and continues to be, a precarious financial context for schools. The Watford Fuller Foundation knows
how keen he has been to spend money whenever he can! But that drive has seen amazing changes to
the physical fabric of the school: the Sixth Form Centre; the Gym and Dance Studio; refurbishments to
the Sports Hall, Science block, the James Theatre, the English block and all the classrooms in the main
building; and in Martin’s last few months a start was made on the rebuilding of the Sports Pavilion at the
New Field. The Muse was the largest- and most controversial- project he instigated, but its success, like
all these other projects, is evident now and will be for years to come. The quality of the school buildings
is a lasting legacy for Martin and gives our students some of the best facilities in the country.
Having worked with Martin for 7 years, I know (and many students have told me this) that he is
a great teacher. I personally have learned so much from him and his departure is a huge loss to the
school. However, he has left the school in an extremely strong position, ready for the next stage in its
development.
It seems strange to think of Martin as a civil servant. But he will bring to his new role as Regional
Schools Commissioner the same drive and commitment, 5.30am starts, passion to win the argument,
pragmatic good sense and disdain for over-bureaucratic procedures. He will be a breath of fresh air at the
Department for Education!
I’d like to thank Martin for his amazing contribution to Watford Grammar School for Boys and to wish
him every success in his new role as Regional Schools Commissioner.
Paul Shearring
Chair of the Governors
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
5
The E.S. Household
Pavilion
W
hen Martin Post announced that funding had been acquired for
the levelling of the old ‘Rouse Pavilion’ at the New Field, and
the erection of a state-of-the-art, ten changing-room facility had
been approved by the Governors, the delight of the current young
sportsmen at the school was palpable. No more would there be
cold changing rooms in the middle of the Autumn term. No more
would the boys be bundled into one room or, even worse, ‘in with
the opposition!’ There was even talk of the ‘Holy Grail’ of endings to a Hockey or Rugby
fixture - a hot tea after the game!
In March 2015, due to some excellent work from the contractors Tuskar, the architects
from Synergy and the dogged determination of Mark Allchorn and the Games department,
these dreams were no longer in the pipeline but were brought to fruition. The ‘Ernest Scott
Household’ pavilion was officially opened by Old Fullerian and British Lion, John Taylor.
Present were old sporting captains and staff, local dignitaries and surviving members of
the Household family who had been tracked down through a mixture of local and national
press. From the foundation to the finished article, the build had miraculously taken just
over a year and is now a real credit to the school. It is clear that it will match our ambitions
and aspirations on the sports fields at school or at the New Field.
But why the ‘Household’ Pavilion? Indeed the naming of the pavilion was placed at the
top of the priority list. It had to be fitting of the building, of the school and resonate with the
sportsmen who will be using it in the years to come. Over the years we have been known for
not only producing outstanding sportsmen but rounded young men. As you look through this
Fullerian, you will see that pupils, thankfully, do not change here. In 1914-1919, and during
the Second World War and even during recent conflicts, the school has produced some of
the bravest young men who were tragically not able to fulfil this potential. Ernest Scott
Household was one of those young men. He was killed on the battlefields of the first World
War, but not before he had left his impression at Watford Grammar School for Boys. Below is
a transcript of the plaque that was unveiled at the opening which highlights the qualities that
Household possessed and in which we hope all our sportsmen will aspire to.
A special thanks must go to all who contributed to the development of the facility and
who helped with the opening. This includes Ross Panter and Ed Russell-Ponte from the history
department and Gill Woods, Lisa Burt and Peter Franklin from Art and Design and Texhnology
who produced the artwork and the frame which sits wonderfully on the wall in the New
Pavilion. I think you will agree from the pictures it is a marvellous addition to the school.
Giles Wallis, Director of Sport
6
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Ernest Scott
Household
Ernest Scott Household attended Watford Grammar
School for Boys from September 1908 to July 1910. He was
an outstanding student and an outstanding sportsman,
finishing first in his form in both years.
He was the captain of the school athletics and
cricket teams and was the first student in the history of the
school to score a century in a competitive fixture, against
Latymer Upper School.
After leaving school Household went on to represent
Hertfordshire at cricket and scored an impressive 120*
against the MCC. There is every chance that, but for the war,
he would have gone on to be a professional sportsman.
Household joined the 5th Essex Regiment in November
1915 and quickly rose to officer rank. In July 1917, after
two years of dedicated service, 2nd Lt.E.S Household was
wounded in action at Monchy-Le-Preux and died of his
wounds two days later.
When leaving in 1910 he was described by his Housemaster:
“With a captain like Household, we were bound to
succeed, for his keenness and enthusiasm stirred many
boys to action. We are very sorry to say goodbye and we
sincerely hope that his example may be remembered for
a long time to come”
This pavilion is dedicated to the memory of Ernest Scott
Household and the 95 other young men of the school
community who gave their lives in the Great War. It is
hoped that their example will drive generations of Watford
Boys both on and off the sports field.
Jannik Lam
‘Hello Mr Pegler. Just to let you
know Jannik has passed away.
Sorry sir’. The instant punch.
The immediate reaction of
disbelief, but knowing that this
isn’t something anyone would
joke about or pass on without
knowing for sure that it was true.
So it’s definitely true. It’s just not
something that should be. Jannik
must only be 21? Already the
memories of Jannik are flooding
back: the boy voted to ‘most likely
get away with it’. Smart. Charming,
Funny. Never a problem. Always at the heart of things. Gone.
I was lucky enough to meet Jannik on Year 6 Induction Day
2004 as he was going to be in my first ever form, the very first of my
7Fs. For the following three years I was able to get to know Jannik on
a daily basis, from his first day in WBGS uniform to growing up into
a slightly more older and wiser Year 9. It’s an unusual privilege being
a teacher when you get the chance to be part of someone’s life as
they start a journey that takes them to lots of different places in lots
of different ways. As teachers and form tutors we try hard to make
the journey though Watford Boys as close to Dame Fuller’s vision
of sperate parati as possible. Sometimes it’s easy as they make
the most of their time and let nothing get in the way. Other times
we might have to be a little more patient and be satisfied at least
that they didn’t accidently destroy the school. By the time Jannik
left the school in 2010, he definitely had not destroyed the school,
but that wasn’t the only thing to say about him. Sure he hadn’t
won any trophies, but he had won lots of friends and respect. He
wasn’t a major sports star, but he was a star in science and maths.
A star in science and maths, and who had lots of friends and respect
definitely shows what kind of person Jannik was. So when he left
the school and said goodbye to it, I knew that he done everything
right. His big network of friends would guarantee that I would hear
about him on the grapevine and that whatever he took his hand to
at university he would be fine.
In the four years that Jannik spent at university doing his BA
and into the first year of his MA, I heard the occasional update but
everything pointed to the fact that WBGS had just been a first step in
a life that had gone so far beyond the ordinary. This became all too
clear at Jannik’s funeral at a packed West Herts Crematorium on March
30. It was packed to the point that every inch of space was taken and
people were standing on the back stairs. If this wasn’t tribute enough
to Jannik, his girlfriend, Katie Harvey, gave a heartbreaking eulogy that
expressed perfectly what Jannik had become: a perfect gentleman, a
perfect boyfriend, an outstanding young man, a superb friend, a great
son and an excellent brother. Jannik has to take credit for most of that,
but it was more than we at WBGS could possibly have wished for him.
It was heart breaking to know he had so much to look forward to and
so many to live for, but also so happy that he had lived so well and had
made such a future for himself that so many will miss him so much.
It was not the best way to learn so much about the impact Jannik had
had after leaving WBGS and that that young little Year 6 had grown up
into this amazing young man. That’s how Jannik will always be, but I
can only be grateful that I had the chance to have known him at all.
Thanks Jannik. Andrew Pegler
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
7
SCHOOL LIFE
Index
A branch of Young Enterprise
I
began Sixth Form in September, fresh from results day, with
a determination to spend the year focusing on AS Levels and
nothing else. Of course, I didn’t know about Young Enterprise at
the time, so finding out put an end to those plans. The idea of
creating a business – the product didn’t matter – was a golden
opportunity for me to buff up my CV and learn something that
might actually serve as a talking point in an interview. The idea of
managing a company seemed even better; it was too good to ignore, so
with a few friends I signed up for the scheme.
It was then we realised we needed a plan. After days of
brainstorming, which produced a range of increasingly ambitious ideas,
my team and I decided instead to each list the problems we faced, big
or small, and from there find a product to solve them. We were united
in our disapproval (more like loathing) of the cheap, tattered folders
we had to lug around our school notes and sheets. Having experienced
issues after mere weeks, we wanted to act quickly to make sure that,
come April, when we had mountains of notes, we wouldn’t struggle. A
suggestion for an improved ring binder was well received, with various
amendments that we had to filter through.
The business was conceived rather quickly from that point. We
decided on ‘Index’ as a company name – short, memorable and vaguely
product specific – and moved on to the logo. It took two attempts to
design a logo that all nine of us liked (I won’t count on this being the
case in real life) and we were ready to formally present our application
to Dr Buckley. Needless to say, we were accepted into the programme
with two other groups, and we set to work.
We then decided on our folder enhancements; a wallet on the
back, 4 D rings, super tough plasticised PVC, and the showstopper, a
large thin whiteboard in the inside front cover. Having memorised the
advantages of each and every one of our features for sales purposes,
we contacted manufacturers around the country, comparing prices,
samples and colour schemes. Having entered a trade fair in late January,
we were pressed for time but came out with not only a working sample,
but 100 Index folders, which, for all the pain it took to transport, made
me, and the rest of the team, incredibly proud.
It dawned upon us that 4 hole punches are not very common,
which would reduce demand for our 4 ring binders somewhat, so we
introduced a hole punch which was sold alongside the folder at the
trade fair. We braced ourselves for a day behind a stall at the Harlequin,
not overly confident with a product that no one had really seen before.
Our worry was in vain – one day, a few sales and a lot of interest later,
we came away with great feedback and a plan to sell out.
After that the sales were coming thick and fast. Friends, family
and businesses found the idea of a whiteboard most intriguing, and
definitely practical. I bought one as a maths folder and haven’t looked
back since; it’s excellent to solve those problems which you know will
waste pages and pages if you work through them on paper. More than
that, the project showed me what it’s like to be a leader of a group of
friends, where tensions may rise if ideas conflict, and certain friends
may be better in certain roles.
I haven’t mentioned that I don’t plan to pursue business or
Economics at all, and I don’t need to, because the scheme isn’t about
cementing a place as a business undergraduate, but it shows you that
you can be organised in a properly independent environment, unlike
the classroom, and so that you can
talk about it when asked about
your strengths in an interview,
or a personal statement for any
course.
Ali Manji L6G (Managing Director)
8
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Year 9 STEM Day
O
Selex ES
n the 15th May 2014, we had an excellent opportunity to participate in a competition that was run by a
company called SELEX. We were put into groups of 5 and were given a task to construct our own gliders. The
judges marked the gliders on appearance as well as how far they could glide in the air. This then resulted in
a prize for the winners.
To construct this plane, all we had to rely on were made from beech wood and balsa wood using the
help of super-glue to place it all together. We could also use the hot glue-gun to give extra support.
After we finished constructing our gliders, each group tested them out to check which one had travelled
the furthest. Mr Crozier then measured the longest distance of each plane thrown from each group. There
were some ups and downs from each group throughout the day, however, we all managed to have some successful throws at the end.
Our group managed to achieve first place due to our decorative design. The main key of this task was teamwork, which we all
managed to cope with very well. We achieved this by giving everyone in the group a chance to explain their views, with the rest
listening. We then all built up from each other’s views eventually giving us a group-made glider. From this experience, we would
encourage the younger years to participate in future STEM lab competitions as they are very enjoyable.
Thinejan Jegatheeswaran 9B
Setpoint/AECOM Challenge
T
his year, AECOM came in to give us a STEM day on
their ‘Beat the Flood challenge.’ It required us to build
the strongest, cheapest and most flood resistant home
possible from wooden lolly sticks, corrugated plastic,
straws, clay, and safety pins.
All of the teams had very different ideas, some
making houses that floated on water while some built theirs with stilts,
which the water would flow under, while keeping the house completely
dry. Key to the house was the design of the roof; rain would need to
flow quickly off the roof to save any breakages, so sloped roofs were
required for optimal water clearance.
We spent the first hour of the day planning our structures, using
computers to brain-storm ideas. This time was essential as a bad design
would destroy your chances of doing well. The next two hours were
spent building the model, with the various resources available.
The final hour of the day was testing the designs. The houses were
placed in a plastic box, and a full watering can was poured on top to
simulate a downpour of rain, followed by a shake by the team members
to see if the house would break and to test the design of the house. This
represented a hurricane and the storm surge created by the hurricane.
The majority of designs worked, but a few ended in disaster, falling
apart dramatically, as the box was shaken about.
Fergus Cutting 9F
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
9
O
Selex ES STEM Day
E
arlier this year I was lucky enough, along with the rest of
Year 9 to be involved in a STEM Day that was brought to us
by ‘Selex ES’ on Thursday 14th May 2015. STEM stands for
Science, Technology, Engineering and, of course, Maths.
Our task was to produce a glider out of the materials given.
Each group had two long cuboid shaped pieces of wood
and three rectangular pieces of thinner wood. At first, this didn’t seem
like a lot. However, once we got into the swing of things, we realised
that there was a myriad of things we could do with the numerous
pieces of wood. For example, one group was pictured cutting out the
rectangular pieces, they’d been given, into small wings for the glider.
This was against the advice of the Selex group, who, at the start of
the day, gave a brief but intuitive presentation on the sort of things we
should be looking out for. They also gave us some very helpful tips like
making sure that the wings had a large surface area which some of the
groups ignored as described above. The reason for the large surface
area was to catch the maximum amount of wind underneath its wings
as possible so the glider would stay in flight longer as we realised soon
afterwards. The first time we flew the glider, it was fair to say, was a total
disaster, as the wings hadn’t been wide enough, so we cut the wings a
lot larger on the next attempt and saw a real difference in the distance
the glider flew.
After the size of the wings was in order, we decided to sand a wing
making it reasonably thin so as to reduce air resistance. This was also
following advice from Selex ES members, Andrew Shirley and Paul Harris.
Halfway through the day we were getting a bit ahead of ourselves
and a bit arrogant, which caused us to make a vital mistake…… Each
member of the team had sanded each wing slightly differently to the
others. As we had no more wood in our possession, we couldn’t just
throw them away and start afresh. I came up with the idea of simply
using the best wing as the template and sanding down all the others
until they were the same thickness. Looking back, I now realise that the
mistake wasn’t that hard to fix. However, when you are caught up in the
heat of the moment any mistake is a big one.
Finally the time had come, near to the end of STEM Day, when
we could test out our glider against the other groups and see how it
compared. Although, in the grand scheme of things, this wasn’t too
important, at that time the tension in the air was palpable. There was
silence every time each glider was thrown. All the people in our group
had to have a chance of throwing the glider and best throw was recorded.
I really enjoyed that day and it was a lot of fun. However, it wasn’t
just a day off. ALL the components of STEM were used and there was
a lot of planning responsibility involved. It definitely improved my
perseverance, because (as previously mentioned) our glider crashed
and burned quite a few times, but we didn’t let this faze us and the
whole group worked even harder to improve it. Overall, I would class
the day as a success because we managed to finish in the top three and
I would grab the opportunity to do this again.
Amandeep Pall 9T
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Affinity Water
n Thursday 14th May the whole of Year 9 were lucky
enough to have a whole day of STEM (science,
technology, engineering and maths). My group worked
with Affinity Water, learning about the complex
engineering procedures that go on to make sure that
clean water can come of our taps.
We started by doing two practical experiments. One was to find
out how to make dirty water cleaner using rocks, sand and a filter.
The changes were massive, as the water had gone from looking like it
had been picked up from the ground to looking clean enough to drink,
although it still wasn’t perfectly clean.
The second experiment was to find out what can be safely flushed
down a toilet without blocking it. We learned that toilet paper goes
down well but baby wipes clearly don’t.
We then spent the next four periods designing our own water
system, in which we had to calculate the distance of the pipes and how
many we would need, trying not to over or under order, so that our
company didn’t spend lots of money. We also had to put the system
in a practical position so that it didn’t disrupt social or economic life.
We tested out designs and they all worked, providing water to all
facilities in a city. We finished off the day finding practical solutions to
problems a water company faces, such as farmers’ pesticides getting
caught in the water. The solution was to tell people their water would
be cut off while the problem was fixed and ask farmers to control their
spraying.
This fantastic day really showed us how much we take for granted
the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the scenes to make
sure that we can get clean water. Thank you to everyone who helped
make this a great day.
Thomas Bartlett 9N
STEM Day EDT
F
Rampaging Chariot Robots
ollowing their success in the EES Pimlico-Nine Elms Bridge
Project, the Year 12 Young Engineers’ team was re-selected
to take part in the annual ‘Rampaging Chariots’ competition
and they were joined by two Year 10 engineering prodigies.
The team were given detailed technical instructions and the
materials to build a remote controlled robot aka a ‘Rampaging
Chariot’. Our creations would be used for both robot sporting events and
robot combat – just like Robot Wars (in fact the creator of Rampaging
Chariots, Peter Bennett from Selex, competed in Robot Wars himself!)
We cannibalised cordless drills to provide the drive motors for the
robots. The chassis was cut from plywood and the circuits were homemade
and built by the team at school. The batteries were an up-grade on the
usual ones and were three powerful ‘golf-cart’ batteries. We were sure that
with these examples of technological brilliance, we were
going to dominate the competition and win all the events.
So with our robots christened as ‘Bert’ (the oldest but still
the fastest member of the trio), ‘Nuts and Bolts’ (athletic
but still just about keeping things together) and ‘Spanner’
(the infant, maybe, but strong and needing to be kept on a
lead!), we were ready for the competition.
There were three events our ‘bots would have
to compete in. First, they would traverse the obstacle
course where they would manoeuvre themselves over
ramps, round tight corners and through narrow gaps in
a race to the finish. The ‘Sumo Wrestle’ was the second
event where the robots battle to occupy the middle of
the arena, pushing their opponents off the platform.
And last, but by no means least, the football match.
Teams would compete in pairs in a two-against-two robot
mini football match to be crowned ‘Champions of the
Rampaging Chariots Competition 2015’.
We did not win as many events as we had
anticipated. In fact, we did not win any events at all!
We lost both obstacle course races, got knocked out of
O
the Sumo in the second round, and despite getting to the semi-finals
in the football, we were narrowly defeated by Alder Hey School and
their terrifying metal robots who managed to break our champion – our
goliath of ‘bots - Spanner. Our fellow team from Watford Girls also left
without a trophy - disappointed perhaps, but ready to do battle again.
We were not happy with that competition, so in true Watford Boys’
style we set up our very own competition. We invited the Watford Girls’
team for a series of events we thought we might win. ‘Spanner’, ‘Nuts
and Bolts’ and ‘Bert’ all received some tender loving care in the form of
essential maintenance. Luckily we were able to win these events and,
ego restored, the 2015 Watford Grammar School for Boys’ Rampaging
Chariots team could be happy that we had at least won something.
Nathaniel Oshunniyi L6T
Visit from Excitec
n the 28th November 2014
a group of six budding Year
8 scientists were visited
by Excitec, an outreach
programme from Imperial
College London. The school
was the venue of the Astronomy Workshop – in
partnership with the Ogden Trust. I was joined
by five other boys from the top science sets
in different classes. Other schools such as
Merchant Taylors’ were also participating.
The first thing we did was get to know the
mentors before talking about space. We had
an in-depth talk about the history of human
space research starting with the Greeks. We
also discussed the different types of solar
system models. I now know that Earth is part of
a helio-centric model – a model with the Sun in
the middle rather than the Earth. We even made
sun dials and star maps!
After our break in the morning, we talked
about comets and the differences between
comets, meteorites and ‘shooting-stars.’ The
cool part was when we made an actual comet
using liquid carbon dioxide – commonly known
as ‘dry-ice.’ We were taught about what is in a
comet, and we used substitutes of things found
in space such as sand for silica. We even got
to touch it.
Before our lunch we learnt about the
Rosetta mission run by the ESA (European
Space Agency). We were told that Imperial
College built some of the parts in the spacecraft.
We watched some clips of the violent and
confusing orbit of the 67P ChuryumovGerasimenko comet. We then learnt about the
Philae Lander which had a hard time touching
down and that it is now in a hibernation state.
We then had a delicious lunch provided by
the school cafeteria.
In the afternoon we talked about light
spectroscopy. I learnt that different gases and
chemicals give out different spectra of light
when using a special lens. We made our own
light spectroscopy readers to find out what
certain things were. It was quite difficult as
some of the spectra looked the same.
Sachin Solanki 8T
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11
Alan Senitt Community Leadership Programme
This year I was privileged to take part in the Alan
Senitt Community Leadership Programme. The
aim of this programme is to help young people
take charge in their community and help to
make a difference. Along with 10 others from
my year group we successfully organised
a project taking donations from parents
and packing them to be donated to the
New Hope Trust – a local homeless shelter.
From the seminars run by Streetwise
– the charity running the programme – and
from our own experiences I have learnt a lot, in
particular the “soft skills” of project management:
dealing with other people and communicating
with members of staff (both in school and with the
New Hope Trust). Prior to this programme, I hadn’t
realised just how important these skills were to the
successful running of a project.
Overall, I am grateful for the opportunity
to have taken part in the Alan Senitt Community
Leadership Programme because it is a rare and
insightful chance to learn skills that I would
otherwise never have learnt through school.
Luke Ashford 10C
Earlier this year I applied for the Alan Senitt
Community Leadership Programme, which I have
been involved over the course of this year, along
with 10 other boys. The programme consisted
of four seminars to help us work on a project to
benefit the community. We chose to work with
the Watford New Hope Trust to supply food,
necessities and gifts to the homeless, which in
the end we did through the form of 70 gift boxes.
The programme was completed with a graduation
ceremony, which we recently attended to receiver
our certificates and display our project.
When we attended the first seminar, which
was held at various locations with two other
schools, it was a bit awkward meeting the other
students on the programme, as well as the
Streetwise team who run it. However, over the
course of the programme we have got to know
each other a lot better through some of the
activities we did on the seminars. Although this
project was a lot of work - we each had to sort out
different aspects of our project, be it the budget,
promotion or communications - it really paid off.
I have improved many skills, including
teamwork, leadership, organisation and selfconfidence; and I really have learnt a lot
about how people work and the best ways to
work within a group, which should be really
helpful in later life. Overall, I have enjoyed the
experience, despite having to overcome some
tough challenges, and at the end of the day, we
made 70 homeless people happier.
Ethan Honey – 10G
The Alan Senitt programme brought together
year 10 pupils from different schools to gain
skills to enable them to make a difference
within their local community. Together with 6
other participating schools, our group attended
seminars where we took part in sessions
on evaluating and developing community
projects, leadership skills and fundraising. The
CREST
CREST is a project scheme for the STEM subjects (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths) run by the British Science Association. It links
the personal passions of students to school subjects. In my case my
personal passion is solving the Rubik’s cube and other puzzles like that.
I was so excited when Mr Scott asked me and a team to build a robot
that could solve the Rubik’s cube out of Lego Mind Storms (Lego based
items used for the construction of moving objects). First my team and
I came up with the design, which was quite a hard process as we had
to come up with a design that could solve the cube as fast as possible
using the fewest resources.
The design that was suited to our specifications with the resources
that we had available with could solve the cube in 2 minutes depending
on the scramble and used not a lot of pieces. As soon as we finished
touching up the design we began building the robot.This took about
9 weeks to do and was hard and took a lot of time but it was worth it.
After that we uploaded the algorithms to the brain of the robot then we
tested it but it didn’t work. It turned out that the colour sensor was not
configured properly. After we resolved that problem, the robot worked
properly. It was so satisfying to see it work and we could see that all of
our hard work had paid off.
Michael Sidoli 8C
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
seminars enabled us to organise and run a
project to benefit our local community. It also
brought different faith groups together to forge
links and break down barriers by establishing
dialogue and friendships.
We considered many options and decided
to help a local homeless community. We
approached the Watford based New Hope
Trust to collaborate with them. This is a local
long established charity in offering shelter and
associated essential assistance to homeless
people. Initially, we wanted to cook meals
for the shelter residents. However during the
seminars, on advice from Streetwise, we were
made aware of many challenges faced with
providing such a service. It was a valuable
lesson, in learning the many considerations
needed to be taken into account. We adapted
our initial idea, to that of providing parcels for
the charity residents. These parcels contained:
tinned food and drink, dental hygiene
products, blankets, biscuits, chocolates and
some essentials such as sewing kits.
A donation drive to collect items needed
for our parcels was organised which involved
the whole of the school, staff and families
of students. Going from the many years of
support of schools pupils in such charitable
causes, we were still pleasantly surprised with
the fantastic response! This enabled us to meet
our collection target very quickly.
Also, I have learnt invaluable skills to
help me in future; on evaluating project ideas
and objectives, project organisation and
management, working with different groups
and within a team, roles and responsibilities,
fundraising and marketing, collaboration with
charities, awareness of community service and
an insight to the many causes for homelessness
from researching for this project.
Deven Voralia – 10N
Watford Army Scholar
I
have always wanted to be in the Army. A part of me has always
been interested by the idea, and joining the Army Cadet Force
was my way to whet my appetite and see if that career and
lifestyle was for me. When I learned that by becoming an officer
I could apply A levels and a University degree to an army career
and would in fact be encouraged to go into further education in
order to enter officer training, I was hooked.
So it was from that point that I was in the unusually advantageous
position of having my career choice set out at the start of my GCSEs.
All I had to do then was plan how I was going to set out on my journey
to the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst (Officer Training School).
My first step was to see the school’s Army Careers’ Adviser, Colonel
Peacock. After a talk with him and information from cadets, two choices
were clear to me. I could apply to Welbeck Defence College for year 12
and 13, where I would have to stay away in Loughborough and would be
stop me getting shouted at by a Corporal once for leaning my plastic
rifle against a tree. But I worked well with my team, who were people
from a whole range of places across the country, ranging from Cornwall
to Nottingham. We had a taste of everything that we would have to do
as an officer, and I realised just how seriously the soldiers took training
potential officers, as we would possibly some day be the people leading
them during combat and making vital decisions.
After successfully passing my army medical, which was very
thorough to say the least, I received the long awaited letter to say that
I had been accepted to the final selection board at Westbury, the home
of officer selection. The two hour journey there felt like a lifetime; the
pressure of making the right impression and possibility of failing in the
most competitive part of the scheme was starting to make me nervous.
The truth of the matter was that if you did not make a strong impression
and take a commanding role in your group then you would not get
encouraged to do a technical degree at prescribed Universities. On the
other hand, I could apply for the Army Sixth Form Scholarship scheme,
which would allow me to stay at Watford Boys for Sixth Form and choose
whichever degree I would like. The British Army would then give me a
bursary for University fees and I would have a place in Sandhurst to start
my training. I was not so keen on boarding as I knew I would do enough
of that in the Army, and I was not going to let the Army get in the way
of my ambition to study History after sixth form. However, this was the
more competitive route of the two.
As you have probably guessed, I chose the scholarship scheme. I
then had to carry out tasks over a year testing my ability. I was to start
with an interview with a colonel, go on two Generic Army Officer Insight
Courses, make the required GCSE grades, and then make it through to
the shortlist of 100 candidates selected for the Final Selection Board.
My initial interview was in Horse Guards Square in central London,
near Trafalgar Square. I was met in this alien and grand place by my
interviewer, and I was relieved to see, as he came down a huge set of stairs
to greet me that is was fortunately my career’s adviser, Colonel Peacock.
As I walked to the interview room, there was a full view of
Buckingham Palace, which put into perspective where I actually was.
The colonel asked me about my personal life, my interests in and out
of school and how I saw myself in the Army and my choice of regiment.
After that, I did my first Army Insight Course for three days at
Woolwich Barracks. We were all met by the soldiers running the course
and given the plan for the next few days. We did our ‘icebreakers’ to the
fifty other people there (the oldest a 25 year old), as this course was
for anyone applying to Sandhurst, and were taken to massive hangar
where we were given all our kit for the two day exercise. Suffice to say
I was used to this sort of lifestyle with cadets, although this did not
noticed. I tried to instil leadership from the offset by engaging with every
person and calling the shots for group decisions.
The best way to describe Westbury, in my opinion, is that it is
like an adult playground. The area was full of different command task
structures, with bridges, ropes and walls designed to be crossed as a
team. We had to do commander-less tasks, which was when the natural
leaders started to emerge as they would come up with the ideas or use
someone else’s idea to make the group decision. Then there were tasks
in which people were appointed leaders. Following this were fitness
tests and academic aptitude tests.
To finish, we all did a planning exercise, the most pressurised part
of the selection. We were given a scenario (ours was an exploded dam
in Africa), and we had to resolve the situation in the best way in the
shortest time and individually stand up and present our own method
in front of the group. The two officers present then interrogated us
on each part of our plan and picked it to pieces, and we had to have
alternative plans to explain them if they found a fault in our main one.
After individually finding our own solutions we had to discuss them
with the rest of the group, whilst being watched by the two officers, and
come up with a method agreed on by the group. A further interview with
two apparently impassive colonels followed in a very intimidating room.
After this we went home and waited for the crucial letter to say
whether we had been accepted or not, and that crucial letter finally
came, and, to my surprise, I had been accepted by the Army for the
Scholarship scheme - one of only 36 people out of the 2000 that had
applied that year. Therefore I am now an Army Scholar, and eagerly
awaiting starting my first term at Sandhurst after University, on my road
to becoming an officer.
Quinten Casey L6C
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
13
Astronomy Workshop
A
t the end of the winter term, just after I started attending
astronomy sessions after school with Mr. Hensman,
many pupils from my year were invited to an astronomy
event at Royal Masonic School. Some of it was about
black holes so we couldn’t help but be sucked in.
The event began with a detailed talk about the life of the
universe, delivered by Dr Francisco Diego, a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical
Society and TV presenter. Starting with the Big Bang and the formation of the
first particles, which combined together through natural forces, (very) slowly
but surely, the universe began to take shape. All the elements of the universe
formed inside stars, and planets were soon created. With the right conditions,
life started on Earth. This talk was accompanied by an interesting visual aid: a
long washing line was hung from one wall to another, spanning the width of
the room. This line represented time and the age of the universe - roughly 13.8
billion years - with each millimetre being worth millions of years. The key events
in the universe were placed on this line at the relevant time; for example, the first
star or planet and the creation of galaxies. The creation of Earth was very near
to the end, with humanity’s existence only lasting a few millimetres at most.
After hearing a brief history of the universe, a series of complex calculations
was used to suggest the probability of life forming. Many conditions were taken
into account, often based on the conditions our planet Earth is in. Francisco
calculated the probability of the formation of living beings to be extremely low;
his conclusion was that there is almost definitely no other life in the universe
apart from us. An interesting but chilling thought to end the talk.
Afterwards, we had the opportunity to attend two other workshops. The
first was in Royal Masonic School’s own planetarium, where we were shown
the key constellations, planets and other objects in space to look out for in the
night sky in a talk entitled ‘Observing Constellations’. The planetarium was
operated by Mr. Watson, a former teacher of WGSB (who now works at RMS)!
Many questions were asked: topics included space travel, exoplanets (planets
outside our solar system) and the proximity of nearby galaxies and stars. As
well as being shown constellations such as Orion and Ursa Major, and planets
like Jupiter, we also discussed the James Webb space telescope. Currently
under construction, it will be launched in 2018 with a number of purposes,
one of which is to study exoplanets in great detail to either find habitable
planets - or ones already inhabited.
Finally, we received an engaging talk on supermassive black holes,
by Rajeshree Bhatt. Firstly we were told about the structure of black holes
and what your fate would be if you entered one - once you cross its event
horizon, determined by its Schwarzschild radius, there is no going back!
Also time would slow down relative to any observers, eventually seeming to
stop when you reach the singularity. Next we talked about blazars, quasars
and radio galaxies - which all turned out to be the same thing - the effects
of a black hole viewed from different angles. Blazars and quasars puzzled
astronomers for years as they had no idea what was causing them, but now
we believe them to be an observation of supermassive black holes.
The Astronomy Workshop was really enjoyable, particularly
Francisco Diego’s captivating keynote; although the planetarium and the
black holes talk were also fascinating! Overall it was a very informative
and interesting evening which helped better my astronomical knowledge,
and I hope to continue studying astronomy in the future!
National Space Centre
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Ethan Honey 10G
PRODUCT DESIGN
J
amie Humberstone working alongside furniture maker and ex-pupil Phil Clay produced one of the most
technically complicated pieces of furniture the department has ever attempted. He succeeded (following
a number of experiments) in bending sheet ply across the grain using a series of curved cuts using a
circular saw.
His attention to constructional detail and the smooth matt finish of the piece turned many heads
at the end of year exhibition. The retro propeller legs and tightly fitting push drawers displayed a
professional level of making competence and we wish him well as he leaves to pursue a degree in furniture design.
The winner of the 2015 Product Design Prize however was Graphics student David Anderson who fought back
from a difficult start to the year in terms of his health to produce an outstanding commercial branding project for
‘The Kitchen’ in Croxley, a small cake shop and tea room owned by a family member. His simple, stylish and timeless designs for the graphic
and logos are even more impressive scaled up as shop facades,
than they are in the card holders and price points he carefully
designed and constructed in the workshop. Next time you drive
through Croxley take a look along the parade of shops just
around the corner from the train station.
GCSE success with the new AQA course took many notable
forms. The normal selection of rocking chairs, benches and
coffee-tables are now intermingled with a scooter, speaker
system, various lighting projects and children’s toys. Faraz Khan
produced a particularly impressive flat pack rocking chair with
adjustable back that utilised a clever system of varying strength
magnets to lock the rocking mechanism and allow the chair to
be fixed into a stable position. His work on the upholstery and
the manual that accompanied his work gave real commercial
appeal and, as a keen A-level student for next year, indicates the
department’s output will go from strength to strength.
NB
Flat Pack Rocking Chair
with adjustable back
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
15
Harry Bibring and the Holocaust
T
hroughout the spring term of
Year 9, the RS curriculum is
dominated with studies on the
Holocaust, encouraging students
to involve themselves in deep
discussion about the ethics
and impact that the Holocaust has on our
life today, as well as life 80 years ago. But
before we get into thinking about the morals
behind the Holocaust, we first have to know
what it was like to live during such a time of
exclusion, seclusion and discrimination. And
where better is there to find out, than from
someone who lived through it first-hand. Harry
Bibring, born on the 26th of December 1925,
has come in to our school over many years to
keep the memory going, and to educate the
new generation about his life in Vienna.
Armed with an arsenal of photos and
artefacts from his childhood, Harry began his
story by setting up the scene of his ordinary life in
Vienna. He told us about his father’s clothes shop,
and of his sister Gertie, and especially about his
fondness for ice skating. In his first school,
he turned out to be a bit of a troublemaker,
but he promptly altered his ambitions when he
realised that, if he didn’t do well in his exams,
he would miss out on his opportunity to go to
a ‘Gymnasium’, or grammar school. For months
he studied hard, putting his skates to rest, until
finally the tests came and he achieved a place in
his nearest Gymnasium.
It was during his time at this school when
the discrimination of the Holocaust began to
take effect. He had enjoyed his first few years
at the school, making friends and learning
lots. Earlier that year, however, his non-Jewish
friends had started to separate from him, as
well as a lot of public areas being closed off
to Jews, such as the joint park/playground
used by his school as a place to play during
breaks. Harry was mostly confused by this,
but not too concerned. At least, that was
until his safe haven was blocked off to him;
his ice rink. It was a second home for him, so
when he flashed his valid member card to the
ticket office, the least he expected was to be
refused entry. It was only when the ‘No Jews
16
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Allowed’ sign was highlighted to him that he
understood, and was brought to tears. He
wasn’t even allowed to claim the contents of
his locker, including his skates, but when he
got home and explained the story, his mother
could do nothing but explain the helplessness
of the situation.
Things became seriously bad after
Kristallnacht and the “Anschluss”. Harry and his
fellow Jewish classmates were handed a letter
one day, telling them they had been removed
from their current school and were sent to a
secondary school which was designated to
have any Jewish children who were removed
from the Gymnasiums. After Kristallnacht,
Harry’s father mysteriously disappeared on his
way to work, which seemed to have happened
to all the Jewish families that Harry’s mother
had been desperately calling. Later that day,
armed men turned up at Harry’s flat, ordering
them to leave immediately, and telling them
that the flat no longer belonged to them. They
were locked out of their flat for a week and
were sent to stay in a flat which attempted to
house about 50 Jewish women and children
in one place. They were finally released, and
miraculously met up with their father on the
way back to their old flat. He told them that
he had been arrested and locked away in a
prison with many other Jewish men. Harry’s
father was anxious to check his business, and
when he arrived he discovered that it had been
completely looted and destroyed. This was the
first time that Harry had seen his father cry.
This was the turning point for his father, and
he decided that they couldn’t live in Vienna
for any longer. The family planned to go to
Shanghai, and this dream seemed promising,
with their father planning on selling all they
had in order to afford the tickets. However,
his father was either robbed or disallowed
the tickets, shattering their dream of escaping
the country. The only other plausible option
available was for Harry and his sister to come
to England as part of the Kindertransport,
with his mother and father following as soon
as they could. Unfortunately Harry’s father
died soon after of a heart attack, when he was
being taken away to a concentration camp in
November 1940. His mother managed to live
together with her sister until they were both
taken and killed in Sobibor in June 1942.
For the next 20 years of his life, Harry was
able to repair his life, doing evening classes in
engineering for about 14 years, until he became
a qualified Chartered Engineer. He met his wife,
Muriel, who was a sister of one of his close
friends. He got married in 1947 and had a child
soon after, who later led on to have children
of his own, and then even grandchildren. As
Harry began to put an end to his story, we were
able to ask any unanswered questions we had,
to which he would answer in great detail. As
a final point, he concluded with a statement
that resonated with me, and that I know is the
important message he wanted to get across.
“You may have noticed that I have stayed away
from the word ‘racism’. To insult or discriminate
someone simply because of their different beliefs
or colour or gender is terrible. Racism suggests that
we are of a different race, a different being. But in
my eyes, I, and everyone in this room, are part of
the same race, the human race”.
By Ben Jones 9F
Geography Society
This has been a very successful year for the Geography Society. We
have gained a loyal membership of enthusiastic Year 8s, Year 11s and
sixth formers. Every Thursday lunchtime we run presentations about
Geographical topics in the news; but what made the society so brilliant
this year was the way that members got so involved. For me, I loved
being able to see people get excited about Geography; this manifested
itself in people making their own quizzes and activities for the society
which we all thoroughly enjoyed.
Highlights include Mr Carrera’s presentation on the Democratic
Republic of Congo, Daniel Kenny’s (11F) “Geography of Football” quiz
E-Books
Watford Boys has recently acquired a new online E-Book
system, which already has over 100 books. You can read them
anywhere and everywhere, providing that you have an internet
connection of course. The system allows you to take out and
read books with ease. There have been so many times when
I have wanted to read a book but someone else has taken it
out of the library already. The system however lets me read it
as soon as another student has finished or stopped reading it.
It also saves up so much space in my bag for when I
want to read. Wolf Hall for example is a huge book- over 700
pages! I was reading it for my history book report and it was
ridiculously heavy to carry and my E-Reader is much lighter!
If you haven’t bought an E Reader and love reading, I highly
advise that you do, if not you can always use the school’s
online system to read the books. Ask Miss Petty, the school
librarian, how to do so and if you want a book that isn’t online
simply ask for it to be added. The books are much cheaper and
allow for more space for other books.
I tend to use my E Reader to buy books rather than wait
for them to be delivered or go out and buy them as it is faster
and cheaper that way. It also allows me to have an entire book
series or trilogy
The E reader scheme has been a great success with over
1000 loans already having been made.
and most notably a visit from adventurer and film maker Leon McCarron.
With our highest turn out all year, we welcomed Leon for his talk about
his travels on foot through China and the Gobi desert, along which he
filmed a documentary for National Geographic. The talk had been highly
anticipated but still managed to exceed expectations, no doubt being
the outstanding success of this year’s Geography Society. My fellow
pupils and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being able to
make Geography society our own and hope to see more people joining
in next year.
Joel Landschaft-Singe, L6F
Onesies
Members of the school regularly raise money for charity, often discreetly, And
then there are the exhibitionist forms who believe that a bit of attention will raise
that bit more. 7G dressed in onesies before running around Cassiobury Park to
raise £1150 for the DEC Nepal Earthquake appeal and 8N raised even more for
Save the Children by doing the same.
Well done to 7G, 8N and everyone who contributed in anyway to WBGS
charity efforts this year.
Abhay Suji 9P
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
17
I
LGBT+ and WnW
n my time at Watford Boys there have been a number of
opportunities that I have spurned and, when I entered Year 12 I
vowed to myself that this would never happen again. I decided
that this would be the year that I got involved with everything
I possibly could and I am proud to say that I have stayed true
to this. One of many activities I have been involved with this
year and probably the most interesting was my involvement with the
newly formed Hertfordshire youth group, aptly named ‘Who not What’.
This group was founded on the basic principle that all members of our
society ought to be able to enjoy their lives and express themselves
free of the discrimination that is rife across the globe. It is a group with
a membership almost exclusively consisting of young LGBT+ (Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender +) people, many of whom I have found
incredibly inspiring as I heard their personal stories about their lives as
young LGBT+.
When I began, I must admit that I felt very much out of my depth.
Although I got involved on the basis that I had an interest in reducing
the stigma around sexuality, I realised that my interest was not the
same as having any actual knowledge. The first meeting involved far
more listening than I’m used to and rather than instigating debate, I was
finding myself under a cascade of gender pronouns and intricate terms.
At first, I must admit, I was taken aback; this was not the glamorous fight
for equality I had envisaged, instead it was far more specific and focused
in on the very basics. For example, at that first meeting we discussed
the use of gender pronouns on paperwork and how many excluded any
options outside boy and girl. At this point I considered such matters
S
Tom Lees L6G
The House System
o what do house prefects
actually do, apart from add
colour to the main hall and
give ‘interesting’ assemblies?
Well our role involved a large
variety of activities with the
most important being organising charity events
including the Teacher Karaoke and the Year 7
sleepover which were stupendously successful
and raised around £1000 for the two charities,
Mind and the Stroke Association, that we as a
school have chosen to support. Prefects from
other houses put in a shift to set up an array
of charity events including a charity raffle and
Teacher vs. Students football match as just two
more examples. The house system has acted
as a fantastic opportunity to help those not as
fortunate us.
Our first charity event was the Teacher
Karaoke that took place in December 2014
after 2 months of preparation. This event was
one that New house wanted to host as it
involved the almost certain embarrassment
of numerous staff members. In all honesty,
this event was much more difficult to organise
than we had originally thought as teachers
were less than enthusiastic about singing in
front of a packed crowd in the concert hall.
18
somewhat trivial; did the box on a piece of paper really have that much
of an impact on equality in society?
Despite my doubts I continued to attend meetings with an open
mind and slowly began to embrace the idea that change must start at
the lowest level. Yes it might seem pointless adding a few extra boxes to
the gender and sexuality boxes on forms, but considering those options
are there for race and ethnicity it is a logical step. In fact, we successfully
caused all the Hertfordshire County Council paperwork to include a
‘prefer not to say box.’
However, I am under no illusions about the need for further
improvement. With this greater vision in mind we met with a representative
of the Stonewall foundation who spoke to us about Stonewall schools
and how they are attempting to counter the homophobia, biphobia and
general stigma. He gave us great ideas, which I personally have tried to
implement in both my work as a member of the Youth Parliament and as
a house prefect at the school. This is something I will be looking to carry
into my new term as head prefect.
With A levels mounting in their intensity and the prospect of a
UCAS application I may be forced to say my goodbyes to this eclectic
mix of people and leave the group, but I will leave with many new
friends and a far greater understanding of the issues concerning the
LGBT+ community. My new challenge will be working my newly attained
skills and knowledge into my future and in recruiting others to this most
important of causes.
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Not sure why. It took weeks of begging but
eventually we managed to create a set list full
of musically “gifted” teachers. In the build up
to the karaoke, we produced the tickets for
the event, which were selling themselves as
students jumped at the opportunity to witness
the rare sight of teachers singing. In terms of
the actual contest, Mr Beere was the crowd
favourite with a marvellous rendition of Ice
Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice. However the honour
of being named ‘Teacher Karaoke Winner
2014/15’ fell upon Mr Brookes after he wowed
the judges with an excellent performance of
Hallelujah. On the day of the karaoke, many
more students paid on the door, meaning that
it increased the total money raised to roughly
£300 making it one of the largest charity events
of the year and a great success for New House.
Moving on to our second (and most
successful) charity event of the year - the Year
7 Sleepover which was not only entertaining
and rewarding but also at times stressful... very
stressful. After the proposal for a sixth form
sleepover was rejected, we decided Year 7s
would get the most out of it. We were repeatedly
surprised by the magnificent response by the
Year 7s who rapidly bought tickets for this
event. In total, 75 boys supported the event
and were willing to spend their Friday night at
a fun filled sleepover. The evening consisted
of a quiz, a selection of movies and food (lots
and lots of it). We estimated 18 pizzas would
be enough to feed the large number of boys,
however, in hindsight, this amount could have
fed the entire year. In terms of the concept of
the “sleep”over, the sleeping was optional with
many memories being made in an all-nighter.
We hope the boys had an enjoyable time and
without the support from the year 7s and their
parents/guardians, generosity, charity events
like these would not be able to go ahead. We
hope the sleepover will be the first of many in
the future. Again this was a huge success for
New House, as we raised around £700 which
made it the biggest charity event of the year.
Overall, we have had a great time as
house prefects and it has been very rewarding
to raise all of this money for charity. All of
the house prefects this year have tried their
hardest to raise money and support the school
charities. We hope that the next generation of
house prefects can raise as much, if not more,
money than us next year.
New House prefects: Arnav Rawat, Chris Butcher,
Drew Layton and Nick Hatcher. L6T
H
History Boys
istory Boys provides a unique opportunity. It
gave us the opportunity to learn about other
forms of History not taught within the four walls
of the classroom. As keen historians we are
able to expand our knowledge to other aspects
of the past which were pertinent to shaping the
present. Furthermore, it gives us the opportunity to students
and to teachers to present any historical topic of their choice to
fellow History Boys and colleagues.
There were numerous presentations throughout the year
from Mr.Beere’s presentation on ‘The History of Rugby’ to Mr
Panter’s presentation on ‘The D-Day landings.’ There were even
presentations giving a different perspective to what is learnt in
the classroom. For example, we have learnt about remembering
the World Wars in Britain but, until Mr Pegler presented his
brilliant presentation on ‘How Germany Remembers the War,’
not many people knew about this topic.
There were also brilliant presentations from students
including Amit’s presentation on ‘The History of the London
Underground’ & Nimrod’s presentation on ‘The History of Gay
Rights in the UK.’ Lower school students made presentations on
‘The History of Wall Street’, Torture and ‘How Britain lose its Jewel
in the Crown?’ These are some of the very best that jump to mind.
Not only did we learn things we didn’t know before
but it provided a memorable experience for the students
and the teachers who were watching and listening to these
presentations. History Boys has an average of 15 to 20 students
attending every Friday making it one of the most popular subject-run
clubs in our school, which of course is to be expected from
History as the third most popular A Level subject at Watford
Boys.
We would like to thank Miss Griffin, Miss Ramzan-Hussain
and Miss Jones for organising and we are looking forward to it
restarting in the next academic year.
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
Amit
and Nimrod Kasper L6N
ShahL6G
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T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
19
H
Maths Club
ere at Watford Boys, we take
maths seriously. Students
in the top sets can pride
themselves in their sharp
mathematical prowess, whilst
boys lower down can strive to
climb up the arithmetic ladder and join the
ranks of the boys at the top. But for some boys,
being in the top set isn’t enough. They crave
something that the standard maths syllabus
just can’t give them. Fortunately, their thirst for
a thrilling maths experience can be quenched,
by simply heading over to M4 at lunch on a
Monday, where the festivities of Maths Club
take place, run by Mr Matthews with Mrs Hill’s
help. It doesn’t matter whether you consider
yourself pretty decent at maths or if you think
your sole purpose in life is to solve quadratic
equations, as long as you want to challenge
yourself and rise above your expectations,
Maths Club is the place for you.
The aptly named ‘Maths Club’ consists
of students of all years, from Year 7 to Upper
Sixth, and puts everyone’s minds to the test,
with varyingly difficult questions for each year
group. Whilst the overall aim of Maths Club is
to take students a step beyond normal lessons,
and instigate a keen sense of challenge,
Maths Club also functions as a stepping stone
between competing with school mates, to
joining the school team and entering maths
competitions against other schools. As such,
the majority of the questions and challenges
set are practice questions for competitions,
giving boys an idea of what they will be up
really get involved, it is a springboard students
can use to jump the gap from enjoying maths in
lessons, to representing the school in national
competitions and challenges. For boys who
are determined to represent their school in
maths, or are simply interested in learning in a
more advanced way, Maths Club truly provides
plenty of opportunities to take maths further,
in school and out. The route to represent your
school is shorter than you’d think, and going to
Maths Club is a step in the right direction.
against if they manage to be one of the few
who compete for the school. There are a mix of
questions, ranging from a diverse assortment
of the many divisions of the maths we learn.
As you test your knowledge and speed up on
things you know, you will pick up on clever
tricks and faster methods for trickier questions,
improving your grasp on maths as a whole.
If you consider yourself to be fantastic
at maths, and feel that you should represent
your year group in competitions, the best way
to put yourself forward is to turn up to Maths
Club regularly, where not only can you get a
taste of what could be to come, but also as a
place to show off your skills to the Mathematics
Department, who assemble teams of the
strongest mathematicians. There are many
potential competitions that are available,
including the UKMT Team Challenge, where two
pairs of boys from an older and a younger year
group compete together, the many Hans Woyda
competitions, which take the brightest boy
each from Year 9, Year 11, Year 12 and Year 13,
pitting them as a team in many 1 on 1 matches
against other schools hungry for a win. As
well as the team competitions, there are also
many individual challenges and opportunities
available to those who participate in Maths
Club, which often involve exploring exciting
and interesting perceptions of maths which
wouldn’t at first seem obvious.
Whilst at first glance, Maths Club might
seem to simply be a place to compete against
friends and take maths a step further, once you
By Ben Jones 9F
Footnote from the Maths
Department:
During 2014/15, around 300 of our top
set mathematicians across all years have
competed in the UKMT senior, intermediate
and junior mathematics challenges. 75
have achieved gold certificates, 88 silver
certificates and 46 bronze. 48 of our students
qualified for the next rounds of the challenges
where they competed amongst the top 5% of
maths students in the UK for their particular
age group – a fantastic achievement!
In addition, Mr Budarkeiwicz, Mr
Corbridge, Mr Matthews, Ms Parr, Ms Farhan
and Mr Chapman have taken students to a
variety of mathematics enrichment days and
regional team competitions. In some cases the
teams reached the finals. In all cases students
had a great time solving the mathematical
problems posed – maths really can be fun!
Cambridge Maths Enrichment Day
On 20th April, 4 students (Vedant Gopalarathinam, Jonathan Aizlewood,
Quinton La and myself ), went to a maths enrichment day organised by
the Further Mathematics Support Programme. The enrichment day was an
unofficial second round to the Year 10 Maths Feast, which took place in March.
The day consisted of a tour of Cambridge by old head boy Tim Bond,
follow by a brief stop in McDonalds (purely to add further to the university
student experience), punting down the river Cam, and the enrichment day
itself, which started promptly at 2pm. The enrichment day was designed
to encourage students from year 10 to consider choosing Further Maths at
A level, and it achieved this through a combination of challenging maths
puzzles, fun origami rounds and university style lectures, all of which were
interesting and inspiring. To put the cherry on the cake, we even won one of
the rounds (it was about set theory, in case you were interested), and received
a copy of “A Problem Solver’s Handbook” each as a prize.
Jeremy Zolnai-Lucas 10C
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Year 12
Young Engineers
Building Bridges
I
t is a Watford Boys’ tradition to enter a team into the
annual Young Engineers competition, the Engineering
Education Scheme run by EDT. Young Engineers is
a scheme designed to encourage 16-17 year olds
into Engineering or Engineering related fields by
having them complete projects assigned to them by a
company sponsor. The projects and sponsors cover all
aspects of engineering; from aeronautical with Lockheed Martin,
to electrical with Selex Galileo.
In recent times, the sponsor for the Watford Boys team
has been Hyder Engineering – a prestigious Civil Engineering
consultancy with a portfolio ranging from the Tower Bridge back
in 1894 to the Burj Khalifa in more recent times. Unsurprisingly,
from a civil engineering firm, our brief was to design a bridge
that would span the Thames in London from Nine Elms on the
South Bank to Pimlico on the north. The bridge was intended
for pedestrians and cyclists only. Whilst designing our bridge,
professional engineers at Hyder were themselves preparing
their own submission to the international design competition
for the same bridge.
Brief in hand, it was time for a team. Picked by Dr Buckley,
the Young Engineers team consisted of 6 Lower Sixth formers.
Each member had their own skills that they brought to the team
- Oliver was great at the complex calculations; Arnav was in
charge of systems; Soham was our chief researcher; James was
our construction specialist; Nathaniel our head of design and
Ravi our report writer.
With the energy and enthusiasm only 16-17 year olds can
muster, the team set to work. The first task would be to decide
the type of bridge that would we would build. With the help
of our consultant engineer, Mairead Kavanagh from Hyder, we
assessed the pros and cons of different bridge designs. We
looked at examples ranging from the iconic suspension bridge
(think the Golden Gate Bridge) to the tried and tested truss rod
bridge (think boring railway bridge). It was decided that we
would utilise a ‘cable stay’ configuration - modern in design and
practical in reality.
The next big decision was to decide the precise location of
the bridge as only once this was confirmed, could we continue
making specific designs. A few members of the team visited
the London site in Pimlico to see what was available to us and
to properly conceptualise the area we would be working with.
After scouting out the area, we elected to cross the Thames
almost perpendicularly between Dolphin Square and a small
park on the South Bank.
It was now time to begin the design of the bridge and, after
a long session, we came up with our initial design. It had taken 6
hours of uninterrupted Skype call and we were sure it was perfect.
The recommendations of the Environmental Agency and other key
organisations had been met; the bridge was well situated and, most
importantly, it looked great. However, once we had sent it over to
our Hyder mentors, we were met with horrifying news: the bridge
actually wouldn’t stand up (due to ‘torsional forces’).
Faced with this design flaw, it was back to the drawing
board. It would have been easy to switch to a more conventional
bridge design, but at this point the Watford Grammar School
for Boys’ Young Engineers team had realised they were far
from conventional. After a consultation with our engineer
and structural experts from Hyder, we were advised to change
the deck layout to an ‘s’ shape. It was a tricky component to
change and in the end we resorted to simply re-designing the
entire bridge from the ground up. Smaller adjustments included
refining access off and onto the bridge, such as including lifts for
disabled access.
With the main part of the project completed it was time to
do the last couple of things before we were due to be assessed;
making a scale model of our bridge and writing a report
detailing our project. We started construction of our model at
the 2 day engineering workshop at Cambridge University. It was
manufactured from aluminium using computer controlled water
jets and then finished at school.
With our design, report and model in hand, it was time
to go to the so called ‘Celebration and Assessment Day’ at
the University of Hertfordshire. It was a time to check out
the competition and get assessed. We gave a presentation
and then were cross examined to ensure that we knew our
stuff. We performed well and our project was to a really high
standard – and we won the ‘Pupils Choice Award’ (sponsored by
Mastercard)’ and scored an extremely high 92%.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the whole project. Despite
the long nights and the masses of work, we were able to reach a
really high standard. Because of the project, we have been able
to meet a number of senior engineers, in addition to Lord Winston
and Richard Harrington MP. It has been the first step on the path
to engineering or a STEM related career.
The team would like to thank Dr Buckley for his hard work
and dedication to the school and our team – long term projects
such as this one would not be possible without him.
Ravi Chauhan L6F
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
21
T
Talk by author
Conn Iggulden
he first time I had read Conn Iggulden’s books was
the Christmas holidays in year 8. I loved history and
wanted something on Rome, especially after reading
books like the Eagle of the Ninth. I knew Conn’s son as an
acquaintance in primary school and thought I may as well
give the novel a go. It was the Emperor Series: The Gates
of Rome. I opened the first page, and started to read, and by the first
chapter I was utterly hooked. The novel told the early story of Julius, his
childhood, his relation to Marius, arguably one of the greatest consuls
of the Republican era, and the introduction to Marcus, his friend and
adopted brother. It was then that Conn Iggulden became my favourite
author.
After almost 16 months, I had read the Emperor series thrice over,
read the Conqueror series on Genghis Khan twice over, and had started
the Wars of the Roses. Conn’s writing brought these periods very much
alive. You can now imagine my excitement when it was announced that
Conn Iggulden would be coming into school for a talk and presentation.
I adored his writing and simply couldn’t wait till Friday the 24th of April
when it would take place. I was more excited because I wanted to meet
him, but more because of his inspiration to write his books and how he
makes them so good and exciting, well at least for me, to read.
My year had entered the James Theatre and then we sat down in
anticipation of his talk. Immediately I was worried that he would just
stand there giving a dull description of his life story, rambling on for the
hour and then leaving us disappointed. Much to my pleasure, he first
welcomed us, asked if we could hear him and then immediately told
us a story of his father in the British Air Force during World War Two.
It involved a hilarious mix of pubs, drunken pilots and unconscious
gunmen. It had a funny story, with a jocular ending, yet its purpose was
so far unseen. Conn then told us a few more, another involving Conn’s
father flying a French spy over France, only to have the spy refuse to
jump and then to hold a sub-machine gun at the spy. That too was just
as, if not more interesting, but the point was still unrevealed. After
another story his intention was apparent. His stories did happen and
weren’t made up in any way.
His thus far entertaining talk drifted over into his writing. Questions
were asked as to what his inspiration was, or how he wrote his novels. It
was here that he came across as a very humble and what he described
as a very ‘English’ way of talking. He told us about his choice of the
periods, why he chose Julius Caesar and Genghis Khan. He purposefully
chooses characters that are infamous, yet many don’t know anything
about them. I myself would say guess that 50% of people would say that
Julius Caesar was an emperor of Rome, though he was murdered before
the Roman Empire was founded. These questions were answered with a
short story or two, but the underlying idea was that they were real. The
events in his novels, and stories on the day did happen, and it was that
which gave them a touch of magic.
My only regret about the talk was that I didn’t bring in a novel
which I could get him to sign, which to me was a great opportunity
missed. However, signed novel or not, my year and I thoroughly enjoyed
Conn’s light-hearted and cheery talk.
Akshar Abhyankar 9C
Politics
The week of the 23rd of March was an exciting one for politics students, with a trip to Parliament on
Tuesday and a Hustings on Friday.
Tuesday’s trip, organized with the help of Watford MP - Richard Harrington, was informative and a
perfect way to conclude seven months of studying the goings on of the very building that we visited. The
day began with a ‘Q&A’ session with Mr Harrington, and I must say that whatever one’s personal and
political opinions of the man, he was largely neutral, and championed bi-, tri- even quad-partisanship;
explaining to us how in the past he’s voted for all three of the main parties (including Blair in 1997).
Harrington did not shy away from any of the questions we threw at him, from his views on the electoral
system to his voting record and political ambition.
Before sitting for a session in each chamber, we watched the Speaker’s’ procession, and got a feel for the
formality and tradition of our government. We were fortunate in the session that we observed in the House of
Commons, though perhaps not as exciting as Prime Minister’s Question Time. We sat in and watched Nick Clegg
take, and dish out, banter for the final session of Deputy Prime Minister’s Questions. Our afternoon session in
the Lords was perhaps not as exciting as the morning, but equally as informative. We experienced the reality of
British adversarial politics with a ‘ping pong session’ of last minute legislation passing back and forth between
the Chambers, though we did note that the raw partisan and childish politics of the Commons does not find
place in the Lords.
Weeks before, we had invited the main parliamentary candidates for Watford into school for a
hustings during the Friday lecture slot. Before the hustings, having lunch with the four candidates, I
was amazed by how well they all get on despite the way that their national parties were in deadlock.
Harrington and Thornhill in fact remarked that often they trouble to find areas in which they disagree
(though their on-stage performance did not want for conflict). The actual hustings itself managed
somehow to engage the majority of its sixth form audience (which is more than can be said for the
actual election); questions on immigration and university fees seemed to be the most popular, with UKIP
candidate Nick Lincoln introducing us to what became somewhat of a catchphrase of the part; “it’s about
space not race”.
In all, I at least, found it to be a fascinating week. The opportunity to see the inside and the workings
of parliament, and then watch four people try to demonstrate how much they want to work there. Watford
being a key marginal seat in any election, this school continues to play a crucial role in elections as tight
as this one was; and the four members fully took advantage of that.
Jonathan Isaacs L6N
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Christian
Union
Ignite
I love Christian Union which is also
known as Ignite. This amazing club
has become the highlight of my
week. It is run by Mr Matthews and
Mr Brookes. When the club starts
we are welcomed in and we start
the session with a fun game. Mr
Matthews and Mr Brookes always
bring in the craziest games for us
to play. These games include classic
Jenga and Twister. Then we all sit
down for teaching from the bible.
We learn lots of different stories and
this year we have started watching
cool videos from the Alpha series.
Then at the end of the session we
have some nice snacks which range
from Chocolate Brownies to Sweet
Smarties cookies to little cakes. I
really enjoy this club because it is
fun and really exciting and we learn
all about God.
Andrew Monument 8G
Politics Trips in the Sixth Form
S
tarting a totally new subject such
as Politics in the sixth form can
be a rather daunting prospect,
being a completely removed
world from that of ordinary 6th
formers. Thankfully I have been
lucky enough to be able to cast aside this
sentiment having been to a conference for
Politics A-Level Students in Westminster on
1st December, meeting Nick Clegg nine days
later, and then the Liberal Democrat Mayor of
Watford, Dorothy Thornhill, who would also be
standing for MP in the 2015 General Election.
John Bercow, speaker of the House of
Commons began and, amongst other things,
spoke of the possibility of more reform in the
House of Lords, and, despite being obliged to
be impartial in his role as speaker, said that
“being an unelected part of parliament by mere
accident of birth [is absolutely outrageous]”
when referring to hereditary peers who sit in
the Lords through having inherited their titles
from their parents.
Greeted with cheering, jeering and
screaming, “the most influential man in
right-wing politics” according to The Times
newspaper, walked on to the stage – Nigel
Farage. He recited the rhetoric with which we
have all become familiar: the ‘EU is terrible,
75% of our laws are made in Brussels, let’s
take back control of Britain’s borders,’ etc.
But most concerning was that, in a room
full of malleable, naïve students, Farage was
very, very persuasive and he did not hold
back on his answers which were sometimes
surprising and in some cases inappropriate.
Tristram Hunt, the Shadow Education
Secretary, began by warning everyone not
to be “taken in by [Farage’s] rhetoric” and
then spoke about Labour’s policy of forcing
wealthier private schools to allow lesserfunded state schools to use their facilities or
face having their charitable status removed.
This, unsurprisingly, took rather a beating from
the students from the private schools in the
audience! “How can you claim to be the party
of the people?” regarding the aforementioned
policy one student asked, and Hunt answered,
after much hesitation: “Because we are the
party of the many.” Not the best answer.
Looking back on this conference, I
found it interesting and engaging, especially
concerning how easily my views were
challenged by the likes of Nigel Farage and
then hearing totally different opinions from
Tristram Hunt and Simon Hughes, a Liberal
Democrat MP who defended the European
Union, particularly the European Arrest
Warrant. It was fascinating insight into political
personalities and their policies.
Then on 10th December, Ms.Riaz asked
Tom Lees (L6G), Julian Manieson (L6P) and
me if we would like to attend another, much
smaller conference in Croxley Business Park,
but this time in the company of a ‘senior
cabinet minister’ – their identity was kept very
hush-hush.
Meeting Nick Clegg has definitely
been one of my highlights of 2014 – it was
like meeting a celebrity! Fan girling aside,
I thought the way he robustly defended
his party’s unpopular actions since having
been in coalition with the Conservatives was
admirable and he came across as a pleasant,
but competent and confident person, despite
having taken huge knocks in the opinion polls.
Julian Manieson said after the event, “He’s too
nice to be a politician,” which I believe sums
up Nick Clegg rather well: a nice guy who
talks a lot of common sense but sadly in his
profession, people care not for ‘nice guys’.
The day after the meeting with Nick Clegg,
four ‘Lib Dem’ councillors, Norman Lamb MP,
and Dorothy Thornhill made an appearance
at WGBS. Thornhill told us why she became
a politician and why she joined the Lib Dems,
citing the culture of ‘you’re either Labour or
Tory’ as the main reason. She felt neither
party appealed to her and hence joined the Lib
Dems: “Not supporting one of the two main
parties is quite radical.”
Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk
outlined the Lib Dem mantra of “People should
be allowed to do whatever they like, so long
as it doesn’t directly affect others.” As an
example, he said that there should be no
reason why those who wish to get married to
another of the same sex should be prevented
from doing so as it is others who may choose
to be offended, despite the happy couple
intending no offence. The pair also suggested a
new approach regarding drugs. Using Portugal
as an example, Norman Lamb said how the
Lib Dems believed the use of high-class drugs
should be de-criminalised and the focus
should instead be on rehabilitation, thereby
saving money on potential detention costs for
offenders and freeing up overcrowded prisons.
All of these amazing opportunities
opened up an entirely new perspective on
politics, making this ruthless and demanding
field of work seem much less removed from
the powerful, untouchable and elitist world in
which it exists. The fascinating and sometimes
controversial subject that is politics provides a
plethora of opinions and personalities in the
politicians themselves and those that listen to
them, a fact that truly was enforced within the
short space of less than two weeks.
I’d like to thank my Politics teachers,
Mr.Grinham and Ms.Riaz for arranging these
opportunities and especially for inviting Tom,
Julian and me to the conference with Nick
Clegg which was a truly fabulous window into
the world of Politics: a world in which I hope to
find myself one day.
Patrick Norén L6P
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
23
Watford Boys Hornets Fans
Jacob Culshaw
A
This season has been a one that should never be forgotten.
It wasn’t just a promotion-winning season, it was a record-breaking one as some incredible stats will testify.
91 goals – club record in the top three tiers
89 points – club record in the top two tiers
43 away points – club record (including adjusted totals when only two points were awarded for a win)
13 away wins – club record
campaign which started with
fervent hope and expectation
that the promised land would
surely await for the boys in
yellow. This became reality nine months and four managers
later. Everybody knew we had one of the best
squads in the second tier; it was if the 46
games in the strenuous Sky bet Championship
season would take its toll on those group of
players, helped by early cup exits.
The pre-season talk was dominated by
Troy Deeney, captain and top goal scorer of
the previous two campaigns. It was imperative
that the talisman’s services were retained. He
was linked with a move to the Premier League.
To guarantee the club achieved its goals, it
was essential that the club did not let him go.
Thankfully, in the end, as we all know, Troy
Deeney`s value was seen to be more than
financial, and the club offered him a four-year
deal, putting almost all speculation to bed. I
reacted to the Sky Sports News story that we
had rejected a £12 million offer from Leicester
in a similar fashion to when Lloyd Doyley
scored his first goal - I clenched my fists secure
in the knowledge that this was a sign of intent
for the upcoming season by the Pozzo family.
On a personal note myself, Tolu Alade
(9G) and Daanyaal Anwar (9B) were fortunate
enough to have a penalty shootout with the
Watford Skipper as we won a competition
named ‘The One Million Views’ (we recreated
Troy Deeney’s counter-attacking goal against
Leicester). Any Hornets Player subscribers
out there can watch us in action on ‘The
Hornets Show’ February edition pitting our
wits with Troy against Rene Gilmartin (3rd
choice Goalkeeper.) Rene Gilmartin confidently
stated ‘I’m not here to play lads, I’m here to
save pens.’ Well he didn’t save either of mine
and on Hornet’s Player there is video evidence.
Season Ratings
We look forward to our premiership
adventure; how will the players fare? Well
let’s see how they did in the championship.
Gomes- 9 Despite a reputation for errors of
judgement there were surprisingly few from
the big Brazilian and he has been rewarded
with a 3 year deal.
Motta- 5 Like Dracula afraid of crosses:
a red-card against Derby was his lowlight
over a short-term period with the Hornets.
Cathcart- 8.5 Has been superb over his
second spell and changed many fans
perceptions of his ability. Solid.
Angella- 8 Tendency to make rash
challenges when losing the ball, yellow
cards occur however been improving over
the year in his second year of his tenure.
Anya- 7 Although impressing with Scotland,
Ikechi has found it hard to take his national
form into domestic.
Layun- 6 A bit lightweight and didn’t adapt
to the English game quick enough, but who
can argue if you have 1 million followers on
twitter.
Watson- 7.5 Came from strugglers Wigan
Athletic in the January transfer window:
a typical English midfielder, scrapper but
doesn’t have a final touch in front of goal.
Abdi- 8.5 Injury prone, however the Swiss
maestro has become essential to the
golden boys’ push with his final ball and
quality needed in such a diverse league.
Guedioura- 9 Having had two loan spells
with Watford, his second was far more
influential with arguably pass of the
season against Derby and putting a big
shift against Middlesbrough. His two
thunderbolts against Cardiff should be
mentioned. A war horse.
Ighalo- 9 A superb 2015 for the Nigerian
forward. He’s Indestructible.
Vydra- 8 Has electric pace but a tendency
to not turn up in the big games.
Forestieri (Fessi)- 7 My dad’s favourite,
superb against Reading but disgraceful in
the Wolves game.
Deeney- 9.5 Already a Watford Legend
and didn’t put up a fuss after transfer
speculation surrounding him.
The Match
Watford. My club, my town. Playing Sheffield Wednesday on the last match of
the season, Watford are already guaranteed to move up to the premier league
but this game is to win the title. The first goal Watford score, 25 minutes in
and the ‘golden boys’ are dominating the game. Half time comes around
and the Sheffield fans are miserable in contrast to the (at the time) league
champions. There’s a constant chant of ‘We are going up, say we are going
up,’ which gets everyone on their feet for the second half and the whistle
blows, the second half begins.
Once again, Watford dominating. At the 70 minute mark, the fans are
gathering at the front ready to run on at the end. 80 minutes, they are starting
to get on the pitch. 85, they almost all on the pitch but still hanging on the
edge of the pitch. 90. The impossible. Sheffield Wednesday, currently 14th in
the league score against the number ones. The Sheffield fans are on their feet
and the streakers give up holding back and run onto the pitch. The match is
over. We walk out with the disappointment of not winning, but we know next
season, we’ll be playing in the premier league.
Thomas Barrett 9G
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Selsie
Mrs and
Mr Mitchell
celebrating
Watford's
promotion
Interview with Mr Hussey
How long have you been going to Watford?
I’ve been going for over 40 years, my first
game when I was 10. My mother had been
taking me shopping and we were wandering
around at Exchange Road when I met a
friend who is a friend of the family. He had
his Watford scarf on and said ‘Would you
like to come to the game instead of coming
shopping?’ He took me to the game and that’s
where my passion for Watford started. It was
probably against Scunthorpe in Division 4 but
I’m not quite sure. My father took me to about
a half a dozen games that season. Gradually I
went more and more each season.
Where do you sit at in Vicarage Road?
I sit in the Rookery end and share a season
ticket with my brother. When we both need to
go, I’ll buy a separate ticket near where he sits
but sometimes, especially recently, I’ve been
sitting in the new stand. I don’t sit near the
noisy singing section though!
What it is the highlight of Watford FC
over the time you’ve been watching?
When I’m feeling a little bit glum, I’ll put on
the goal we scored against Leicester where
the Sky Sports reporter reacts to it. I just
find that absolutely hysterical! I just couldn’t
believe that, a moment when I was really
down thinking were not getting Wembley
then suddenly turning it round and Deeney
smashing it in at the other end, I was jumping
around.
Thank you very much for your time.
My pleasure
Jacob Culshaw 9
Who if you favourite player you’ve
seen at Watford?
It has to go back to Johnny Barnes as I saw
him just rip apart defences when we got into
the old first division and we finished second
that season. I just thought he was a real star.
Two games that stick out for me is the 7-1 win
against Southampton (which I was very lucky
to be at) and the 8-0 win against Sunderland
in the same season.
Who do you thing is Player of the Season?
I think Gomes has been brilliant and has saved
us on many occasions. I think we would have
turned 1-0 and 2-0 wins into draws or even
defeats if it wasn’t for him. The number of
saves he’s made is remarkable and we have
just signed him on a 3 year-deal which is
superb.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
25
T
Football Journalism course
his article is about a trip that the football workshop
went on. We went to Vicarage Road (Watford FC
stadium). I will be explaining all the things that we
did, e.g. where we went, what we saw and who we
met.
When we arrived at the stadium, we met our
two tour guides who told us what we were going to be doing. We
made our way to the stand to talk about the different types of
stands and who and what they are named after. We also talked
about how it’s different to the old version of the stadium. We
made our way to the boxes and were able to go in one and found
out what people would do pre match and post match. Next to the
boxes is the chairman’s room and down the corridor is Sir Elton
John’s restaurant. We saw the pitch and was allowed to sit in Sir
Elton John’s seat! Then we made our way around the outside of
the pitch heading towards the changing rooms.
We saw the bench and the manager’s seat for match days.
Once we had finished exploring the benches, we made our way
into the away changing rooms. These were dull and had no
brightness or any good features at all. Most away changing rooms
are different shapes so that the away manager cannot see all the
players when he is discussing tactics or giving them instructions,
but the one at Watford is square which is nice of them.
Then we visited the referee’s room next door. This room was
small and contained the board which the referee holds up when a
sub is to be used. We were allowed to have a go with that and play
with the linesmen’s flags and things. Finally we made our way to
the best place of all – the home changing room. It was really big,
with bright colours and a seat for every player as well as showers,
cold baths and some beds for massages. There were also fridges
for any energy drinks players had chosen. This was my favourite
part of the trip – seeing where the players go most days.
As I support Watford FC and have a season ticket, it was
fascinating to see what people that are close to the club do. I am
very grateful to have gone on the trip and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Toby Benton 7T
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Journalism Club
Learning Support was having a new club that was all about commentating
and match analysis and I was lucky enough to be chosen as well as other
people. In the club, we did a lot of fun things like making our dream team,
refereeing some weird football scenarios but best of all was the visit to
Vicarage Road Stadium.
Everyone was very excited about this trip and when were arrived we
were guided around by two of the workers. We got to see the changing
rooms and visit the commentators’ box and we also got to sit in the VIP
seats, but sadly we did watch a match as after that we went back to school.
I really enjoyed this trip and the journalism club and would like to
thank Mr Siskin for organizing it.
Adeola Dada 7T
IT trip to Science Museum
Mr Zarin
conquers Ben Nevis
T
We were blessed with perfect weather with around 16 degrees
at the bottom and dropping to 4 degrees at the top. It was
a tough 9 hour trek with 5.5 hours going up and 3.5 hours
back down. I am so glad that I managed to conquer this beast
of a mountain as I nearly gave up twice; once just before
the snow at the top and also just after the snow, as the end
seemed far away and out of reach. Luckily I had a good bunch
of fellow trekkers who encouraged me on and I reached my
destination battered and almost losing use of both Legs. Very
tough indeed. However the views were amazing and it was an
experience of a life time which I will hold very close for as long
as I live, especially as it is for such a good cause in building a
local community centre which will help the future of our local
youth and the community.
he Information Age is a major new exhibition at the Science
Museum, and over 50 Watford Boys have visited this marvel of the
modern technological age. The sense of history begins the story of
the transatlantic cable which was laid between New York and the
west coast of Ireland in 1858. The Victorian age was also one of
global communication. Other gems in the exhibit include the original
HTML web server implemented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee at the CERN institute; the
original Apple II developed by Steve Jobs in his garage, and the first ever Google
server cabinet. The Museum ran code-building workshops for the pupils where
programming fundamentals were applied to controlling a robot buggy around a
maze. The Python and JavaScript coding skills developed by the year 10s certainly
proved more than apt to this task.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing objects is the Babbage Difference Engine.
The fully working version on display was built in 1991 to celebrate the bicentenary
of Babbage’s birth. Constructed to his exact plans drawn up in the 1840s it worked
perfectly and is capable of performing ferocious calculations and equations with
what Babbage called “the unerring accuracy of mechanism”. Babbage was never able
to construct the machine during his lifetime and became something of a forgotton
genius of the Victorian age. Had this mechanical marvel been completed at the time,
then 20th century history as we know it could have turned out very differently. The
removal of human error in logarithm
tables, ballistic equations, insurance
premiums, interest rates and every
other calculation prone to mistakes
would have had far reaching effects
on socio-economic policy. Thankfully
the work and foresight of people
like Babbage, and the Bletchley
Park code breakers are now widely
acknowledged and this exhibition
celebrates all those who have
contributed to our information age.
ZZ
ST
The
PHYSIOTHERAPY
&
REHABILITATION
Clinic
Professional and highly qualified Physiotherapists specialising in
Musculoskeletal, Neurological and Paediatric conditions.
The Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Clinic (Rickmansworth) Ltd.
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01923 897514 • reception@physio-rehab.co.uk • www.physio-rehab.co.uk
Company Registration No. 7942458 Registered in England and Wales Registered Address: 80 Nightingale Road, Rickmansworth, WD3 7BT
Member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy Registered Member of the Health and Care Professions Council
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
27
LANGUAGES
Languages • Langues
Sprachen • Språk • Языки
I
t will forever baffle me when people say that language doesn’t
interest them - as I’m sure scientists will be baffled when I say
that covalent bonds or gravitational potential energy or the
build of some obscure creepy-crawly don’t interest me. Though
I recognise my attempts to change the minds of those who do
not share my passion may be in vain, I will give it a shot anyway.
Why do you understand what I have written so far? Because you
have learnt to comprehend the English language, that much is clear. But
what about those who have absolutely no knowledge of our language,
maybe not even our alphabet? What if you were one of those who were
staring at this bizarre collection of weird symbols which hundreds of
millions of other people around the world understand when cobbled
together in haphazard groups, but you don’t?
I believe that there is nothing more satisfying than speaking
another language from the one you are most familiar with. The fact that
by the simple process of learning one word, one phrase and uttering
it, you can verbally communicate with any random person who lives
thousands and thousands of miles away in any random country amazes
me. The bare mechanics of talking are nothing short of incredible. One
specific collection of sounds, pauses, breaths, will communicate a
message from one person to another, which the brain then assimilates
and then deciphers a meaning from those sounds. But what is utterly
amazing, and fascinating, too, is that almost every country in the
world has different, or multiple ways of communicating the exact same
message, and to be able to communicate that message, to understand
those sounds and uncover a tangible meaning has been, is, and forever
will be the fundamental basis of anything that humans do.
Obóto: the Warao word for mud (see the Venezuela 2015 article!).
Learning this word took all of five seconds but I will remember it,
and cherish it, for the rest of my life. Why? Because although I may
never visit this tribe again, I could, if I desired, turn to one of the tribe
who doesn’t understand English while shlomping through knee-deep
swamp, and utter obóto, along with an exhausted expression, which
would bring a smile, a laugh, a simple message communicated through
one word between two people who live in completely different worlds
who have never met before and probably never will meet again. Five
seconds is all it took. How can that not be amazing? Magical, even? The
more words of a language you know, the more such moments you can
create and remember. That is the simple truth.
Swear words are the best. No matter what language you are being
immersed in, you can always pick out the swear words. And even though
you may not have any knowledge of the language, you know exactly
what message the swearer is communicating. And because they are
swear words, because they already hold a somewhat elevated position
in the vocabulary of a language, you will remember it, which means you
can use it! And, given the right situation, you will make people laugh
when you do use it! In the words of the great Billy Connolly, when you
tell some strange Tibetan man who’s messing with your bags to “F**k
Off ”, he knows exactly what you mean. He understands. And that is the
most valuable and satisfying part of speaking, learning, and listening to
different languages. That you understand.
But a language goes beyond just a language: it is a whole identity.
Other reasons language is so powerful is the connotations that an
individual language can carry, and then, being able to speak that
language, being able to understand that language, you too can be a
part of those connotations, those stories, that history and those people.
When you can speak the language of a country, you become a little bit
of that nationality and, as I have said, having the ability to communicate
with those people in whatever capacity, using whatever words, is one
of the most incredible things in the world. Take Russian, for example.
Russia and Russian. What amazing and varied images spring
to mind when you see those two words written down on a piece of
paper. It’s corrupt, mysterious, controversial, but yet some of the most
welcoming people to visitors, where camaraderie rules the roost and
not money or wealth. Admittedly, many of the pictures of modern-day
Russia are negative, but by being able to speak the Russian language
you could talk to Russian people, learn of their mindset, and of their
culture and of their history. The opportunities to travel and learn and
have the most amazing memories from places all over the world come
from knowing just the smallest bit of a language, and whether you want
to achieve greater fluency is up to you.
To all of the younger years I say this: the Languages department
is the most powerful department at our school, for reasons I hope I
have made crystal clear. Take the opportunities put in front of you to
learn as much of any language that you study, as what you can gain
from learning even only one word, be it rude or not, can create lifelong
memories. The more words of a language you know, the more moments
you can create and remember: so please, keep going at it and study
it more, at AS, at A2 or just in your free time. Yes it is difficult and
frustrating, but the satisfaction you will gain from being able to speak
another language is boundless.
To all of the older years: you may have already decided you want to
study your obscure creepy-crawly at university or triangles or whatever.
But please just bear in mind that in each of the over 6,000 languages
spoken in the world today, they too have words for beetle, gravity, heart
and memory. If you have the opportunity to study a language, grab it
with both arms and hold it, cherish it, and stick with it like you would
with somebody with whom you have fallen deeply in love.
You never know what experiences you will have by
being able to speak a Language.
28
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Patrick Norén L6P
Cantonese
你好! 我是一位學生，今年就讀十年
班.每星期六我會到 Hemel Hempstead 上
普通話班。每星期日就在這校上廣東話
班.今年我考了 GCSE 中文科.這與其他外
語科考試一樣，共有四部份；會話,寫作,
聽力和閱讀理解.我覺得這一科是非常有
用的,因為可以考取多一科成績！
Mandarin
你好! 我是一位学生，今年就读十年
班.每星期六我会到
Hemel Hempstead 上普通话班。每星
期日就在这校上广东话班.今年我考了
GCSE 中文科.这与其他外语科考试一
样，共有四部份；会话,写作,听力和阅
读理解.我觉得这一科是非常有用的,因
为可以考取多一科成绩！
English
Hello! I am a student currently in year
10. Every Saturday, I go to Hemel
Hempstead to go to Mandarin lessons.
Every Sunday, I go to Cantonese lessons.
This year, I took my GCSE Chinese. The
exam, like other MFL exams, had four
parts: Speaking, Writing, Listening and
Reading. I find this subject very useful
because I have another grade!
Gavin Lee 10G and Oliver Wong 10B
“I am a student at Watford Grammar School for Boys.
It is an excellent school offering many opportunities in
addition to super education. The school population is
about 1200. We play a variety of sports from rugby, hockey,
cricket, tennis and sailing. We also have an opportunity
to learn music.”
Gujurati
"હૂ વૉટ્ફર્ડ ગ્રૅમર છોકરાઔની સ્કૂલ મા
વિદ્યાર્થી છુ. સ્કૂલ બહુ સરસ છે, જેમા બહુ
સરસ પ્રોત્સાહન મળે છે. સ્કૂલ મા બારસૌ
વિદ્યાથી છે. અમે જાતજાતની રમતો રમિયે છે,
જેવીકે રગ્બી, હૉકી, ક્રિકેટ, ટેન્નિસ નાઉતનાવ
જેવી રમતો છે. અમ્ને સંગીત વિગેરે રમવાનુ
પ્રોત્સાહન મળે છે."
Hindi
में वॉट्फर्ड ग्रामर पाठशाला जो लड़कों केलिये है, उसमे
विद्यार्थी हूँ. हमारी पाठशाला बेहेटरीन शिक्षण प्रधान
करती है और उसमें हमको वीवीध तारेह का खेल सिकानेका
मोक़ा बी देती है. यहाँ १२०० लड़के पढ़ते है. हम रग्बी, हॉकी,
क्रिकेट, टेन्निस और नवका चलानेका पाठ लेते है. हमें
संगीत सिकने का भी मोका मिलता है.
Deven Voralia 10N
Svenska Allemansrätten
Det finns en lag i Sverige som kallas för ‘Allemansrätten’ –
en lag som är jätteviktig i vår kultur. Man kunde även säga
att att kränka Allemansrätten, är att kränka den svenska
religionen av respekt för miljön.
‘Allemansrätten’ säger att man får göra vad som helst,
var som helst, när som helst; kanske gå över privat land,
eller elda lite på en strand, eller tälta på en ö i Stockholms
skärsgård. Men det som måste uppvisas, är respekt för
naturen. Det betyder att man måste lämna naturen i den
samma skick som den hittades när man kommer till platsen
där man ska gå, bo, elda, tälta, sova…
“Inte störa, inte förstöra”
There’s a law in Sweden which is known as ‘The Right of Every
Man’ – a law which is very important in Swedish culture. You
could even say that to flout Allemansrätten is to flout the
Swedish religion of respect for the environment.
It states that you can do whatever you like, wherever
you like, whenever you like. This could range from walking
over private land to taking a boat out into Stockholm’s
archipelago, mooring up, and camping there on an island
for a night. But what must be upheld is respect for the
environment. This means that you have to leave nature in
the same condition as when you found it, whether it be
walking, living, lighting a fire, camping or sleeping.
“Do not disturb, do not destroy”
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
29
Why do GCSE Latin?
Person 1: Knock knock
Person 2: Who’s there?
Person 1: Et
Person 2: Et who?
Person 1: Et tu, Brute?
Person 1 & 2: *laughter*
LATIN
Latin KS3
‘I thought Latin
was a dead language.’
‘Was Latin spoken by
the Greeks or the Romans?’
Want more fast paced Latin
banter?
Take Latin GCSE!
‘We’ve got 2 whole periods of Latin! That’s over an
hour! It’s going to be dead boring.’
Not only is Latin extremely versatile and
cooperative with a wide range of other
subjects, it is highly appreciated by
universities and has a prestigious status
not necessarily merited by its difficulty.
Latin has a reputation as a difficult
and boring subject, but in reality
is taxing but not too onerous, and
far more interesting than most other
GCSEs.
Want the benefits of an acclaimed
GCSE without sacrificing the rest
of your subjects owing to copious
amounts of work?
“I used to have four friends. Then I took Latin
GCSE and I made one more” Want to increase
the number of friends you have by 25%?
Take Latin GCSE
Dan Marks
These were the reactions I heard when my form found
out that Latin was part of our curriculum for the
next two years. We walked in, expecting an
old Roman to be teaching us how to say
‘Hello’ to each other. Instead, we
were greeted by an enthusiastic
teacher with a deep voice teaching
us how to translate Latin to English
from a red book. ‘Caecilius est in
horto’. Caecilius (the main character
in the first book) is in the forum.
This became the most memorable
Latin sentence for anyone who learnt
Latin through the Watford Boys’
Latin department. The lesson turned
out to be thoroughly enjoyable and
entertaining as Mr Pegler taught us
about Roman houses and how the
Romans lived. Every lesson was fun,
either learning in class about the great
Romans and how they fought, going
to the theatre to perform a recently
translated passage of Latin or going to
the library to use the online resources.
At the end of year 8 there is the
choice of either continue learning Latin,
or choosing a different modern language
other than the one you are already learning.
Then, at the end of year 9, there is the
option of taking Latin (the language) for GCSE
which is taught by Mr Davies, or Classics (learning
about Greek, Egyptian and Roman gods and myths).
Other than the weekly ten word vocabulary test, Latin lessons
are highly enjoyable. By the end of year 11 you will have two
GCSE equivalent grades, which is highly regarded as a ‘difficult
GCSE’. 66% of the first GCSE is done in May of year 10, which
would usually be your first public exam. Overall, Latin is one of
the most useful GCSEs to have apart from English, Maths and
the Sciences. It can help learning other languages, based on
the Latin alphabet. Latin also provides the root words for many
scientific terms. A lot of element symbols in the periodic table
are from Latin words. For example, the Latin word for iron is
ferrum, so the element iron is represented by the symbol Fe.
Another example is gold, aurum in Latin and Au is the symbol
for it.
Latin is found everywhere: politics, maths, science. This
makes it one of the most useful languages around.
Latin is not a dead language. It is immortal!
Oliver Wong 10B
30
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Year 7 Latin
Year 7 Latin with Mr Pegler
Sperate parati –
go forth prepared with Latin
WBGS offers a wide variety of opportunities and activities
and one of those opportunities is Latin. If you are lucky
enough to do Latin you will find it great fun and you’ll
learn a lot. You can dress up as famous Romans and learn
about the city of Pompeii. You also learn how to speak the
ancient language which is way easier and more useful than
everyone says. It helps you understand English and also
Spanish, French, Italian and even German. You also learn
how other people lived, thought and fought a long time ago.
This is why Latin is great.
Latin so far has been a great experience and has introduced me to,
not only a new language, but also a new culture. Many will say that
Latin is a dead language and therefore useless; however, it is the
foundation of the Romance languages (Spanish, French, Italian) and
scientific names. When learning other languages, such as Italian, you
will pick up the new language more easily after having learned Latin.
Latin is so important it is included in the motto of many schools, even
our own: Sperate Parati. This means, “be prepared” (I learned this in
my Latin lesson).
I have been taught by Mr Pegler, who makes the lessons fun
and interactive. Poring over maps of Pompeii to find features of
the ancient city – how could anyone not enjoy the lesson? We have
learned about the culture of the Romans, particularly the people
of Pompeii. I thought I knew about Pompeii already, but I have
discovered that it is not just a destroyed city, it is an archaeological
paradise of preserved people, foods and way of life, just like a
camera shot of a moment in history. I have found that my Latin
lessons have breathed new life into an ancient subject.
Who would have thought that
a dead language could be so alive!
Manas Balla 7F
Year 7 Latin is amazing! It is my favourite subject as the
homework is fun; e.g making posters about Roman gods.
The subject is a mixture of language, which isn’t too
hard but actually quite fun, and the history of the people
who spoke it - where they lived, what they ate, who they
worshipped and what monsters scared them, etc. and the
teachers know a lot. The great thing is it gets better and
better, so I’m really looking forward to doing it in Year 8 and
becoming a gladiator!
Fionn McGuiness 7F
Ethan Underwood 7F
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
31
Watford to Mainz
on the bike
Five countries, 896km, 38 hours, four and half days, June 26th to 30th 2015
There are a number of stats for any ride, but these are some of the most significant.
Where did it start?
Back in 1957 when a group of boys and staff went off for a three week
cycling holiday to Germany. I first heard of this several years ago and
last summer read articles from the Fullerian of the times. When I started
as Head, I thought it would be a good expedition to celebrate the 50th
anniversary of the German exchange between WBGS and the Schloss
Gymnasium in Mainz. As the last academic year progressed, I began to
throw this idea into more conversations and presentations so that I was
definitely committed and on record in intention to do it.
The expedition was cemented when I was guest of honour at the
Schloss Gymnasium in February when our exchange party was visiting.
How was it planned?
This was supposed to be the easy bit. However, trying to find a window
that would work for both schools and my busy schedule wasn’t so easy.
I also toyed with the idea of doing it without any support vehicle and
decided that with so little time to complete the challenge I had to find
someone to accompany me and certainly get across the Channel. By
Easter, dates were fixed for the end of June; this would coincide with the
end of the German exchange in Watford and their return to Mainz.
Training?
I often talk of a training ride and then someone will ask what am I
training for. The answer is always for the next expedition. By Easter,
Mainz was the next expedition and I thought I was out of the winter
in good condition and feeling strong. I then went to France for Easter,
with a new bike and came back suffering with very painful bursitis
(inflammation of the hip). Sparing the detail, this meant I had to reduce
my weekly miles substantially and even by half term I wasn’t confident
I could start the ride.
Was not starting an option?
I’d told so many people and set up the Just Giving page when I came
back from Easter. I was also aware that the ride would mark the end of
my year as Head and wouldn’t have the same impact if I delayed it. So I
had to get going!
The
Ride
Day 1
Watford to Folkestone 180km
Upper Sixth Leavers’ lunch was the launch pad and
after giving a short speech, shaking many hands and
wishing our leavers well, it was time to get changed
and ride. I managed to get away just after 2pm with
Mr Curwen working out the maths of the ride for
the gathered crowd. A lot of adrenalin at that point
propelled me out of school and into London, using
my favourite route to Westminster via the Bushey
ridge and A5. That side of town wasn’t too busy, but I
had to crawl through south London up to Blackheath
and even a bike had difficulty getting through. It was
also quite hot, so I was glad to get out eventually
into the Kent countryside. The plan was to meet up
with my wife at Aylesford, a place we’ve visited and
I was on target time at 6pm . This was supper break
and a chance to stop for a while. I took on as many
carbs as possible and got ready for the final leg
32
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
down to Folkestone and the shuttle. This evening
part of the ride was a mixture of great sections
along the Downs and Pilgrims’ Way with many half
timbered buildings and zipping through cornfields,
though following such minor roads led to inevitable
navigational hitches in spite of a good Garmin. Even
though I’d booked the latest Shuttle that evening,
I still found myself pushing hard to get to the last
rendezvous with Amanda and rode through the dusk,
glad of my lights. I finally met up with Amanda just
before 10.30, jumped in the car to get to the terminal,
only to find there was a two hour delay that evening.
It didn’t matter. I was on my way to France and out of
the UK. We arrived at the hotel in Calais at 3am local
time, but a relative lie in awaited me first thing!
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Calais to Aalst
196km
Aalst to Aachen
220km
Aachen to Koblenz
200km
This was pencilled in as a day to recuperate.
I was certainly looking forward to being on
French and Belgian roads again. Late breakfast
and then a leisurely start through the flat lands
of the Pas de Calais and on towards Ypres in
Belgium for a lunch stop. It was a beautiful
morning and the tail wind added to my sense of
optimism and the tiredness of the night before
was worked out of my limbs. As I approached
the Ypres salient via Poperinge, my memories
of leading over 25 WWI battlefield tours were
stirred as I passed many war cemeteries and
the towers of Ypres came into sight. Ypres was
buzzing, particularly as there was a car rally
taking place and stopping in the square for
lunch with Amanda was a pleasure in the sun.
However, the need to press on to the
evening stop lured me out of Ypres and
following the eastern part of the salient further
into Flanders. I was expecting to be swept up
and spat out by several Belgian chain gangs,
but most of the riders I saw that day were on
leisure or town bikes, so no challenge there!
Pushing on through Belgium, I headed for
Oudenaard with a brief stop at the Tour of
Flanders museum and a quick reminder of
having ridden that route two years ago, then
onwards to Aalst. Arrived tired but pleased at
the next hotel.
Sunday dawned bright and I hoped to get away a
bit earlier than the previous day. Unfortunately,
the expansive buffet breakfast delayed me a
little, but I was away just before 10 and heading
east again. Experienced long distance cyclists
(not me) tell of how the third day is tough.
And it certainly was. For starters, the Garmin
took me through Brussels. Brussels has bike
routes that mix with tram lines and on a skinny
wheeled race bike, that’s not a good mixture.
Memories of Top Gear’s Richard Hammond
trashing a £10,000 Pinarello in St Petersburg
haunted me until I got out of the centre, passed
NATO HQ and got out into the countryside again.
The afternoon was warm and it was certainly
hard, not least because navigation via smaller
roads through picturesque villages didn’t give a
bigger picture of where I was towards getting to
Germany. I met Amanda for a late lunch stop and
then pushed on. I stopped just before leaving
Belgium to load up on a fine plate of Belgian
chips, crossed briefly into the Netherlands via
Maastricht and then headed towards Aachen.
Mentally, by 8pm I thought I was finished for
the day, but a frustrating two hours later I finally
arrived the hotel for the evening after a 30km
detour around Aachen. I could only blame the
person who’d booked the hotel; me.
Relieved to finally be in Germany, I tried to make
an earlier start and rode through a relatively flat
area towards the Eifel mountains and the Rhine.
Another beautiful day and quite a different
feel to Belgium or Holland. Excellent, tarmaced
cycle lanes kept me away from traffic and I
made good time throughout the morning and
early afternoon, with a good lunch stop with
Amanda 100km in. Later in the afternoon, I
hit the first and only hills on the ride and I
should have thought more as I followed signs
to the volcano park. Several long and steep
climbs later, through awesome wooded scenery,
I reached the Moselle river valley and the relief
of a flat and fast run into Koblenz. A hotel in
town centre meant we could sight see on foot
in another wonderful town, me knowing that
tomorrow’s ride to Mainz would finish the job!
Day 5
Koblenz to Mainz
100km
The final day and a beautiful ride following the
Rhine valley upstream. So no problem racing the
river boats, then! Most of the route was through
a steeply sided valley, with castles and vineyards.
A wide and easily navigable bike path took me to
the wider part of the valley. I did manage to stop
for a while to sample excellent coffee and cake and
make sure the School knew I was on track for my
arrival at 12.45. Then a further quick blast took me
into the outskirts of Mainz itself. A last few metres
along the banks of the Rhine and then a sharp right
to the front of the Schloss Gymnasium.
And that was it! Herr Volker and Frau
Wonneberger were there to welcome me with
the exchange students and a year 8 choir who
serenaded me with ‘Welcome Mr Allchorn’.
Photographs, an interview with the Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung, a sustaining pasta lunch and
then in the car and back to Calais! Job done!
I’ve been very touched by people’s response to this
ride. It’s raised a lot of money: £11000 towards that
new minibus and that’s very generous. I’m even
more touched by the hundreds of comments that
have been made on my Just Giving page. These I’ll
archive and reflect back on. The ride has meant
something more than the raw statistics and it helps
to bracket my year as Head. Few people get the
privilege of serving a school community as I have
had; fewer still, perhaps, to use something they so
enjoy doing to benefit others like this.
MA
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
33
ENGLISH
A Visit from Dan Freedman
E
arlier on in the year during the Autumn Term,
year 8 were graced with the presence of
renowned football journalist and author Dan
Freedman. During the day the whole of year
8 had an assembly with Dan. In the assembly
he talked about a bit of his history and why he
became a football journalist. Dan Freedman
was born in London in 1977 and has always been obsessed with
football, but he told us that he pursued a career as a journalist
because he knew he wasn’t a good enough footballer to get into
the team, so he chose the next best thing, writing about it. Dan
then joined The FA in 2000 to be in charge of their website. This
way, by writing about football, he would be in the front row of
every match for free, and get paid for doing it!
But how did he become an author? Dan informed us that
the reason he started writing books was rather unusual. One
Christmas he couldn’t find any good books for his footballloving son so he decided he would write one himself. But it
wasn’t as easy as that he said; it took many, many attempts to
get it published. Each time he submitted his text, it was returned
with suggestions for improvements. So even professional writers
need to draft and redraft their writing to get it right; a good
reminder for our own work in English lessons.
During the assembly there was a competition for the best
Writing Workshop
Jamie Johnson stepped up to the penalty spot.
He zones in and blocks out all he has ever known and goes
through all the possibilities in his head. If he goes top corner he
will probably miss, but if he does score, he will be a school hero. He
hears footsteps, loud and confident, coming over and he instantly
knows who it is. He sees Dylan in front of him and he blocks out
his defeating words. He then lines up his shot, his hands shaking
like an earthquake.
Jamie starts his run and, in the corner of his eye, he sees his
granddad cheering him on. His mind-set completely changed, he
wasn’t doing it for school fame he was doing it for his granddad.
His leg swung a steady kick and the ball flew.
The trajectory looks right. It scorches past the keeper who can’t
move in awe of the shot. It curls as if in orbit, hits the post and goes
in. Then, he doesn’t do an in your face ‘Dylan celebration’, no he
runs to his granddad and falls into his arms. Dylan just stood, jaw
open staring at the goal as Jamie ran past and pushed his bottom
jaw back to the top. Dylan came back to earth and snapped at him
but Jamie just laughed.
Ben Clare 8G
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
question asked by a student. I was chosen for my question
about the process involved when starting a new book. I received
a signed book and football as a prize. Then, afterwards, a
small group of students were lucky enough to get a writing
masterclass with Dan Freedman himself. In this masterclass they
wrote their own continuations on an extract Dan gave them from
his book. At the end, the participants were rewarded with an
exclusive mini book only obtainable through that class.
At lunch time, Dan was also in the school library selling his
series of books about the fictional footballer, Jamie Johnson. He
was also signing copies for those who bought the books on the
day or had already got his books.
Dan Freedman’s visit was a good inspiration for boys of
Y8 to improve our writing, especially those who like sport and
football. He gave us a few tips for writing a book - such as write
books that you would want to buy or would have wanted to read
when you were the age of the target audience. He also talked
about persevering and not giving up if at first your attempts are
rejected, as he was turned down many times. Finally, he advised
us to use our own personal experiences to make our writing feel
more realistic.
From the whole of Year 8 I think we’d like to say a great big
thank you to Dan Freedman for taking time to come and see us.
Trey Tallon 8C
Junior School Play
The Hound of the Baskervilles
As I was a casual fan of the BBC series “Sherlock”, I was delighted
when it was announced the junior school play would be a
production of The Hound of the Baskervilles. It seems safe to
presume the audition went well, given that I ended up playing the
part of Sherlock Holmes (big thank you to Mr Howe). Watson was
played admirably well by Nathan Clarke and the cast was full of
talented actors.
Anyone familiar with the book will know that for a fair
proportion of it, Holmes isn’t there. That was quite a disappointment
during the first read-through. However, I was able to get over
myself, and launched enthusiastically into the proceedings – in
particular the hell of learning lines. I can’t complain though, the
script was fantastic. Nevertheless I do find that a genius one-liner
loses a little of its sparkle after the first twenty repetitions.
There were those who asked me ‘was it all worth it, Benedict?’
To which I replied ‘Yes.
All joking aside, the preparation and rehearsals, not to
mention the performances, were genuinely the most fun I had all
year, and as such, please put me in the main school play next year.
Benedict Longstaff 10B
Different
‘Thinglish’
As broad as the sky,
as varied as dancing figures from the light of the lamp.
A candle burning strong,
a never-ending fire of friendliness between us all.
Society doesn’t accept,
because we are different to the norm.
And different is scary, different is bad, different is failure.
Society ignores, society rejects,
society pretends that we don’t exist.
But why do they do this,
why would they deny,
when we are identical to them inside?
We’re all unique.
Isn’t that what they say?
So why would they try to treat us this way?
We are not strange,
we aren’t frightening
we’re just trying
to grow up by avoiding the rules.
Perhaps not intentionally avoiding the rules,
but doing so all the same.
We were born unique, and proud of it
and wouldn’t change ourselves for the world.
So let’s unite,
bring strength in our numbers to persuade the rest of the world,
there may be more of you, there may be less of us
but it’s surprising what a minority can do.
And with the fire of friendliness,
burning through our bones.
We’ll prove that we are
the same.
For why is it fair that the majority of people,
are allowed to judge those with a disability?
Disabled is enabled; that’s how we learnt to grow up.
For what we can’t physically see with our own two eyes,
we can see in a different way.
Kelsey Trevett 8B
A Visit from the Globe Players
In the winter of 2014, amidst intense controlled assessment
preparation, we were treated to a welcome visit from the Globe
Players Theatre company, which helped us to gain a valuable
new perspective on Shakespeare’s Scottish play: Macbeth. The
Globe Players is one of the foremost school theatre companies
in London and the South East and aims to bring classic texts to
life through theatre.
The lively production performed key scenes from throughout
the Scottish Play, stopping from time to time to offer food for
thought; helpful textual analysis; interesting Elizabethan facts
or translation of the Shakespearean prose. ‘Best bits’ included
the humorous porter scene (which saw the breaking of the
fourth wall and the amusing harassment of the audience), the
presumably fake blood and the action packed sword fights.
To have read a play was one thing, but to have seen it
performed live was a truly refreshing experience, all helping towards
our comparative controlled assessment that soon followed. The
visit from the Globe Players was an enjoyable insight into the world
of Shakespeare and was a great learning experience.
Jesse Rist 11T
Thinglish is a thing mostly to do with English (hence the name) that
we do on Tuesday lunchtimes, ‘we’ being a group of GCSE students
both skilled and interested in English. Run by Mr. Glass, we cover a
wide range of topics about literature and language. Well they start
off being about literature or language anyway; they usually drift
into other things pretty quickly – things like philosophy, political
theory, critical theory, art, technology, history, film, computer games
(if Jonathan Williams has anything to do with it), psychological
theory (if Reggie Roy has anything to do with it) or feminism (if Mr
Glass has anything to do with it, which he always does). Basically,
In the past, topics have included satire, realism and interpretation,
narrative structure and character types, representation of women in
the media (Mr Glass on his soapbox again), how art can be political,
child language development, post-colonialism and, slightly oddly,
the representation of Satan in literature.
The usual format involves Mr. Glass introducing the week’s
topic, which is followed by a group discussion while Mr Glass
gesticulates vaguely while holding a sandwich to bring different
people into the discussion so we each get a chance to share
our ideas and opinions. However, we have also spent sessions
watching TED talks about babies, looking at bizarre, mind-blowing
short films and reading short stories or poems. Last term, we
studied a book: I, Lucifer - a satirical story following the thoughts
of the devil, which investigated aspects of good and evil. We hope
to look at The Very Hungry Caterpillar next. Mr Glass says it will be
an interesting text to try and apply various critical theories to, but
we suspect he just loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Thinglish is extremely interesting and, despite it being
(theoretically at least) an extension of A* GCSE English, most of
us go simply because we like reading ambitious things you don’t
normally do until A Level or degree level, talking about ideas and
getting to go off on all those tangents that regular English lessons
never have time for in a fun, informal setting.
Ethan Honey 10G
Tis Pity she’s a “Whore”
While seemingly an excuse to use the word whore in an article,
this is in fact the title of a rather interesting play by John Ford. A
play so interesting in fact that English students studying it were
able to see it performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at
the Sam Wannamaker Playhouse in London.
So what is this play then? Well it’s similar to your standard
romantic play: boy meets girl, standard clichés about stealing
hearts, happy ending. Only in this case our hero, Giovanni, is in
love with his sister Anabella, and instead of stealing her heart
he quite literally cuts it out of her chest, puts it on his sword and
shows it to the crowd. Whilst singing Happy Birthday. As for the
“happy” ending - it resembles a year 7 drama improvisation:
bodies litter the floor, with nearly every main character dead.
By now, all this has probably done is scared you away
from English but, if it hasn’t, then you’ve probably seen past
the gore, the incest and the death to the themes behind them,
the intensely charged love story and the constant war against
a society that will do anything to prevent the relationship
between brother and sister. Only here the consequences are a
little more severe than some untended rabbits.
Charlie Staines U6G
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
35
Persuasive Speeches
Saving Snails
Summer
I am here today to highlight to you, my fellow classmates and
esteemed members of staff, what I consider to be the greatest
injustice in the history of planet Earth. One of Mother Nature’s
most elegant and beautiful creations is suffering under the feet
of mankind, literally. I am talking of course, about snails.
Men and women alike have long terrorised the world of
snails, clumsily treading on any frail snail unfortunate enough
to be ‘in the way’. This offence can often be brushed aside as
accidental, or an unfortunate misunderstanding, but through
these lies manifests an incomprehensible truth. In a recent
survey, over two thirds of people agreed that they find the
crunch of stepping on a snail ‘satisfying’. Furthermore, 86% of
people admitted to actively seeking out snails to squish. These
are no accidents. We, as a species, have let down the snails.
And it’s time we put that right again, whilst there is still hope.
I know for many this will be a lot to take in. One or two
of you may not have even been aware of these injustices.
Whilst this information may be news to you, this is merely the
everyday truth that they, the snails, face. I feel that, in order for
us to fully appreciate the tragedy that snail-kind faces, we must
put ourselves in the mind of the humble snail.
“What a delightful day,” thinks the snail. It gets dark.
“Hmm, the sky is darkening. Is it getting late already?”
asks the snail. The snail swivels his googly eyestalks round.
“Alas, it is what I feared. A human foot has come to snatch
my life away. I would attempt to run, but I have no feet. Nor legs.
This is it, for Gunther the Snail.” Squish.
The squishing of snails is not the only terror they face.
Across the Channel, our French friends enjoy chomping into a
juicy Escargot. Gardeners see these peaceful creatures as pests,
as predators, and kill them in the cruellest way imaginable,
delicious but oh so deadly pellets. In certain underground
criminal groups, they have taken it a step further. For them, the
tracking of snails is a sport, and when they spot one of these
mistreated molluscs, they won’t stop until they get what they
want. A snail can only slither for so long, before it runs out of
slime to slide on, allowing these brutish criminals to pounce.
Now that you, as individuals, understand the calamities
snails face, I feel I can ask for your support. I have started up
a campaign called “Help the snail prevail, or they’ll fail,” which
hope will successfully eradicate the threats snails face, allowing
them a peaceful existence. From the small donation of just £28
a week, you can save the lives of two snails, funding steel plated
shells and hi-visibility jackets for both of them. If you decide to
support this noble cause, you will be sent a bag of goodies from
us each month, including pictures of your snails, various snail
or slug related plushies, and a postcard from your grateful snail
buddies. I’m sure you agree with me, snail squishing has got to
stop, and we are the ones who have to take action. It’s time for
us to put our foot down, but not on the snails. Thank you.
Ben Jones 9F
36
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Summer! What a time! Each summer, we take to the
great outdoors for barbeques, ball games, camping
trips, fireworks and a lot of other fun activities. No
other season has more opportunities for enjoying
the weather with friends. The best part: there is no
school. As great as summer is, it can’t all be parks and
ice creams. There are a few negative things about the
season that, no matter how hard we to try to avoid
it, they will keep coming back each year. Things like
the ice cream truck song that sounds like a 12 year
old girl singing a Justin Bieber song, to things like
flip flops that don’t give protection to your feet from
the disgusting pavement. However, there are worse.
MUCH WORSE!!!
Watch out for all the bees, wasps, mosquitoes
and all those other horrible creatures, because
summer is also their holiday. Once you’re outside, it is
a war with bugs. They will not stop at anything to try
and suck your blood, bite your flesh or give you a nasty
sting. You just can’t get rid of them.
The sweltering heat also brings about smells
that can be pretty uninviting. From that pile of garbage
on the street to the sweaty person on the bus that
you’re certain has never been introduced to the
wonders of deodorant, summer can be cruel to your
nose. Summer can also give you sunburn, which is a
pain! Literally! You see your skin peeling off like some
alien, which can be very unpleasant.
Think about TV? Unless you’re a fan of Homes
under the Hammer and Antiques Roadshow, there
won’t be any decent BBC shows coming any time soon.
Let’s not forget the Jeremy Kyle show, where people
with absolutely no life, decide to talk about problems.
In summer, they expect you to be outdoors at all times
and if you decide to go to the city with your friends, a
thousand people will probably be thinking exactly the
same thing.
Summer should be the best time to go out as
there is nothing stopping you. The problem is, parents
have to take children to places, otherwise they will
go insane and on a murderous rampage. With crowds
you also get queues. With queues you get people with
very short tempers. With short tempers, you get riots
and fights.
Now the real question is, what do you
really think of summer?
Ayaaz Bukhari 9F
When you fish,
think Panda
As the sun on the horizon rises, in its beautiful pink glow, a herd
of wildebeest wake up to continue on their fast-paced migration
through the savannah; a lion cub and its siblings start to play fight,
waking up all of the others. Herds of rhinos, a giraffe, elephants
and zebras start chewing on the appetising vegetation, but, in the
distance, a farmer aims his rifle, ready to take out these so called
‘land predators’.
Unfortunately, these scenes are becoming all too common.
The reasons are unacceptable. You may have known that rhino
horns are used to make ivory statues and used in medicine in the
Far East. You probably didn’t know that putting horns in medicine
has the same effect as chewing fingernails to heal illnesses. That’s
not exaggerated.
Here are some statistics:
Gorillas could be extinct in the Congo by 2020.
In 2011 over 23 tons of ivory were confiscated. This amounts to
2,500 elephants.
Poachers catch tigers by grabbing them in steel traps who then
struggle for hours and even whole nights before a poacher can
kill them with a single blow from a heavy stick. Horrible.
The story doesn’t end here, it only ends when all animals are
free to live safely in their habitat, when every poacher has turned
against this dastardly deed, it ends when we have finished the job!
When it ends is down to you.
Charities like WWF are doing tremendous work in all four
corners of the Earth to conserve species from polar bears in the
Arctic, to elephants in Africa and from tigers in India to rare birds
and marine mammals in Central America and the Caribbean.
These charities do make a difference, WWF have helped
make a 26% increase in the gorilla population over the past 7
years; increased the number of African rhinos from 11,065 in 1997
to more than 21,000 now; and have plans for the future.
Don’t think you have to go and do field work thousands of
miles away in order to help. You can simply join WWF’s ‘adopt an
animal’ campaign by paying £3 per month. By doing this, you can
help WWF achieve their many goals, including doubling the tiger
population by 2022. As I said before, it doesn’t end here.
One of the things that inspired me to write this speech was
seeing an advert on illegal mass fishing. The caption read ‘When
you fish. Think panda.’ And a bulky bag of dead, blood-smothered
pandas was emerging from the sea. So now, whenever I see fish,
or any other animal for that matter, I think panda, I think of the
careless poachers, I think of what can be done.
Freedom
of Speech
In Britain, we live in a society where we are free to do as
we please, as long as the law permits it. We are not under
extreme control from the government. The government is
not trying to restrict us from doing what every human has a
right to do. Freedom is a gift. Freedom is power.
We are free to speak out and openly express an opinion
towards something. Yet we should not abuse the power that
we have been blessed with. I agree, we should be allowed to
give an opinion for something. Yet we should always think
before we give our view towards something. You should
always ask, what is it that I am saying? Who is it aimed at?
What are the consequences of what I am going to say?
I strongly disagree with the cartoon published by French
newspaper Charlie Hebdo. It was created in order to make a joke,
but what was published was not a joke. It was offensive to millions
of Muslims across the world. However, I also strongly disagree
with the attack on the Charlie Hebdo headquarters. The cartoon
creators had freedom to produce such an offensive cartoon. They
abused that power. It is the same with the attackers.
We are lucky in Britain to have the power of freedom.
We can’t take that power and use it to cause harm, or
offence. We should use that power to do good things for
the world.
In some countries, for example, North Korea, basic
actions are forbidden by the government. Citizens of North
Korea cannot leave the country without permission and,
most of the time, people are denied access because they
are considered to not have a good enough reason. People
are even forbidden to travel within the country, without
permission. Freedom is independence. These people don’t
have that freedom.
In Britain I can openly criticise the Government without
the fear of being prosecuted. In North Korea, people are sent
to political prison camps. Freedom of speech doesn’t exist in
North Korea, where people have no access to the Internet,
or tuneable radios. There are only a handful of TV channels,
picked by the Government, so that propaganda supporting
the State isn’t interfered with. Landline and mobile phones
can only make calls within the country. Freedom is knowledge.
These people don’t have that knowledge.
Spreading religious ideas and views can lead to harsh
punishment including being sent to political prison camps,
or even public executions. Public executions are used to
inflict fear into people to keep them in order. Freedom is
religion. These people don’t have that freedom.
So to conclude, I would like to say that we are
very lucky to have been gifted with freedom. Freedom
is a blessing. Freedom is a power. We cannot abuse our
power to cause suffering, like in North Korea or any other
dictatorships. Every human being has a right to freedom of
religion, freedom of independence, freedom of knowledge,
freedom of speech. We should use our power to make
these things possible for every single person in the world.
Jamal Hussain 9N
Thomas Bartlett 9N
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
37
Extended Project Specification
The EPQ allows each student to embark on a largely self-directed and self-motivated project. Students must choose a topic,
plan, research and develop their idea and decide on their finished product.
The EPQ encourages creativity and curiosity and though the project may be directly related to a student’s main study
programme, it should look beyond the exam specification.
In the following extracts, James Dutton takes us through the
ideas leading to his dissertation.
To what extent is T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land a poem offering
redemption to 1920s Western Culture, rather than condemnation?
Literature Review
Development
In a description of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land, I. A. Richards stated that
the poem explored a ‘sense of desolation, of uncertainty, of futility, of the
groundlessness of aspirations, of the vanity of endeavour’; it is precisely
this perception of the poem that I challenge in my EPQ.
I chose to write my dissertation on The Waste Land after wider reading
of modernist novels regarding the evolving society of the 1920s; my process
of choosing which texts to read largely consisted of researching famous
authors at the time, then choosing which novels to read based on academic
and popular opinion. This initial reading varied from Evelyn Waugh’s
typically Londonesque satirical comedy Vile Bodies to Fitzgerald’s tragic The
Great Gatsby, set in the fictional town of West Egg in the USA. I found that
analysing and comparing a variety of books written by the Lost Generation
of authors proved to be a hugely expansive aim, and didn’t prove in depth or
specific enough for my EPQ dissertation due to the vast number of themes,
allusions and contexts that would be covered for each book. Upon reading
The Waste Land I was both confused and intrigued by the fragmentary and
revolutionary style of T. S. Eliot’s poem as well as the numerous allusions
to other works of literature, finding it a far stretch from the ‘waste paper’
that Charles Powell described it as in his 1923 Manchester Guardian review.
The common belief regarding The Waste Land is that it is a poem
written and designed to mock, condemn and doom the Roaring Twenties
society of the post WWI era; Edmund Wilson states that the poem portrays
‘the starvation of a whole civilisation’. When collecting and reading the
sources I have used in my dissertation, and before deciding on my final title,
I was struck by how little argument or discussion I discovered on this point.
Upon my own personal analysis of The Waste Land I considered a number
of opposing interpretations of the poem. I discovered that because of the
naturally subjective aspects of practical criticism there were both points
that I disagreed with, and points that I felt were completely neglected, such
as the portrayal of humans as a potential saviour of The Waste Land when
depicted as the vital water that the poem seems to lack. Perhaps the most
interesting point that I considered when comparing my interpretation with
those of the last century was the idea of condemnation vs redemption, and
that is why I chose to write my dissertation on this topic.
Sources
Though Robert Wilson’s ‘Is there hope in The Waste Land?’ seems the most
relevant to my dissertation title – it is an essay dedicated to emphasising
positive aspects of the poem - I found a number of weaknesses with this
source. One weakness may be that despite offering a number of valid and
interesting points regarding redemption in the poem, such as the emergence
of lilacs from supposedly ‘dead’ earth, it was largely vague and lacking
in analysis of the poem as a whole, ignoring or skipping over prominent
passages that may pose challenging rather than offering an alternative
interpretation. This may be contrasted with another essay found in the same
collection of sources, Cedric Watts’ ‘The Last 10 Lines of The Waste Land’.
Watts’ essay is a much closer analysis of a limited passage in the poem, yet
I saw this as a positive, offering a number of detailed and rich points, such
as Dante’s refining fires acting as a salvation from purgatory, as well as the
inspiration to take my own personal analysis of the poem even deeper.
One potential weakness of these two sources is that both were written
and commissioned for a Longman Literature Guide, rather than written
individually for academic interest. This may suggest that although still valid,
the two sources offer no new or revolutionary interpretations of The Waste
Land, instead re-examining previously explored points in a more accessible
38
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
way for the ‘literature students’ that the book was designed for. Alternatively,
this design and reason for the Longman Literature Guide essays may be
seen as a strength due to the reputable authors commissioned to write the
essays. The sources that I have used in my dissertation from the guide were
written by a teacher and author working at Merchant Taylor’s School and
a Professor of English at Sussex University; these are therefore more valid
than sources written by those less knowledgeable in the field of English
Literature, examples of which include the numerous online dissertations
written by students that I avoided when collecting my EPQ sources.
Another valuable collection of sources used when researching my
dissertation was the Casebook Series’ ‘Critical Essays on The Waste Land’.
Unlike the Longman Literature Guide, this collection compiles a variety
of the most famous and influential reviews, analyses and essays on the
poem, providing a diverse area of information from multiple perspectives.
The sources included in the collection may also be trusted as both
valid and reliable, as they are selected as the ‘best’ of modern criticism
by academics and authors of the Department of English, University of
Manchester. Examples of the highly respected and admired writings in the
collection may be I. A. Richard’s ‘Principles of Literary Criticism’ and William
Empson’s ‘Seven Types of Ambiguity,’ both influential along with a number
of T. S. Eliot’s essays in developing the ‘New Criticism’ of the 20th century.
Strengths of the range of writings included in the Casebook Series may be
seen in the essay ‘An Anatomy of Melancholy;’ in a 1966 prefatory note to
his 1923 essay, Conrad Aiken wrote retrospectively on his friendship with T.S.
Eliot, his influence on shaking Eliot’s inspirational block, and his part in the
revolutionary meeting of Eliot and Pound. This may be seen as a strength
as the source provides not just an interesting essay written within a year of
the poem’s publication, useful in identifying immediate reactions sparked by
The Waste Land, but also a personal reflection that is subject to the context
of the new and evolved era of the late 20th century; this is an aspect that the
majority of sources on the topic cannot offer.
Perhaps the most important information I collected when researching
my EPQ was information written or spoken by T.S. Eliot himself, coming from
his Letters concerning The Waste Land and Thoughts After Lambeth amongst
other sources. As is common with authors, it is difficult to be confident that
all information stated is genuinely true, this is particularly prominent when
evaluating the validity of quotes and ideas when looking at Eliot and what
he said regarding The Waste Land. One example of an untruthful claim may
be the genuine nature and intention of the Notes to The Waste Land, which
Eliot claimed were included to ‘provide a few more pages of printed matter’,
a claim which has since been proved untrue by Sultan’s chronology in Eliot,
Joyce and Company. The Notes have been a prominent topic of analysis when
looking at the poem as a whole for the past 100 years; this may be seen in
Peter Middleton suggestion that ‘academic interpretation of The Waste Land
has gone straight along the paths laid out by those footnotes’. As such
Eliot’s intentions behind them are left purposefully ambiguous, perhaps best
characterised in Eliot’s confession ‘that I am, on one conspicuous occasion,
not guiltless of having led critics into temptation’. It is also worth noting that
The Waste Land itself was not solely the work of T. S. Eliot; instead it was
heavily edited by a fellow modernist author, Ezra Pound. In a stanza of his
short mock poem, Sage Homme, regarding The Waste Land, Pound writes:
‘If you must needs enquire
Know diligent Reader
That on each Occasion
Ezra performed the caesarean Operation.’
The changes suggested by Pound are extensive, and can reliably be
studied in Faber & Faber’s The Waste Land Facsimile; this is important
to consider as the overall shape, tone and allusions in Eliot’s poem were
not solely his, and therefore may lack validity if considered to represent
the author’s true, untainted stance on the society of the post WWI era.
Literary Competition 2014
Prizes
Prizewinners:
Year 7 Poetry Prize: William Noakes 7F
Year 7 Story Prize: Sidhant Rao 7T
Year 8 Poetry Prize: Nick Bush 8T
Year 8 Story Prize: Ayodele Andrews 8C
Year 9 Poetry Prize: Sam Finkelstein 9G
Year 9 Story Prize: Ethan Honey 9G
Highly Commended Writing:
Aron Finkelstein 7G
Reuben Gluck 8C
Tom King-Cline 8C
Tommy Wheeler 7C
The annual Literary Competition began three years ago and has grown in popularity and varies
in structure each year, but culminates in the presentation of extracts of work by winners and
runners up at the Literary evening, just before the end of the Summer term.
The writing competition, open to years 7 to 10, is based around a theme, which is often
very imaginatively interpreted. In 2014 the theme was ‘Hidden’ and this year it was ‘Flight’.
This year, the small folder of entries received by the day before the closing day, became an
overflowing box of over one hundred high- quality poems and short stories. We are very grateful
to all the students who took the time to enter the competition.
In addition, we have had poetry recitation competitions for Year 10, in which students
learn a poem by heart and then compete in performance on stage. 2015 saw the introduction of
a competition in persuasive speaking in Year 9 and revealed a number of passionate concerns
including the fate of snails, pandas, and the reputation of Belgium (sadly the copy of the last
speech was unavailable).
GA
Sidhant Rao
from Insanity
Insanity little by little lost its grip over people, its supremacy declining.
It was less feared among the sane, less worshipped among the
religious, until the number of Madmen left was dwindling, so much so
that you could count their numbers on your fingers. But the happiness
first brought by Insanity’s liquidation wasn’t to last long. Towns,
cities, even entire countries had been ravaged by the tornado that
was Insanity. These had to be rebuilt, foundations of a new society be
structured.. It gave Humanity a chance to start again, realise the wars
shouldn’t be between them, but against the world…….
Nick Bush
from Hidden in Plain Sight
A man, a dreamer
Dreaming from his sleep, acting in reality.
A revolutionary wanting to make his footprints
On the untouched snowy plaing of history.
His life-long idea, so close
A medicine, maybe, the lay-lines that connect us
Has to be solution to the world’s woes.
A man, dedicated to the cause of his life
Since he was a child, campaigning for rights,
The answer to our existence
Aron Finkelstein
from Hidden Voice
Beads of sweat trickled down his neck as he struggled in his chair,
the ropes slowly burning his bare skin. “I bet you’re wondering how
you got here,” a deep, hollow voice bellowed. Clarkson froze, alarmed
and mystified by the strange voice; the speech had stopped abruptly,
leaving the cold cell in empty silence. The room that he’d been stranded
in had been painted with an eerie black on all sides and, except for a
camera in the corner, it was dreadfully bare. Soon he realised there was
no entrance or exit. Clarkson was trapped…..
Hidden in plain sight
Searching, searching
The long quest of a man’s short life, now done;
The key to happiness, the answer to self –exploration
Will always be unknown.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
39
Literary Competition 2014
Sam Finkelstein
from The Colour of Screaming
A barrage of words
Meaningless and shallow,
Echoes past memories.
Shellshocked.
She cried a silent tear in the bathroom.
His clothes lay on the bed.
His closet was empty.
She gazed at them,
Reuben Gluck
from The Painting
Her hair was ruined; she was tired and upset. He sat down on the bed,
his hands covering his face. They were both sick of searching. Eliza
staggered up to Noah’s cupboard, the one place where she hadn’t
looked. As she opened it, she saw a small orange glimmer. She ignored
it and shut the door, but as she shut it, a painting fell out. It was the
painting that she had been looking for all this time, but it was not of
a beautiful savannah anymore. Instead it was simply a messy blur of
colours. The frame was smashed and the canvas had a huge, gaping
hole in it. Eliza looked up at her brother as he stood there, his hand
behind his back and his cheeks soaked red with guilt.
Limp and helpless.
A bottle of expensive wine
Found itself leaking onto the floor.
A tired eye
Was not relieved
William Noakes
from Hidden
By the monotonous prospect
She smiled, but it was transparent like glass,
Of the boxes under the bed.
I was foolish to be blinded by love,
Her stunning beauty played me like a beating drum,
But now I am all-knowledgeable of her terrorising sadness,
Like a desolate lair she calls her own.
Ayodele Andrews
from Triggers
When a gate opens in broad daylight, in a prison, only one thought
embellishes itself in your mind– escape. No matter how intelligent or
clever you are, the fantasy of escape intensifies in your mind until the
thought invades your mind completely, compelling you to fulfil its wish.
Jake Ryan wasn’t different from anyone else, in this respect.
Jake Ryan was a twenty-seven year old, stubborn character. His brown
eyes concealed most emotions but portrayed his anger. He loathed the
justice system and put his hate for the system in his tough workout
sessions. His muscles begged for room in his pale yellow (previously
white) vest. His muscles would have to keep begging…..
I knew from that day on that she had her worries,
And I was no hero, but a passing fancy,
Of what was once and shall never be again,
The hope and joy of happiness,
The likes of which she cannot feel
Tom King-Cline
From Parental Guidance
Have you ever really thought
‘Bout all the lies that you were taught?
To keep you out of troubles’ way,
Ethan Honey
from Eyes Open
A stream of cold air smacked me in the face. My skin felt like crystals
of ice, each cell now a snowflake. I pulled my coat on tighter, and
examined the surreal environment. A leaf caught my eye. About
as big as my hand. Its glaucous exterior was tinted white from the
moonlight, and was lined with tiny triangular spikes, creating a deadly
serrated edge, like a fence around an ancient tribal village. You could
see silhouettes of its veins on its underside. A main stem entered the
leaf, splitting into numerous smaller strands; these smaller strands
diverting into tiny ones, creating a myriad of endless roads, a fractal
of small canals carrying water and nutrients to keep the plants alive.
This leaf shining in the moonlight and glinting in the dew created an
incredible picture ,displaying the real beauty of nature…..
To keep you calm,
To make you stay.
And did you ever really fall
For that stack of fibs piled up so tall?
The countless questions left unanswered;
‘Are we there yet?’
‘Can we please drive faster?’
But these untruths are always told.
They never seem to get that old.
Passed down by each generation,
To help you out
In all situations.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Literary Competition 2015
Reciter
Benedict Longstaff
Callum Crockford
Oliver Kent
Adnaan Ali
Poem
Ozymandias
Langley Lane Beowulf
The Beast in Space
Poet
Percy Shelley
Jacob Polley
The Beowulf Poet
W. S. Graham
Short Story (Highly Commended)
Arzan Sukhia (8F)
Owen Lawson (8G)
Ben Post (7B)
Year 9 Public Speaking Competition Winners
Abhay Suji - Homophobic Language
Nikhil Thadani-Six - Belgium
Tom King-Cline - Fakes
Ben Jones – Snails
1st - Benedict Longstaff (10B)
2nd - James Bourke (8B)
Poetry Winners
1st - Tom King-Cline (9C)
2nd - Charley Smith (8G)
3rd - Will Noakes (8F)
3rd - Shyam Chandarana (7P)
3rd - Ethan Honey (10G)
Short Story Winners (Year 9 & 10)
1st Kieran Knight (10F)
2nd Kushal Thobani (9T)
3rd Ayodele Andrews (9C)
Short Story Winners (Year 7 & 8)
1st Christopher Tang (8T)
2nd Joe Page (8G)
3rd Marco Marabese (7N)
Tom King-Cline
from All About Me – The Humble Bumblebee
I am a bumblebee you see.
Who stung you last? It was not me.
For I am temperate, kind and male,
Therefore I have no jabbing tail.
We are quite gracious in our ways,
Unlike the pointy wasps these days;
We eat sweet nectar with tasty pollen,
While they eat grubs and fruit gone rotten.
Only the women have a spike,
Yet would not ever dream to strike!
No bee of the of the bumble community
Is like the wasp of pure cruelty.
I do admit, we’re rather round,
But that helps us with our buzzing sound.
The cheerful, seasonal vibrations,
We take with us to all locations.
Our coat of stunning patterns and colours
Bears no resemblance to the others.
Malicious wasps, hornets, horseflies…
Don’t appeal to human eyes.
Charley Smith
from Free
Its hell in there, it’s hard to believe,
But no-one comes out the same.
I thought that I would be fine, but, trust me,
Prison is never a game.
After a couple of months, I knew,
It wouldn’t be as I had thought.
I pleaded to the police, “I’m not guilty!”
But I was the one who was caught.
Maybe I’m not always lawful,
My first heist was at twenty-three.
But I’ll never be a murderer,
And this one, wasn’t me.
Nobody knows it, no one but me,
Even after all these years.
I’ve been chained up, trapped for eternity,
I faced all my wildest fears.
Now you can call me a criminal,
A thief or a burglar too,
But one thing I’m not is a liar,
To my conscience I always stay true.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
41
Literary Competition 2015
Shyam Chandarana
The True Meaning Of Flight
At first there was nothing
And there was something
And soon they understood
There is more to flight
Than the wings of a plane
Than the graceful glide of a bird
There is flight as to flee
There is flight when all’s right
And success carries you into the air
But flight still exists
Beyond the confinements
That living in a real world brings
As their minds wander free
They see all the things
That cannot be seen with an eye
Will Noakes
Angels Can Fly
Flight.
Soaring through the skies at a
breakneck pace.
Ashamed and traumatised,
Her life’s been a disgrace.
She’s been treated cruelly,
Mocked, harmed and berated,
Bullied, excluded, kicked to the
ground,
Yet fuelled by self-hatred.
I cannot comfort her,
Nor soothe her many woes.
How can a mere mortal help?
Not even a God knows.
***
Death wouldn’t be new,
She was already dead internally,
But it would release her,
Freedom eternally,
She stood atop a towering skyscraper,
Her teary eyes began viewing,
She stepped over the ledge as I yelled,
“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!”
She was crying yet grinning,
As my heart thumped,
“Angels can fly”
She said, and jumped.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Kieran Knight
Chime! The archaic sound of the Victorian
grandfather clock permeated through the
hollows of the house- my house- like a spreading
mist determined to engulf all. Flicking through
my “Smoke and Mirrors: A Guide for Budding
Magicians” manual, reclining in my sofa of
reasonable comfort, I felt a wave of nostalgia
spreading through my innards, as I reminisced
on the job I achieved. But something seemed out
of place, giving me an unshakeable feeling of
unease.
Chime! The thick air seemed to shimmer from
the vibrations caused by the clock. Must be
only one hour. But why only one hour? And for
what? My Alzheimer’s seemed to be blocking my
path to the truth. But that is not unusual? I was
certainly ripe in years, and very healthy all things
considered, thank you very much! All that dashing
and getting out of tough scrapes on stage in all
those performances had done me good in all
(crucial) respects: health, reputation, and most
importantly, some well earned income for peace
of mind in retirement. Spiffing!
Chime! That last one seemed to leave a blow in
my abdomen, as the memories came rushing
back before my eyes. A plane. My trusty mirror. A
routine flight from London to Rome. No predicted
turbulence. As easy as pie! (Or was it Pi- Maths
was never my strong suit!)The flood began to
subside, as I could faintly hear a rap on my oak
drawing room door. Must be Ms Malaprop, handy
housekeeper extraordinaire!
Khushal Thobhani
I was free, I was finally free. I ignored the burning
in my eyes at the sunlight and let the tears stream
down my face. After two months of agonising
torture and pain I’d escaped, I’d successfully run
from the clutches of the demented group of mad
scientists. I felt like I was flying, like I was a bird,
as I fumbled clumsily through the dense forest
overgrowth, fresh wounds on my feet opening
from the stones and branches but it didn’t matter.
I was relieved and exhausted.
It was another two or free hours before I came
across a lone, relatively small diner next to a
gas station, out in the middle of nowhere by, it
seemed, a busy freeway. Clutching my broken
arm tightly to me, and waving, I winced, cursing,
as a concentrated array of bright light pierced my
eyelids. I threw my free hand up in front of my
face and turned away, disorientated. Hissing in
annoyance, I kept my eyes closed, hoping that
the constant, ear-splitting pain in my temple
would go away. A fist connected swiftly with
my face, a metal ring scraping my cheek, and
I fell backwards, banging my head against the
metal bars enclosing the cage. As I slumped, the
guards unlocked the chain holding my arm to
the wall and dragged me out, slapping handcuffs
dangerously tight on my sore wrists. My head
lolled to the side as I was forced onwards,
obediently following.
Ayodele Andrews
A collection of letters on lies,
obesity and super –flying
Dear Rose Smith,
I think that I am very ugly. No I’m horrible. I’m a
withered crippled rose who struggles to progress
in a challenge of height and popularity. Apart from
the fact that my petals fly away from me every
day, I also seem to have an ever- increasing body
mass that seems to increase the less that I eat.
Yes, it is bizarre! I check the scales everyday but
they lie to me without fail. Gosh, yes it’s flattering
but there comes an age when a girl just needs
to know the truth-without their mum’s “halftruths” or “revised answers”. Everyone says I’m
underweight. Funnily enough, Laura the school
bully tells me the truth. That I’m fat. Well at least
there is one person who can give me an accurate
account on my body mass, even if that person
is a bully. I think I’ll go to heaven, well I want to
go to heaven. I love angels. They carry me in my
sleep and dash me across the sky, letting me fall
amongst the glittered balls of light.
Well it’s time for me to stuff my excess fat in
another dress I don’t belong in. Maybe, this time
Cathy won’t leave me alone to, well, talk.
Yours Sincerely,
Ugly Rose
Arzan Sukhia
To Fly and to Ascend
Light and dark, that was all I could remember. I
knew no words, wrote no words or did not have
a word of my own, the one that defines me and
myself. I was no one, a nothing, something that
simply was ‘there.’ There was only a luminous light
up and a deep dark abyss down, and I could not go
down any farther, so I wished to go up.
I wanted to rise, I thought as I looked towards the
light. ‘What a strange thought,’ I wondered, ‘did I, do
I want simply what all people like me want, or was I
alone, isolated and different in this prison of stone
and dirt, unable to leave, to escape, to fly away.
Owen Lawson
The Gift of the Raven
As he looked out upon the land before him, he
heard the cawing and screeching of a raven above
his head. He smiled. This was his home: the cold,
barren wasteland that others saw as a blot in their
sight. They did not know. They could not get it
through their thick skulls that this place was his
home, his castle, a place where he was king. Here
he could be alone, just him and his other self.
He looked up, a smirk forming on his face, as he
felt his body slip away from him. He felt as if he was
falling, coming to crash down on the floor. Then,
suddenly, he felt everything lift, the chill of the wind
brushing against his feathers. Looking down, he
could see his human form lying limp on the ground,
the eyes shooting upwards into its head. He was
glad to be free of that body, flying in the sky.
Ethan Honey
Reciprocity
Standing by, I watch as the next bird glides away into the
caramel horizon
Extremely powerful, but with an air of gracefulness; loud,
but almost shy
Waiting for it to vanish, I recall the skidding memories:
The laughs and the cries; the shattered smiles; the
winking tears
All dissolving into history, just as sugar cubes in tea cups
Sipping at the past, I ponder on the present- where are
they now?
Why must it be so?
Because like songbirds, time must drift on, heaving the
rest of
Life with it.
And so must I.
“Flight no.LH903 to Frankfurt ready for take-off ”
“Standing by”
Ben Post
Liberty
I glanced behind myself, had I lost them? No, they were
craftier than that. Looking through the undergrowth, I
couldn’t be sure. I delved deeper into the abandoned
metro thinking that if I got caught I would be hanged….
or worse. No.
I had to think positively or fear would devour me from
the inside out. I told myself again and again that I was
innocent. I focused on my steps: left, right, left, right.
Suddenly, I felt the tunnel narrow. Dang it, I cursed.
It had been raining in France for two days now and
despite my luck, I had entered the small potholes that
they rounded us up in and killed us in after the war.
They called us traitors, people that endangered the
human race, but we were just trying to feed ourselves
and overthrow the loathsome dictatorship that has
plagued us from that moment on.
Benedict Longstaff
A story about Eilmer of Malmesbury
He jumped from the top of the belfry with elation in his heart and his
mind. For a brief, glorious moment, he was absolutely free, carried
through the air on a current of wind, rising to meet his destiny. He had
foreseen it, the fulfillment of dreams…..
Falling, falling, unremittingly through the air, terrifyingly closer,
without control, and the abbot’s words ringing through his head like a
siren: “You’ve gone insane, Eilmer.” All he knew as his body crashed to
the ground, was that he had failed.
As he regained consciousness, his immediate though was to feign
sleep again, and forever. He was alone in his sparse room, lying flat on
the wooden bed where his dreams had taken shape. He looked at the
ceiling. He was aware of a dull throb of persisting pain. The important
thing was to come, not to dwell on the failure of his flight, but to
survive the Abbot’s reprimand.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
43
TRIPS & EXCHANGES
French Strike causes Havoc with school trip
Watford Boys’ Year 8 trip to Lille encounters delays...
after workers on strike manage to set Calais ablaze.
W
hen you go on a school trip,
you would expect everything
to go smoothly and everyone
to enjoy it wouldn’t you?
Enjoyment yes, but smoothly...
NO! What started as a one-day trip turned
out to be double that because of events that
happened in Calais, after workers who were on
strike set tyres ablaze by the entrance to the
Channel Tunnel.
On 30th June, after travelling by the
normally reliable Eurostar, the boys arrived
in Lille ready to have a wonderful time and,
of course, practise their French. Andrew
Monument, one Year 8 boy, mentioned that
he “experienced a lot of the French language.”
See a star, make a wish: All Eurostar services were
cancelled, affecting Watford Boys’ return journey.
The boys explored the city for the day and saw
many interesting attractions, including “La
Vieille Bourse” and “La Grand Place.” Little
did they know about the events which were
unfolding.. .
It was 4:30pm. The boys were enjoying
themselves on a hot day, where temperatures
“soared to 40C.” As it was so hot, the Year 8s
played a game of football in the park, although
their “football got taken by some local French
people, which sparked a fight,” according to
Joe Page. Simultaneously, the teachers received
a notification about the problems. With this,
they broke the news that they were going to
stay in Lille for one more night. What could they
possibly do?
Well, something at least. The teachers,
including Mr. Carr, Deputy Head at Watford
Grammar School for Boys, managed to
organise a one-night stay at a youth hostel,
where rooms could “sleep six people...”
With no spare clothes, and no toiletries,
you may ask, “how could they possibly have
survived?”
Easy. Just ask some of the pupils. Ben
Adonis told us that the Year 8s just “bought
lots of sweets and phone adapters;” Joe
mentioned that some “had a party.” It shows
how ingenious and resourceful the boys can
be. Most of the students felt that the youth
hostel was “really good.”
Andrew, who was also celebrating his
birthday, stated that although the rooms were
Chaotic Calais:
Tyres set ablaze by Eurotunnel entrance.
hot because of the high temperatures, people
did manage to sleep.
The following day, due to the delay, they
had the opportunity to do many more things.
This included going to a museum, visiting a
zoo, but the best bit according to them was “a
free wander around the city.” They managed
to get on the train and arrived at St’ Pancras
International at 5pm British time. What a good
extra 24 hours they had!
Overall, everyone said that the trip
was brilliant and became much more of an
adventure than anticipated.
Deven Voralia 10 N interviewed Andrew Monument
8G and Joseph Page 8G
Lille Trip
Around 30 Year 8 French pupils went on a trip
to Lille (a French town located in the north of
France). We travelled to Lille using the Eurostar
and when we arrived the first thing that stood
out was the temperature. It was scorching hot,
yet we walked to la Place du Général de Gaulle
where our teachers gave us a fun quiz which
included speaking to French shop owners.
After a delicious lunch at a French buffet style
restaurant, we visited a military museum where
we learned some of the history of Lille and
got to see weapons and cannons and even a
painting that had been damaged by a German
bullet coming through the window during the
Nazi occupation. We were then taken to the park
which was conveniently beside the train station.
The plan was to take the Eurostar back to
St. Pancras; however, when news broke out that
there was a fire in the tunnel, the possibility
of staying the night in Lille dawned upon us.
Immediately, we started to pick friends we
wanted to share a room with and everyone
was so thrilled because our perfect day in
Lille became two perfect days in Lille! As the
teachers in Watford worked hard to find us
accommodation, we continued to play football
in the sizzling heat. The next morning, we had a
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
French breakfast and then spend the morning wondering through the zoo which has a surprising
variety of animals from rhinos to red pandas and macaws. For lunch we went to one of Lille’s
most historical and traditional restaurants called McDonalds. Miam miam! After lunch we finally
travelled back to England on the Eurostar.
Anvay Bitla 8G
Thorpe Park
On 8th July, 8N went on a trip to Thorpe Park because we won
the Apprentice Challenge, which involves a number of team
challenges that you have to do amongst your form. We got a
coach to Thorpe Park and we arrived pretty much on time, but
there was a little bit of traffic on the way.
When we got there, my group decided to try to get on
Swarm but sadly it was shut, so went on Nemesis Inferno
instead, which was very fast paced like many other roller
coasters but I think it was a good one to start with because I had
not been on many roller coasters for quite a while. This roller
coaster has many twists and turns and there is one point where
you do go upside down. My friend Mohammed and I decided to
sit at the back because at the back you go faster and luckily we
managed to get back seats on all of the rides.
The next ride we went on was Colossus and the queue was
one hour and fifteen minutes. But the ride was definitely worth
waiting for because it has even more twists and turns than any
other roller coaster I have been on. It went pretty fast and it
made me feel light. After that we went and got some food at KFC
and spent about half an hour at the arcade.
In the afternoon, I promised my friend James that we would
go on Tidal Wave, which is possibly the wettest I have ever got
on a water ride and I was drenched when I got off. My friend
decided to stay there and keep getting wet in the Splash Zone.
After this we thought we should go on Stealth but we heard the
queues were very long and we didn’t want to waste any time, so
we went to buy a fast pass which lets you skip the queue. We
ran to Stealth and got on the ride almost immediately. When we
got on, I started to regret the decision when Mohammed told me
how fast it went: 0 – 80 mph in 2.8 seconds. When it set off I was
having the time of my life but my friend Ash, on the other hand,
had a look of pure regret, but it was too late to get off.
After Stealth, we thought that we had to go and meet
up and start heading back to school, so we went to wait at the
entrance, but we were wrong. So we headed to Swarm again
and it had just re-opened when we got there so the queues were
really short. Ash did not want to go on it so we told him to wait
for us at the exit. We did try to convince him to come on but he
refused! Mohammed and I jumped on the ride and we zoomed
off. This ride went upside down but it was so much fun. When we
got off, Ash told us that he wished he had got on but it was too
late; we had to go and meet with the rest of the class to head
back to school.
The day was great fun and Thorpe Park is a fantastic theme park
and it was my first time there.
Zebedee Jacobs 8N
Trip to the Nissan Innovation Centre
O
n Tuesday 13th May,
science
set
8BC1
headed out to the O2
arena in Greenwich, to
pay a visit to the Nissan
Innovation Centre. I
was very fortunate to win a British Gas
competition, which gave our class the
opportunity to go on what turned out to
be a thrilling day out of school.
We left school at 8:45am to catch
the tube to our destination. Once we
stepped into the arena, we were all
buzzing and couldn’t wait to see what
the Innovation Station had to offer us.
As we entered the Nissan Centre, special
personalised I.D cards were handed out to
us all. We had to scan them in at certain
areas to record our progress and our
reviews of the station.
When everyone had finally had their
personalised cards set up, our allocated
instructors explained why the centre
was set up, and what fun things were
available to do inside. We had the rest of
the morning to do the following exciting
activities:
Reaction Tester- this consisted of
16 lights, on one board, which lit up at
different places and times. The objective
was to switch off the light by pressing
down on it at the chosen time you wanted
to play with. The tricky part was that when
you switch one light off, another light
goes on…
Test drive the Leaf (electric) car This was my favourite activity. The car was
inside the building and all four wheels
were on mini treadmills, so the wheels
were actually moving, but the car wasn’t.
When you hopped in the car to test drive,
there were screens all over the windows to
make your driving experience very realistic.
The Driver Test – This was an
interactive test on 3 big touchscreen screens.
The test included 10 questions based on
your personality and your physicality. After
you had answered them all, you had to play
a fairly hard game to help evaluate what
type of driver you really were.
The ‘what you have learned quiz?’
which tested your knowledge of Nissan
and the information that you had learnt
on the day by using your pesonalised card
to select the correct answer to multiple
choice questions.
PlayStation car game- This was the
class’s favourite activity. There were 4 sets
of PlayStations connected with steering
wheels, manual gear stick /automatic and
3 pedals. This was such a big hit in our
class that they had to set time limits for
each person.
After we finished trying out all of the
technology and activities, it was time for
lunch. Then we were ready and recharged
for our ‘New Car Creating session,’ in
which we had to design a car that you
would like to buy. It could be called
anything, have any features but not be a
model car that existed already. Once we
had all finished, we had a competition to
see whose was best.
That’s where our brilliant day out
ended. We went back on the train to
school, and arrived at school for 3:15. I
recommend everyone to go on this trip, or
just go with your family, because it is a fun
day out were you learn new and interesting
things about modern car technology.
Matteo Ponzini 8B
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
45
2014 Summer Expedition to Venezuela
A country that rolls off the tongue in mystery, suspense,
isolation. More often than not you hear on the news about
the food shortages, government corruption, and a destroyed
economy: a country where there is a shortage of toilet paper
and breast implants; a country where political campaigns centre
around the late Hugo Chávez; a country where 2 US cents gets
you 14 litres of petrol.
Venezuela was the most bizarre yet beautiful country we have
ever visited.
Stage one was acclimatisation in the north of the country,
in the Henri Pittier National Park where we had a short two-day
trek up and down, ending at Chuao beach on the Caribbean Sea.
However being our first trek, everyone had hugely over-packed
and drastically underestimated the amount of water we would
need. It was not particularly hot; however, even our local guide,
Oscar, said the humidity was extraordinary. Despite it being the
rainy season we met not a single stream where we could stop to
fill up on water. On a punishing day-long trek in 90% humidity,
we had only two litres of water each.
After another morning of trekking, we arrived at Chuao,
where we could waste away the afternoon lying on the bright
white sand beach which scorched bare feet in the midday sun,
flanked by high mountains on all three sides of the bay covered
with thick jungle. Here, our campsite for a couple of days, we
realised a life-long dream: playing beach football as the sun
goes down and swimming in the Caribbean Sea with not another
tourist in sight.
Our project phase was in one of the remote places on the
planet: the Boca de Tigre Island in the heart of the Orinoco Delta
where we were tasked with building a ‘House of Dreams’ for
the local Warao tribe. Venezuela’s government has introduced
legislation which forces establishments to have paperwork
which say they are a school or some place of education. In
doing so it makes all non-government approved schools illegal,
in effect stopping many people getting education: education
creates opposition to the government. Therefore we called it a
‘House of Dreams’.
To get our building materials there was no B&Q: Mangrove
swamps were our Homebase. Everyone thought it’d be no
problem - just a quick boat journey, chop some trees down,
bring them back, job done. Oh how wrong we were. Everybody
laughed when the first victim was claimed by knee-deep mud full
of tiny crabs that nipped at your toes. Nobody was laughing by
the end. Everybody was covered in thick, brown, sticky mud that
has to this day stained Patrick’s boxers brown as a permanent
reminder of that day wading through knee-deep mangrove
swamp.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
At this point in our expedition we very sadly had to say
goodbye to Dave Anderson who had fallen ill and had to be
taken to the nearest hospital. We wished him well, were always
thinking of him throughout the rest of the trip and he thankfully
made a good recovery.
Next came what we both regard as the highlight of the
expedition: the 6-day round trip up Mount Roraima. Any of you
who have seen Disney’s Up, about the flying balloon house
would recognise the mountain as the site of ‘Paradise Falls’ as it
was this mountain that that place is based on. The 3-day ascent
was largely easier than the first trek, but much more dangerous
as dislodging loose boulders could kill anyone who lay in their
path as they crashed down the mountainside. But the top of
this remarkable place was nothing like we’ve ever seen before.
Or ever will see again. The rocks were so bizarre that we simply
can’t describe them.
On the full day we spent on the mountain, most opted for
a shorter 10km trek which took them to see more sights on the
top, however the remaining few took the strongman 24km trek
to the Crystal Valley and then the triple-point border between
Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, something. Following the long
day of exploration on top of this other-worldly and remarkable
place, we had to endure the tough descent which knackered our
knees, having to walk back down the 45 degree slopes we had
to clamber up 2 days before.
The trip back up to the north of the country was far from
simple as bus tickets were scarce and the minibus broke down
many times but soon we were at Jakera in Playa Colorada, a
small lodge with a friendly team that organised for us to go
out Sea Kayaking to round off the expedition. We kayaked out
to a peninsula, slept in hammocks and watched the sun set on
the Caribbean Sea. Idyllic and utterly beautiful does not go far
enough to describe this small paradise on the north coast of
South America.
It was an amazing experience and although there were
highs and lows everybody thoroughly enjoyed it. We left with
incredible memories and in Ravi’s case not such an incredible
tummy. We’d like to thank Mr. Brookes and Mrs. Cox for
organising, accompanying and helping us make the expedition
as enjoyable and memorable as it was.
Patrick Norén L6P and Ravi Chauhan L6F
Europa Language
Centre for Modern
Languages
Europa 2014
Europa 2015
After just over an hour on the coach
we finally reached our destination. We
gathered our bags and went into a room,
which was like a classroom. Firstly, we
received our paper credit cards and
our group letters. Once we had settled,
each of the 5 leaders in turn introduced
themselves - in German of course! They
told us where they came from etc. We
then assembled into our groups and
ordered some German food to eat later
on. Afterwards, we walked around the
German village and our tour guides
showed us each shop and attraction and
explained to us what kind of things we
could buy there.
Later, our guides turned into shop
keepers and, speaking in German, we
used real money to buy different things.
We learned to use Euros to pay and how
to ask for various objects like fruit or
meat. After a short puppet show and
once we had eaten our food we had
ordered, we went to have lunch in the
local park. Meanwhile, we played a big
football match before boarding the coach
and arriving back to school for 2:30pm.
It was a great day out and we learnt lots of
German. I thought the part that benefitted
us the most was using German in an
every-day situation, which was great for
our experience. I thought it was a fun and
interesting day out and I would certainly
recommend it to anyone in the future.
Imagine being transported into the heart
of Germany without leaving England.
Imagine travelling through a German town
in the middle of Essex. Welcome to the
Europa Language Centre in Hornchurch.
The Europa Language centre houses
a ‘mock’ European town to allow students
to develop their modern foreign languages.
We began by entering a German
café and speaking German to our group
leader about ourselves and some of our
hobbies. After that we had the chance of
ordering an item from their German menu.
Then we took a guided tour around
the indoor German town. We went to visit
a German airport, a butcher, a fruit and
vegetable stand, a post office, a suitmaker, a house, and a local supermarket
to learn about each place and the key
words that are used there. Once we had
visited every place and spoken a bit about
them, we were asked to go to the fruit and
vegetable stand, the local supermarket
and the butcher and order items as if we
were German customers.
After we had ordered items from each
shop we watched a German pantomime about
a boy whose friend who stole his birthday
presents but eventually got found out.
We then finally said ‘Auf Wiedersehen’
to our group leaders and headed back to
England!
A group of year 7 boys who all studied
German left school at 8:30am destined for
the Europa centre for modern languages
in Essex. After a relatively short journey
on the coach, we arrived. The Europa
centre is a one storey building that is
staffed by four German people and a
French person that ran the cafe.
After a quick introduction by the team
and being told that we should only try to speak
German, we were taken on the tour of the
‘town’ that consisted of small shops that made
the inside of the building like a German street.
We learnt about different shops in
German and about buying things in Germany
and in German speaking countries like Austria.
I liked looking at the shops because in each
shop they had some information about the
owner of the shop, what his age and birthday
was and also in what type of house he lived
and what he was like. The owners were given
funny names which made looking in the shops
even more fun and exciting.
Our visit was finished by a puppet
show that was all in German and we then
answered some questions to see if we
could understand some of the German
that was being spoken.
After eating a packed lunch in a
nearby park, we spent about an hour
playing football or using some of the park
equipment which was fun. The trip home
was very uneventful and we arrived back
at school at about 2:55pm and we were
allowed to leave school early.
Tim Hire 7G
Thomas Connor 7G
Oliver Griffiths 7N
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
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The First World War Centenary
Battlefield Tour 2015
L
ast year marked the centenary of the First World War. To
commemorate the occasion, the Institute of Education
and Equity (a leading school tour provider) arranged a
Battlefields Tour, one that is open to two children from every
state school in the country.
My mum received an email that described the trip;
all you had to do was write a 500 word essay on “Why we should
commemorate World War One”. So I gave it a go and, a few hours and
half the library later, I was finished. The next day I handed my essay
in to Ms Griffin (my history teacher) and was later told that I had won
the competition. This news shocked me, as I hadn’t thought that I
would have a chance. One of my friends, Christopher, had also won the
competition, so I was very pleased! We knew that our trip would occur
at any time during 2015-19. Later we were told we would be going on
Friday March 6th 2015.
A few months later I was at Wembley Stadium, the meeting place
for the trip. At 11:45 the coach set off, headphones were plugged in
and music was turned on. The coach was like a box filled with awkward
silence as nobody knew anyone (apart from their school friend, of
course)! Each pair of children was with their teacher. There was also a
Battlefields Guide and 4 Serving Soldiers with us. It was some hours
before we reached our destination in Kent: Grosvenor Hall. That
afternoon we did some team building exercises like Jacob’s Ladder and
an assault course. During that time I made a friend, Luke, who I am still
in touch with. After enjoying a meal of fish and chips, we played sports
and used a climbing wall ‘til about nine o’clock.
The next day we packed our bags and headed to France by
Eurotunnel before driving to Belgium. There we checked into Flanders
Lodge, a really spacious hotel in Ypres.
Saturday: Ypres and the Salient: Belgium
We learned why Ypres and the surrounding area was so important to
the British in the War and how it affected ordinary people. From there
we visited the Death Cells at Poperinge. It was a very thought-provoking
and sombre experience. It was awful to think that people spent their
last hours in those confined spaces. The soldiers held in them had
drawn pictures of their wives and other soldiers, as well as inscribing
their names. There is a story that the firing squad would not know
whether or not their rifle contained a real bullet. The active soldiers that
accompanied us told us that it was just a myth. A gun with a live round
was a lot heavier and made different noises to an empty one.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Paying our Respects
At the Menin Gate, the Last Post is played every night and wreaths are
laid. So It was suggested that we took our school uniform with us. On
Saturday evening, I was picked to lay a wreath alongside Luke. It was
a great experience as the Gate is huge and contains 54,896 names of
fallen soldiers. There were over 600 people in the crowd so it was quite
a scary experience. But Luke and I, alongside the Group Captain in
our group, braved it and managed to lay down our wreath without any
accidents.
Sunday: The Somme: France
The following morning, we arrived at Thiepval Memorial, which
remembers those that fell at the Somme. It is a majestic monument
built by Sir Edwin Lutyens, who also built the Cenotaph. Its red stone
memorial stands stark against the sky. On it over 72,000 names are
carved, a mark to the terrible loss of life during the Battles of the
Somme. It was a beautiful day and very peaceful. Then we went to
the Ulster Memorial Tower. It is named after the 36th Ulster Regiment,
whose trenches have been partly excavated and restored. Looking at the
reconstructed trenches, you really get a sense of the cramped conditions
in which these men lived. You can also see the difference in height
between modern men and the soldiers from a hundred years ago.
Monday: Remembrance: Belgium
First we visited a sombre German Cemetery. The French were not keen
on allowing these at the time. We also visited Tyne Cot Memorial, the
largest cemetery built by the Common War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The 34,945 names and headstones it contains are spread over a vast,
semi-circular piece of land.
We also took part in the art project Coming World Remember
Me (www.comingworldrememberme.be/en), creating a pottery figure
forming part of a memorial to the 60,000 who died in Flanders.
After that we climbed into our coaches for the last time. It was happy
atmosphere because we were going home but it was tinged with sadness
as we were leaving our new friends. Chris and I have managed to keep in
touch with Luke and a few others, as we all live near each other.
All in all it was a well-structured and interesting trip, during which I
learnt and experienced many things while I also made some friends and
memories. It was very enjoyable, and I am very privileged to have had
the chance.
Ben Buffery 8P
WW1 Centenary Battlefield Tour
On Friday March 6th, Ben, Miss Griffin and I met with other lucky pupils and
teachers at Wembley Stadium. We were about to start on an adventure in
which we would tour many battlefields visit many cemeteries of the Great
War across France and Belgium.
When we arrived at Kingswood Grosvenor Hall we took part in
teambuilding exercises. There were climbing activities (Leap of Faith),
obstacle courses and various things to do to get to know each other better.
There were around 50 other pupils so we had to make friends!
Saturday
After a very short sleep we boarded the coach to Eurotunnel.
When we arrived at Calais, France, we went straight to visit museums
and slightly more daunting and morbid, death cells. We learnt about
why the soldiers could be punished with the death sentence from their
own country and we explored some cells where prisoners were held. You
could see markings and words scratched and scarred on the wall, symbols
like the cross and even a self portrait of a soldier. After that we visited
Lijssenthoek Cemetery and we had the privilege to see some famous war
heroes’ graves. When we checked in to our hotel in Belgium, and then went
to attend the Last Post Ceremony at Menin Gate where we laid a wreath.
After the solemn ceremony, we were allowed to go shopping. We
went round in groups of friends and we bought loads of chocolate, sugary
waffles and souvenirs. By that time it was 9:00pm and we finally slept at
1:00am.
Sunday
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast of hot chocolate and croissants,
we collected our packed lunches and headed off to Thiepval Memorial,
the biggest memorial in the world. We had an excellent tour guide and he
guided us through the ocean of memorial statues and gravestones. We
went to more cemeteries and memorial parks and we learnt a great deal
more about the tragic battle of the Somme in which 60,000 British troops
were massacred. As we left the Somme we discussed the question “Was
the Battle of the Somme really a disaster?”
Monday
In the morning we set off straight for Langemark Cemetery after breakfast.
Langemark Cemetery is one of 3 German cemeteries in Belgium and we
learnt a lot about the Germans and their impact on the war. We visited
Tyne Cot Cemetery where Miss Griffin and Ben and I searched up a soldier
who died in WW1 and who lived in Watford. We found he was missing,
presumably killed in action. After that we went to the ‘Coming World
Remember Me’ workshop where all of us would make a sculpture that
would be one of 600,000 to be displayed by the Flanders Government.
Sadly, our trip had now come to an end. The best bits about the trip
were making new friends and going to visit the battlefields. I had fun and
also learnt a lot about the war, about how it impacted ordinary people at
home and about how important it is to remember the fallen.
Christopher Tang 8T
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
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I
Year 7 Activity Week
n July, the whole of Year 7 went to two different
woods: Tolmers and Phasels. Here we were going
to spend the week taking part in lots of different
activities.
My half of the year (N, P, T and half of G) went
to Tolmers first. There, we had to put up our tents
and arrange all of our things for later. We were then briefed
on what activities we were doing that day, after which it was
time for activity number one. During our time at Tolmers
we took part in bungee trampolining, Rope-o-phobia (high
ropes), coconut tree climbing, Water Wars, rafting and
kayaking. Also, after dinner each evening, we had a choice
of things to do, including a giant inflatable slide, a sweeper
(a bit like Total Wipeout), an inflatable obstacle course, pedal
carts and Aeroball.
All of the activities were suited to different strengths,
such as technique, bravery, strength and endurance. My
personal favourite activity was Water Wars, which involved
catapulting water balloons at one another. It was so much
fun, especially when we fired them at the willing instructor!
T
Ben Smith 7N
Year 7 Trip to York
he Year 7 York trip started early, 7:00 on Sunday
morning. After a coach journey, we arrived in York,
first visiting Cliffords tower. Cliffords tower is the site
where Jews in mediaeval times were persecuted, and
died. There is still no Jewish population in York today.
The highlight of the trip for us was the Chocolate
Story. It was a tour of the history of York’s chocolate, and how
it’s made. We were also shown chocolate’s history, from the fiery
Chocolade, “Drink of the gods”, to the Spanish conquistadors who
brought it to Europe and how it arrived in York. In fact, two very
famous chocolate makers came
from York: Rowntree’s and
Terry’s. Rowntree’s is famous
for Rolos, Aeros, Polos, fruit
pastilles and Kit-Kats. Terry’s
make Chocolate oranges,
apples and lemons. After a visit
to the Youth Hostel, we went
on a very spooky ghost tour. No
one could sleep after wandering
down dark alleyways listening
to tales of Mad Alice!
The next day, everyone
went to Jorvik Viking Centre,
50
Another highlight at Tolmers was the food, which was
of a very high standard. We enjoyed cooked breakfasts
and evening meals such as barbecued chicken and pork
meatballs.
We then travelled across to Phasels Wood for the
second half of our week. At Phasels we took part in
archery, abseiling, Aeroball, rock climbing, a zip wire,
potholing, crate stacking and shelter building. There
were also evening activities such as orienteering, team
building exercises, giant table football and indoor rock
climbing.
Phasels Wood was a great place to stay and it was
a fantastic opportunity to try lots of new experiences.
Overall, the trip was tiring but great fun. We all
became much closer as friends as well as making new
friends from other classes. The whole trip was a really
good chance to experience camping as many people had
not put up a tent before! I have now got some fantastic
memories and better friends heading into Year 8.
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
a ride around a reconstructed Viking village (which some found
extremely foul-smelling), as well as a tour and a museum. Afterwards,
a man gave us a full talk about Catholics and Protestants during
Tudor times, and then gave evidence and explanations of little
parts of the York Minster. After that, everyone went home by coach,
exhausted but having had a very good time.
Written by Tom Wall (7B)
Edited by Thomas Farnsworth (7B)
O
Madrid
n Friday, we all got up early for the long-awaited trip
to Madrid. We would be staying for 3 nights and 4
days, and we all got on to the snug coach with rather
excited anticipation. In the hour it took to drive to Luton
Airport, all of us enjoyed our last hours on English soil
before flying to Madrid in good humour. Once we had
settled on the plane, some of us slept, others chatted and all of us
waited for the plane to touch down at the Barajas Airport, where we
transferred to coaches to Hostel Marlasca. There we had a decent meal
(well, no, not really, it was pretty tasteless), and went to bed, ready for
the next day when we would visit the bull ring.
The next morning we woke up early and went down to breakfast
excited about the day ahead. We went first to Sol, which is the centre of
Madrid and of course there was therefore an official Real Madrid store. In
this were lots of souvenirs and 101 euro football shirts. We then went past
the palace and to the Oeste Parque, which quite literally translates to West
Park. Inside the park were an ancient temple and some views of the rest of
Madrid, and we got a chance to play some footy, ahead of the real game.
After that we went to the royal palace, next to which is an amazing
cathedral and by chance, we saw the archbishop go in to it. At the time
we had no idea who he was, until Mrs Simons went and asked the police
officer. The Palace was full of pictures of royals and quite a lot of ceiling
pictures of angels and religious images.
Then we got on the tube and went to the Bull Ring where it’s
possible to watch bull fights in the Bull Fighting season, which had
already finished a month or two before we arrived. Nevertheless, we got
a tour of the ring where we learnt about the bulls, the fighters and so
much more. We even saw a stuffed killed bull.
We caught the train back to our hotel. On the way, it was the night of
the night of El Classico. We tried to watch the game through windows of
cafes, restaurants and bars but we couldn’t persuade Miss Henssman or
Mrs Simons to let us watch it unfortunately. All in all on our first full day in
Madrid we had a great time and after being told the score by a passer-by,
our excitement grew for our visit to the stadium the following day.
The place where we were going on Sunday was one of the main
reasons why people went on this trip as this was the day of the visit to the
Bernabeu Stadium! After half and hour our tour began and we went into the
changing rooms, the seating areas, and the trophy room and yes, we also
went into the stands where managers usually sit. Some of us even sat on
the benches in the changing rooms saying, “I probably sat where Messi also
sat!” as we went there the day after the Barcelona vs Real Madrid match.
We weren’t able to see the Rena Sofia arts centre as we were at
the Bernabeu for too long, queuing up to buy all sorts of Real Madrid
merchandise.
We went to a train station memorial in memory of the 2004 Madrid
Train bombings. We also went inside the train station and saw a mini
rainforest habitat with turtles roaming around in the water.
After another game of football at the Parque de Retiro we returned
to the hotel for a much better meal than the previous night.
And so the trip was about to come to an end. However, we still had
plenty to see. First, we went to the Puerta del Sol, where we went to Football
Mania (again!), and subsequently went to the Plaza Mayor, which was sadly
being refurbished. Close to the Plaza Mayor was an interesting market
place, which was filled with all manner of goods for sale. One stall featured
a swordfish with a sword one metre long. Then we were allowed some free
time to shop in the Puerta del Sol (for most of us this involved going to
more football stores), and all too soon, we were getting our suitcases, and
travelling back to Barajas airport.
Our plane was delayed slightly, but before long we were on the airplane
and flying back to England. The trip was fun, interesting and informative; our
teachers Mrs Simons and Miss Hensman were good-natured and good
guides, and we all got to use at least one sentence in Spanish while we
were there: Hablas Ingles? (Do you speak English?)
Sam Benson 9P
Hanyun Liu 9C
Harshul Jolly 9C
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Dive Malta
U
nlike all of the annual ski trips, Dive Malta was a brand
new and exciting type of school trip. It took place in the
October half-term of 2014, on the islands of Malta and
Comino. The pupils taking part ranged from Year 9 to
year 11 and the group was led superbly by Mr Coren who
was brilliantly accompanied by Mr Jacobs and Mr Howe.
The meeting time of 4a.m. on the departure day only added to the
students’ apprehension about what this never-attempted-before trip
would be like. Thankfully, no one managed to forget their passport and
everything ran smoothly through the airport. The flight was also fine,
though some of the Year 11s claimed that the presence of a netball team
on the same flight made it seem to pass more quickly.
When we arrived, we were welcomed by a local driver and we piled
into a minibus. Unfortunately for the Year 11s, there wasn’t enough
room for the members of the netball team, but some GCSE geographical
debates about the economical, environmental and social state of Malta
swiftly took their place.
The hotel we were staying at was named the Porto Azzuro and
was nicely located in St Paul’s Bay and provided beautiful views (from
some rooms). The staff were extremely welcoming, struggling with
the language barrier and were fortunately very reasonable (once Mr
Coren had done some sweetening up) when it came to the issue of lost
or broken keys. They were also additionally accommodating when a
makeshift classroom was needed for the theory side of Scuba diving,
which then allowed us to get even more Scuba diving done.
The Scuba diving school we were using was called New Dimension
Scuba and was owned by a lovely English couple. Toby, the husband,
was extremely helpful, knowledgeable and friendly, and depite renaming
Mr Coren ‘Mr Cohen’, made our trip very productive and enjoyable. All
instructors were outstandingly knowledgeable and patient making every
boy’s trip even more enjoyable.
The actual Scuba diving we did at first consisted of very small
drives in the small bay 20 metres from the dive school front door, and
involved performing the skills required to pass the PADI course. We later
dived where the film ‘World War Z’ was filmed to see a small shipwreck.
After that we dived at a place called Cirkewwa (chick-ow-a) which had
amazingly clear waters and a statue of the Virgin Mary in and underwater
cave. Our final dive was an amazing experience. We met at the Dive
school and packed all of our stuff onto the trucks before being driven to
Cirkewwa again. From there we moved all of our gear onto a boat, and
sped over to Comino, a neighbouring island. This was a boat dive, so we
jumped straight off the boat and did some cave diving and saw some
beautiful marine life. We then grabbed some lunch on Comino, before
making our last dive where we got to go through a wreck of a P-29. For
me this was the highlight of the trip and most of the group agreed.
On the final day, we visited a local aquarium, which not only tied in
nicely with the trip, but provided a well suited ending. The trip was such
a success that it is being run again this year with not only practically all of
the original students, but almost double the number of boys. From all the
boys, I would like to say a massive ‘thank you’ to all of the instructors, Mr
Jacobs, Mr Howe and, of course, Mr Coren for organising a brilliant trip
that I believe is one of the best on offer at WBGS.
Colm Finnegan. 9B
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
O
Classics Trip 2014
ur trip began on Saturday the 5th of April at 10:00am.
We set off to Gatwick Airport with Mr and Mrs Pegler,
Mr Coren, Mrs Cox and Mr Glass as our guides and
guards. After taking off around 3pm, we were in the air
for 2 hours before we touched down at Rome Fiumicino
Airport. We were greeted by a very friendly Italian agent
and took a coach from the airport to Hotel Marco Aurelio on the outskirts
of the city. We had time for our first Italian meal (pasta!) and then settle
in to our rooms ready to start our week.
Sunday was a bright and early start. Arriving at Ostia Antica, the
port of Rome, around 8:45am. Mr Pegler took us on a guided tour of the
sprawling ruins of the Roman city, passing through the ancient cemetery,
theatre, temples, baths, fire station and toilets. We had the chance to
go underground a few times as Mr Pegler knew which places to find
the secret entrances to go into basements and tunnels. We departed
Ostia after lunch and after an hour long coach trip arrived at The
Colosseum, one of the oldest and greatest amphitheatres still standing.
We proceeded to the nearby famous Forum Romanum and had a quick
tour of the heart of Ancient Rome. Then we climbed up the Capitoline Hill
and took a lift up to the Panoramic Terrace on the top of the vast Vittorio
monument, giving an absolutely breath-taking view over Rome from
its highest point. Exhausted, we took the Metro back to the hotel, had
dinner, packed our bags and went to bed as anyone still awake would be
killed by Mr Pegler.
Monday was going to be big, as we were planning on visiting the
Vatican, the Vatican Museums, St Peter’s, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon
and the Spanish Steps. We first checked out of Hotel Marco Aurelio as
we had to move to another hotel for that night, but we got on our way
into the city quickly. The Vatican Museums were enormous and stuffed
with statues of emperors and gods, but the main highlight was the
stunning Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. Unfortunately lots of
people got lost and it took a while for everyone to reach the exit! Once
we had regrouped we saw a lot of the famous sights of the city, such as
the Pantheon (which looked just like Alwin Prabu’s model) and then we
were forced to climb to the top of the all the steps of the Spanish steps.
On Tuesday we visited the Catacombs of San Sebastiano. It was
an interesting place, with long underground tunnels lined with tombs
and all spooky dark. After the catacombs we took a stop at the Circus
of Maxentius, a well preserved chariot race-track where we could have
some races of our own. Then we were back on the coach from the capital,
heading south for our next base, Sorrento in the Bay of Naples. We left
the catacombs at around 12:30pm and we knew it was going to be a
four hour drive at least to the Hotel Londra. Of course we stopped, not
only for lunch but also to explore Cassino, site of the famous World War
2 battle. We visited the Commonwealth War Cemetery and then drove
up the huge Monte Cassino to see the famous monastery, totally rebuilt
after its destruction in the war.
After arriving at the hotel and having dinner, we explored Sorrento.
It was a nice town, on the coast. The best thing about the town was the
fact that there were many many ice-cream shops open. Akash Kataria’s
eight-scoop tub was one of the highlights of that day, but Mrs Cox’s
dance down the street was by far the best part of that day, by a long way.
Wednesday was a jam-packed day, with visits across the Bay of
Naples. We visited the huge Pozzuoli amphitheatre, the Roman/Greek
ruins of Cumae, Baiae castle and the Solfatara (Sulphur) volcanic zone,
which smelt like three rotten egg mayonnaise sandwiches with a hint of
dead fish. We took a coach back to the hotel and, after dinner, went to
bed exhausted.
The next day was probably the best day on the trip as we would be
visiting the ancient city of Pompeii, which was destroyed and preserved
by a pyroclastic flow in AD 79. We spent the whole day exploring the
ruins. There were perfectly preserved mosaics and paintings and the
plaster casts of the people who died that day in Pompeii. There were
men, women and children and even some animals, killed instantly by the
pyroclastic flow. We spent the whole day and still didn’t see everything
(we missed the brothel) but saw hundreds of houses, shops, temples,
streets and, of course, the House of Caecilius. Mr Pegler seemed to know
everything, or at least pretended to. We returned to the hotel and just
had enough energy to get more ice-cream in Sorrento again.
On Friday we climbed to the summit of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano
that destroyed Pompeii and the neighbouring town of Herculaneum,
which we visited the next day. The summit was massive, and our guide
explained how the eruption in AD 79 had created a smaller volcano inside
the bigger one. We visited Naples National Archaeological Museum
which contained all the art treasures found in Pompeii (and there were
thousands) before returning to the hotel for dinner.
Saturday was the last day of the trip. After checking out of the hotel
we had a last shopping chance in Sorrento, where Harry Clements bought
a… rather interesting key ring. We explored the ruins of Herculaneum,
where a cellar was discovered holding at least a dozen skeletons. We
checked into Naples Airport and rushed to the McDonald’s across the
street. After departing Naples around 9:15pm we arrived at Gatwick
around 11:30pm. It was quite a long coach trip back to school, but it was
good to be back. Thanks to Mr Pegler and all the teachers, everyone
arrived home alive and in one piece. Well, almost everyone.
Darryl Giffts-Walker 10F
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
53
W
Classics Trip to Italy 2015
ith the start of our GCSE studies in sight, and
after having been bombarded with end of KS3
tests, summer half term break is a much needed
rest that we all look forward to. However, a large
chunk of boys can look forward to it, especially as
they know that in just a few days time, they will be
trekking through Rome, Naples and Pompeii, gazing at the enchanting
constructions left behind by the Ancient Romans and absorbing as
much culture as Mr Pegler can cram into them. Of course, the highly
revered Classics Trip isn’t just about sightseeing and adventuring. You
get the full Italian package when you sign up for this trip, complete
with authentic pizza, pasta and ice cream, wild and high octane coach
journeys, perpetually sunny skies, and swarms of cunning but charming
selfie-stick sellers who will tie a piece of string to you, then sell it to you
for a Euro. That is, if the teachers don’t swoop in at the last moment and
save you from spending your whole trip’s cash on a flour-filled rubber
ball with a smiley face drawn on it.
Our heroic cast of teachers included the ever-witty Mr Coren, coolas-a-cucumber Mr Howe, and the dynamic duo of Ms Glover and Ms
Griffin, all of whom truly made the trip exciting and entertaining, whilst
still looking after 42 boys, all eager to explore the intricacies of ancient
Rome. Naturally, someone had to look after the teachers too, and that
responsibility fell to Mr Pegler, the Classics God-King, who would lead
everyone through the streets of Rome as if he knew them like the back
of his hand. Thanks to the flawlessly crafted schedule, we would turn
up to the cultural sites with plenty of time to look around. There is a
new wonder around every corner in Italy, each one as breath-taking
as the last. The amazement is shared between the students and the
teachers, and even after the countless times Mr Pegler has gone on this
trip, his enthusiasm hasn’t dampened, as he demonstrates, by eagerly
explaining each half-collapsed pillar and every Pompeiian house with
the same detail as the first.
Unlike most school trips, this one didn’t demand us to wake up at
ridiculous times in the middle of the night, instead allowing us to sleep
and turn up for 11:00 a.m. After loading your bags onto the coach and
making drawn out goodbyes to family, you can plonk yourself down on
the coach next to a friend and watch your old, boring school life drift
away, utilizing this coach time to come up with your new Italian name
and identity.
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The flight went pretty smoothly, and it wasn’t long before we were
in the evening sunshine of Rome. The first evening was spent solely
turning up to our hotel and dining in the Grotta Azzurra restaurant,
enjoying our first authentic pizza of the trip. After the meal we returned
to the hotel, where we were able to finally settle down and get ready for
the next day, which was arguably the most jam-packed day of the trip.
After a hearty breakfast, we set off early in the morning towards
Vatican City. Once again, Mr Pegler pulled through, arriving at the
Vatican mere seconds before the ridiculous (in length) queues turned
up, allowing us an easy passage inside. Once there, we could admire
the beautiful architecture and design of St Peter’s Basilica, as well as
climb up the 551 steps to get to the dome at the top for a fantastic view
of Rome and the Vatican, which is definitely worth doing. After we had
our fair share of Pope bobble-heads and Holy Water souvenirs, we left to
get lunch, and then to seek out the other landmarks on our international
scavenger hunt. We spent some time exploring Piazza Navona, browsing
the shops and avoiding the ‘street merchants’.
The Pantheon was next on the list for us, and it was an amazing
sight to see the dense sunbeam shine down upon the glossy marble
floor. After resting our feet in the Pantheon, our search
for the Spanish Steps began. With each set of stairs we
passed came the inquiry “These are the Spanish steps,
right?” followed by an uncertain, ‘probably’ from any one
of the teachers, except maybe Mr Coren, who replied
with a convincing ‘Yeah, these are the ones. Just have a
seat at the bottom whilst we all go… over here.’
We finished our day’s sightseeing by going to the
panoramic terrace on top of the Vittorio monument,
getting a good view of the city, and then heading back
to the hotel for another meal and rest for the next day.
On Tuesday, we took the metro to the Colosseum,
which felt a lot larger than you see in pictures. As soon
I left the station and looked up, the sheer magnitude of
the construction overwhelmed me, and I continued to be
astounded as we circled around. We spent most of the
morning there, roaming around and imagining what it
would have been like in its glory days. Once we were all
assembled again, we set off for the Palatine hill, where
we looked around the ancient palace of Romulus, the
founder of Rome. It was situated right beside where the
Circus Maximus was, giving us an insight on just how
massive it was. We filled ourselves up on food from the
mostly pizza-selling shops, and took a coach journey to
the catacombs of San Sebastiano. The dark network of
tombs weren’t as spooky as most had hoped, but with
the help of our little tour guide, we were able to safely
navigate through and emerge with most boys still in tow.
We returned to the hotel that evening, where we packed
our things up ready for our trip to Sorrento the next day.
Whilst on our way, we stopped off at Ostia Antica, an abandoned
Roman village which remained mostly intact. We were allowed to roam
the ruins freely, walking through houses and climbing up stairs that
led to crumbled walls. Lots of intricate mosaics were spread across the
floors, and we also snuck into the tunnels underneath the ruins and
explored in the dark, damp passageways. After our fun underground,
we assembled again and travelled back to the coach, in which we drove
to Monte Cassino, a rebuilt monastery which was destroyed during
WWII. Of all the stunning locations and beautiful creations we saw over
the whole trip, none could compare to this incredible church. Words
cannot truly describe the majesty of this place. It was so overwhelmingly
spectacular that many boys, myself included, couldn’t help but feel
touched by the thoughtful architecture and sacred vibe that this place
emanated. It was eventually time to leave Monte Cassino, as we had to
head off to the Panorama Palace Hotel, our new place of residence for
the rest of the trip.
Thursday came round, and we left our hotel and set out for Pompeii
by coach. We had the entire day ahead of us to explore Pompeii, but
before we entered, we split up into two groups led by Mr Pegler, Ms
Griffin and Ms Glover and the other group was led by Mr Howe, Mr Coren
and Mario, our wild Italian tour guide. I was with Mario, as he raced
through the crowds of people leaving us in his wake. Although at times
he could be hard to understand, and would also shout abuse at any
nearby groups who dared to make a noise in his presence, we couldn’t
help but love him anyway for the 75 minutes we were with him. After we
were finally relieved of his presence, a more relaxed and audible tour
guide took over going by the name of Luigi, aka Mr Coren. We enjoyed a
more casual trip around Pompeii compared to Mr Pegler’s group (who I’m
sure learnt more about Pompeii than any Italian tour guide could teach
them), admiring its undeniably Roman layout and what would have been
luxurious facilities. We got especially involved when we came round
to the Pompeiian theatre and smaller amphitheatre. I was especially
nervous, as I even performed my famed snail speech at the theatre
(which won me 1st place in the school public speaking competition) to
150 odd strangers, which fortunately received impressive reception and
applause. After the excitement of the theatre, we met back up with the
other group and explored Pompeii for a bit longer, looking at many of
the plaster casts made out of the empty space left behind by the ash
of Vesuvius. They were impressively emotive for plaster casts, and had
the eerie feel of having been frozen in time about them. We left Pompeii
and headed back again to the hotel, where we spent the evening at the
beach.
The next day we undertook the dangerous journey up Mount
Vesuvius, although the vast majority of the trip was by coach. Once
we were as far up as we could get by coach, we were booted out and
trekked the last stretch by foot. Unfortunately, our earlier training going
up the steps of St Peter’s Basilica didn’t really pay off, and the path up
the volcano was steep and somewhat laborious, but it was all worth it
as soon as we reach one of the summits, and saw the massive bowl of
bubbling lava. At least, that is what some were expecting, but it was
actually a large dusty crater with occasional smoke spurts. The view was
fantastic though, and there were plenty of shiny crystals to be bought
from the souvenir shops for family members or your own personal
pleasure. After narrowly avoiding the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, we
drove to Herculaneum, essentially a better preserved Pompeii. It was
interesting to look around at a more intact town, as it was much easier
to envision what it may have been like to live in it during Roman times.
There were also a few examples of carbonized doors and beds, pieces of
wood that were burnt so fast, that they solidified instantly into carbon
replicas of their former selves. We left Herculaneum and went back to
the hotel, where we had dinner and relaxed for the rest of the day.
We spent our penultimate day in Capri, where we took a boat tour
around the island, going under arches and near to the blue, glowing
grottoes. The weather was sunny, so we went to the beach to sunbathe
and swim for a while. We also got our lunch in Capri, where they had
nice coastal restaurants with delicious pizza but expensive drinks. Capri
lasted us most of our day, and we returned to Sorrento in the evening
to go shopping for souvenirs or gifts for teachers. Once all shopping
had been done, we went back to the hotel, where later that evening, an
awards ceremony was held, giving out various titles to boys, including
“Hero of the week”, “Gladiator of the Week”, “Best quote” and more.
On our last day we visited the Naples Archaeological Museum,
which housed many of the statues and bowls discovered from ancient
ruins. We didn’t spend too long there, and soon were on our way to
the airport to get on our flight home. Unfortunately, the flights were
delayed, and we had turned up early, so we had plenty of time to kill.
Fortunately, we were able to fill that space with whatever we could think
of, and it wasn’t long before we were on the plane. Plenty of amusing
jokes were made, dozens of ancient and modern spectacles were seen,
and hundreds of memories were made on what truly was a once in a
lifetime trip.
Ben Jones 9F
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
55
Year 10 Geography Field Trip
I
t was July 1st, the beginning of the last month of the school
year. This also marked the start of a GCSE Geography Field Trip
to South Wales. We all arrived and departed on time at school
with unusual ease and no dramatic incidents! However, as we
reached the M25, staying true to its world renowned reputation,
we encountered traffic congestion. Thankfully, this didn’t hinder
our journey too much because we made up a lot of ground on the M4,
stopping at Membury services on the way.
Soon after, crossing the Severn Bridge, a “Croeso i Cymru!”, “Welcome
to Wales”, sign greeted us. Eventually, after two-and-a-half hours, we
reached Cardiff. This was our first stop on a three day study trip. There, we
looked at the iconic Cardiff Bay and the redevelopment which took place
there 20 years ago. It bore similarity to the Docklands in London, perhaps as
both redevelopments were planned during a similar period.
We observed the bay area and surveyed local residents on their
opinions of the development. Whilst undertaking our surveys, we
saw the striking facade of the Millenium Centre, the new-look Welsh
Assembly, as well as older regenerated sites, such as the Pierhead
building and the Norwegian Church. Fact: every port has a Norwegian
Church so that they could have a place to pray - when sailing boats were
in their prime, the Norwegians were excellent sailors.
We left Cardiff and headed for our residential base for the next two
nights - Aberdare (Aberdâr for those who would like to learn Welsh). On
arrival at the Dare Valley (Cwm Dâr) Country Park, we were welcomed
warmly by the staff. The accommodation was very good: functioning
TVs, clean bathrooms and comfortable beds. The striking feature was
the most beautiful countryside: valleys and hills. Dotted in the hills were
sheep (all very “Baa-ppy!”). We were served up a fantastic dinner, very
welcome after a long day! Then just as we thought of long relaxing free
time, we had to go to classroom, to review our findings of Cardiff Bay.
As Welsh writer, Jan Morris, quoted in “The Matter of Wales,”
“landscape creates nations, and nowhere is this truism truer than in
Wales, Cymru. Almost everything about Wales has been decreed by its
terrain; certainly if the countryside had been different, the Welsh people
as we know them would never have existed.”
The next day, Thursday, was the main day for data collection for
GCSE Controlled Assessment. Our day started with a hearty breakfast,
which prepared us for our day ahead. As we made our way to the
rejuvenated beach resort of Porthcawl, the scenery was breath taking!
Typical of British weather, which still applies for Wales, it rained;
however work had to done. We visited 3 locations: Coney Beach, the
Promenade and Trecco Bay, interviewed the locals, and rated the
area using an Environmental Quality Survey. The local residents were
very helpful in providing information for our data. Feedback included
“that tourism helped to pay for local jobs”. Later on, the weather had
improved thankfully and we compiled our data.
Once again at Aberdare, the dinner was very good: pasta with salad
and chips. Yummy! We then went over methodology for the Controlled
Assessment and settled in for our final night in Aberdare. With lots of
energy to burn, we played football in a nearby field, until someone found
a Nintendo Wii! Oh we were saved! Some boys played bowling on the
Nintendo, and soon it was time for “counting sheep” to fall asleep after a
wonderful day.
Friday was our departure day. We had to say goodbye to the wonderful
Welsh Valleys far too soon. The hosts, Ian and Steven, had been very helpful
during our stay there. Another hearty breakfast followed, and we went to
the beach at Southerndown. Lovely! The coastal views were splendid! At
the beach, Mr. Talbot and Mr. Farmer, with their infinite coastal knowledge,
talked about coastal landforms and how they are formed. It was very
interesting. As it was a sunny day, we also had the opportunity to wander
around exploring the area, play football and enjoy ice cream. We then said
goodbye to Wales and headed back to Watford on the M4.
I am struck by the words of Michael Palin, a former president of
the Royal Geographical Society, quoted as saying, “It was important
for children to see things for themselves, children losing the ability to
make up their own minds about the rest of the world” without decent
geography lessons. Geography itself is such a wide-ranging subject,” he
said. “It’s really about the study of the surface of the earth, it’s relative
to every single thing we do, what we eat, what transport we take to work,
where we live, what houses are made of. It’s an issue that directly relates
to what we know of the earth.”
It was a wonderful short study trip, but I wanted to stay for longer. I
would like to convey my thanks to Mrs. Lloyd for organising the trip (and,
of course, helping with complex pronunciation of Welsh town names),
and Mr. Talbot, Mr. Farmer and Mr. Davies for accompanying us and
sharing their vast experience.
Deven Voralia 10N
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
T
German
Exchange
his year, the trip was very special as it was the 50th year of
the schools’ programme (one of the UK’s oldest).
Thankfully, there was no drama at the airport and
during the flight and we landed at Frankfurt-Hahn to a
sprinkling of snow. After an hour’s coach ride, we arrived at
the Schloss-Gymnasium in Mainz, our exchange partners’
school. At the entrance was a large display celebrating the 50 years of
this partnership. We were then welcomed by the German teachers and
met our exchange partners who also welcomed us warmly.
As it was a normal school day, each of our group went to their
exchange partner’s lessons. I attended Maths and Physics (what a great
start!) The Sixth Formers also had work experience arranged with local
German companies, some in the local radio station and some teaching
in local primary schools.
On the first day, the school finished early and we were collected by
our exchange families. I went to Budenheim, about half-an-hour’s drive
away from Mainz and was welcomed warmly and met the rest of the
family, including a very friendly Beagle. Surprisingly, in spite of an early
start, I didn’t feel tired. We had a lovely family dinner together and went
for a walk in the neighbourhood.
The following day, I attended a Geography lesson with my exchange
partner, Carolin. After break, the school had organised a special lesson
with different Maths-based activities, including a treasure hunt, taken
by the equivalent of the Upper Sixth. It was very interactive. Then I had
History; topics included World War I and World War II. The next lesson
was English, which was interesting to observe how the students learn. I
became a “teacher” for part of the lesson, where I had to explain words
to the class. It was an interesting experience.
In the afternoon, we went to the Gutenberg Museum. Johannes
Gutenberg, born and lived in Mainz, was the inventor of mass-production
printing; he is regarded as one of the most influential people in human history.
His major work, the Gutenberg Bible (also known as the 42-line Bible), has
been acclaimed for its high aesthetic and technical quality. We had a look at
a replica of his original printing press, some copies of the “Gutenberg Bibles”
(so called as they were printed using his printing press) and some books
printed by Gutenberg. Adjacent to the Museum was a workshop, where we
created our own prints. Mr. Pegler made one which was signed by all of us. It
is now on display by the MFL Office. It was interesting and fun to have a handson experience using the style of the 15th century printing press. That evening,
we enjoyed a tremendous, friendly session of bowling with our exchange
partners in the local bowling alley – “Chaplin.”
On Friday, once again, I attended classes at the partner’s school, as
did all of our group. I had Chemistry, Biology and German. It was interesting
to note that it was similar to how we learn English at our school. Later that
morning, we went to the Rathaus (the Town Hall); some called it the Prison
of Azkaban from the Harry Potter series. There, we celebrated the 50-year
partnership between Watford and Mainz, and both our schools. Again, there
were pretzels and a selection of drinks. In the Town Hall, we visited the town
council meeting chamber. Mainz is the capital of Rheinland-Pfalz (RhinelandPalatinate). Following the visit to the Town Hall, we took a short walk to the
Mainzer Dom (Cathedral). This cathedral is 1000 years old, in the Romanesque
style. Many famous monarchs have been crowned at this cathedral. Following
lunch at a local Imbiss (fast-food stall), where there was a variety of local
delicious sausages and delicious pancakes for the vegetarians, we had an
early start to a long weekend with our host families.
As with the other host families, different activities and visits were
organised by my host family. I visited Wiesbaden, Heidelberg, a very
picturesque city along the River Neckar, almost magical, Ingelheim,
Mainz city centre, with narrow alleyways, quaint cafes and German
inns offering local wines and beers, and cobblestone streets, passing
Romanesque and Baroque architecture. Mainz is home to “spundekase,”
a local cream cheese whipped with cream into a soft paste that is served
The 50th Anniversary of
the school’s partnership
with Mainz.
with chopped raw onions and pretzel. It’s perfect with a good beer. I was
also welcome to celebrate my partner’s father’s birthday, and also met
her grandmother.
The world-famous Karneval was also during this long weekend. Mainz
hosts the biggest and most colourful carnival in Germany. We were lucky
to be there during this occasion. The Karneval included: parties, parades,
marching bands, costumes, scathing political commentary, scanty outfits,
normal citizens as kings and generals, while the powerful are ridiculed by
‘fools’ and court jesters. I enjoyed participating, meeting lots of locals,
wearing a colourful costume, collecting sweets which were “rained down”
from the spectacular floats. It’s amazing the number of sweets and other
items I collected, something that my dentist wouldn’t approve of.
Thursday was a very special day. We started off with lessons at the
school; and then after school went to Blockwerk (an indoor climbing wall).
There, we tried a number of different climbing walls with different difficult
levels. We found it a thrilling and fun experience. We all were looking forward
to “der Englischer Abend” (English evening), organised by the partner’s
school. It was an occasion to celebrate our 50 years of partnership and
the exchange programme. It was very well supported and attended by the
host partners and families and our group. We were privileged to have Mr.
Allchorn make a special visit to attend and share this wonderful evening.
The programme included: songs, plays, students’ experiences. We also tried
some quintessentially English cakes and tea. I suspect that they secretly
watch the Great British Bake Off! I was privileged to deliver a speech for this
special occasion, which will be in my fond memories.
Our day of departure arrived rather too quickly! The days seemed to
have flown by. In the evening, we took some group photos and wished a
fond farewell to our partners and host families. We arrived in Watford at
two o’clock in the morning!
So many fantastic experiences in one week! I sincerely enjoyed
being part of my host family. They looked after me very well and made
sure that I felt at home during my stay.
We learnt a lot in Germany; the culture, language and experiences
we had there have helped to improve our confidence and are all things
we will never forget. I would recommend this trip to anyone learning
German, because you learn a lot, have great fun and meet some amazing
people who hopefully remain friends for life.
We would like to thank Miss Webster for a wonderfully organised,
carefully planned trip and add thanks to Mr. Pegler and Mr. Croft, who
made a wonderful, fun and entertaining team for all the boys on the trip.
So fellow students, get your bags packing for next year’s trip! Here’s to
another amazing 50 years!
Deven Voralia 10N
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
57
Science
Trip
On Wednesday, 6th May, Year 7 went
on a trip to the Science Museum.
When we arrived we went straight to
‘Launchpad’ which is full of interactive
activities. We then watched a show
about rockets. The presenter explained
Newton’s three laws of motion to us.
She used a blowtorch on a Pringles
tube filled with hydrogen and it took off
like a rocket with a loud bang!
After lunch, we went to the
aeronautical area which contained
aeroplanes and rockets, some of which
were from the World Wars. We then left
to return back to school. Unfortunately,
our coach broke down for more than an
hour. Eventually a new coach arrived
to bring us home. Despite the setback
with the coach it was an extremely
enjoyable day out. Thanks to Mr Parry
and the teachers who took us.
Sevak Juss, 7N
A
Year 8 P.R.E trip
O
n the 15th June 2015, the year 8s had the opportunity to be able to visit the
local Abrahamic, monotheistic places of worship.
Firstly, we walked to Watford and District Synagogue, and there we
learnt many different things that it contained, such as items used in weekly
or daily services and what they symbolised and what they were used for.
We learnt about the Ark, the Everlasting Light, the Yad (the pointer), the
Menorah and the Bimah (platform where the Torah is read from).
Secondly, we walked to St. Mary’s Church,
and there we learnt many different places inside
the church hall, such as the Altar, Pulpit, Font,
Chancel, Nave and many others. These places
are used in daily church life and services, and the
church can be accessed by all on any day by all
ages due to there being a children’s section.
Finally, we walked to Watford Mosque and
there we learnt about many different rooms
inside the Mosque, and what they were used for.
We learnt about the washroom, the shoe room,
Quibla, Madresah (school room) and the Prayer
room. We then headed back to school to have
lunch and that was the end.
Overall, the experience was fun and enjoyable
and interesting, and we got to see inside of other
places of worship which we would not normally see.
By Louis Shapiro and Suhail Merali 8F
GCSE Science Live!
group of Year 10 Science students attended “GCSE
Science Live!” where we enjoyed a series of stimulating
lectures given by some of the world’s most renowned
scientists. The programme’s primary objective was to
generate greater enthusiasm for science amongst GCSE
pupils. Also, it outlined how to hone our skills in GCSE
Science and improve our exam technique.
We were lucky to have fantastic seats with a great view! The organiser,
Daniel Powell, kicked off the day enthusiastically and introduced us to our first
lecture. It was taken by Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a space scientist, with the
title “What have the planets done for us?” She enthusiastically went through
the missions initiated by the European Space Agency, including Philae, which
successfully landed on a comet just over two weeks before this event. She
also had the idea of having a “Big Brother” competition to Mars. However,
there were two problems: cost (it would be very expensive) and eviction. The
people who would be evicted will have to live on Mars. Dr. Aderin-Pocock said
that sooner or later, Mars would be able to sustain life like Earth – she ended
the lecture by saying that she would “happily retire on Mars”.
Next on was Professor Steve Jones, who presented “Nature, nurture, or
neither?” His lecture was all about genetics and DNA. We learnt that two out of
three people will die for reasons associated with their genes. He emphasised
that DNA is “remarkable stuff”, with enough in your own body to stretch to
the moon and back eight thousand times. Genetics can be brilliant. As an
example, the Siamese Cat. It has black and white fur. If you were to put it in
a fridge, it would have entirely black fur, whereas if you put it in an oven, the
cat would have entirely white fur (not really recommended to try at home!)
Professor Jones used the Royal Family’s ears as an example of how genetics
can be passed on. Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Prince Harry have very
similar ears (the Crown Jewels can be passed on but they are not genetic).
The day continued with chief examiner for GCSE Science, Stewart
Chenery. In his first part, he went through the different ways that
questions would be phrased in a Science paper. He also went through
some useful revision techniques and some “do’s and don’ts”. I found this
very helpful and interesting.
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The next lecture was taken by Professor Lord Robert Winston. His
topic was reproduction. The pioneer in IVF treatment explained a bit
about how IVF first began. The first success was on tadpoles by the
Italian scientist Lazaro Spallanzani. Professor Lord Winston told us
about a pioneering study to make “the perfect baby”. If an embryo had
too much genetic information, it could be born with birth defects and
life-threatening illnesses and after several attempts, he found a method;
twins were born in 1989. After that, it was our turn in the spotlight; we
had to rub our hands, clap and breathe in – Professor Lord Winston said
that we just inhaled the cells of the people sitting next to us. He finished
the lecture by demonstrating a genetically-modified mouse called the
“PEPCK-mouse” (it could run on a treadmill for four hours before taking
a break!)
Then, Dr. Simon Singh came to the floor. His lecture was all about
Maths and Science. His main quote was, “You need to be good at Maths
if you want to be good at Science”. He went through the Maths found
in “The Simpsons”...and there was a lot of Maths (mainly because the
writers of the programme were previously mathematicians). After that,
he mentioned a funny story. He had listened to “Nine Million Bicycles” by
Katie Melua and he was annoyed because he felt that some of the lyrics
were wrong; she said that it would take 12 billion years to go to the edge
of the universe and it was actually 13.7 billion years. Dr. Singh expressed
his fury in an article for the Guardian and in light of this, she changed the
words. I didn’t know Maths could make you a good lyricist!
It was an excellent experience with so many renowned scientists
present. I think everyone took a lot of useful advice, fun facts and
ideas for their future careers. Everyone enjoyed it a lot. If you are an
aspiring scientist and engineer, take this opportunity to experience
thought-provoking solutions to the world’s great challenges. The day
was certainly fast-moving and thoroughly exciting. My thanks to Mr
Parry, Mr Hensman and Mr Cochrane for organising such a brilliant and
informative trip.
Deven Voralia 10N
F
ollowing the visit by the French group in October, the group of
boys were eagerly awaiting the return trip to France. The trip
was organised with the Girls School and location, Brittany,
brought excitement for all that it had to offer.
It was an early start on the day of departure which
brought on a sense of adventure. After a reasonably quick
journey to Portsmouth, we boarded our ferry for a 6 hour cruise
across the English Channel to Caen. Thankfully, the crossing was calm,
compared to the previous day’s gales. During our crossing, we had our
own lounge and watched “Guardians of the Galaxy.” After our arrival, we
made a somewhat long journey to Lesneven where we were greeted by
our exchange partners and their host families. After settling down with
my second family (I had come to know them from the many e-mails,
phone calls and Skype conversations), I had dinner with them. It was a
great feeling that they were all excited to see me and were pleasantly
surprised with the presents I had brought for them.
The following day, we went to Quimper, the capital of Finistère, a
départment of France; Finistère means “Land of the End”. Quimper is a very
medieval city, with half-timbered houses and cobbled streets. We visited the
fantastic cathedral of St. Corentin, with its two very imposing spires. We had
a walkabout in the city, where most of us tried some of the delicious local
crepes. Very tasty indeed! We stopped at Douarnenez, a popular fishing port,
with a beautiful beach. After lunch, we visited nearby village of Locronan.
On Friday, we attended the school: “Collège Saint-François Notre
Dame,” with an excellent academic reputation in France. We were welcomed
by their headmaster, Monsieur Lavarec. Then, Mr. Le Breton, head of the
student exchange, took us on a tour of the school. We attended some
classes and I was surprised that Geography and History were taught in
English! We also attended an English class, where we had lots of lively
questions from the French pupils. Their English was very good.
We took a walking tour of Lesneven town centre, where we were also
participated in a quiz, set by Miss Comb. Luckily, my team won! We had lunch
at the school canteen which was fantastic with lots of choice on offer. In the
afternoon we went to Brest and visited the world-famous Océanopolis, the
largest aquarium in Europe. We saw a vast array of amazing sea life including
the cousins of Nemo, Marlin and Dory. In the evening, I went with my host
partner to a handball training session, a very popular game in France. I
enjoyed taking part and made new friends.
The long weekend started with a bang! Six other exchange pairs and
I went to Les Trois Curées, a theme park near Brest. There, we enjoyed
a variety of rides, including a bobsleigh, a galleon, water slides and a
carousel. In the evening, I went to the family’s farm and enjoyed the
tour of a rather large farm. Later that evening, my family and I attended
a celebratory dinner, for my host grandmother’s birthday and I was made
to feel like one of the family.
On Sunday, we visited a local restaurant in a village, Keralloret, where
the seafood was delicious. I loved the variety of local cheeses on offer. My
host family took me to their holiday home by the sea. The holiday home
was very nice and near to the amazing coastline of Brignogan-Plages. The
weather had improved by Monday and my host family surprised me by
arranging to go sand-sailing with another host exchange family. We had lots
of fun, spills, and all! In the evening, my host family taught me how to make
crepes; after a few attempts, I was making them like a local!
The long weekend had flown by. On Tuesday, we all met up at school
and went to visit St. Pol de Léon, a small market town with the tallest church
spire in Brittany and famous for its vegetable and horticultural production in
France. Later, we went to the much anticipated Accrobranche, an adventure
park with activities in the trees. It was lots of fun with zip wires, walking
ropes and swinging steps, a civilised way of emulating Tarzan.
Why must all good things come to an end! We departed Lesneven in
the morning, after saying goodbye to our partners and host families. On
the way to Caen, we visited the world famous Mont-Saint-Michel.
Living with a French family was a great experience. The food was
delicious, the culture and way of life so different and interesting, and
basically, if I had the opportunity to do it again, I feel that it would be
almost impossible to live up to the Exchange that has just been. I would
definitely recommend it to anybody. I think that for many students, from
both schools, we feel we have made friends for life.
All the boys participating in the trip join me to convey our warmest
gratitude to Miss Comb for organising such a wonderful, interesting,
memorable and educational trip! Our thanks also to Mrs Jackson of
Watford Girls school making this trip possible.
Deven Voralia 10N
French
Exchange Trip
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
59
Vienna
Trip 2015
During the early hours of Friday the 22nd May, thirty Year
8 students set off on an exciting and new experience. The
lucky pupils, who were given the exceptional chance to
visit Vienna, the capital of Austria, had been excited for
a while and this definitely showed. Over the five days the
boys spent away from their families, they would meet
new people, try new foods, see how things were different
in a different country and most importantly improve their
confidence and vocabulary in speaking German.
Day 1
To board a 6:30am flight to Bratislava in
Slovakia, we were required to meet at
Shepherds Road at 3:45 in the morning. The
coach waiting there then took us to Luton
Airport promptly afterwards, and we arrived
at sunrise. Once we had checked in and gone
through customs, there was some time to
shop in the airport lobby before our flight.
We touched down in Bratislava at around
10:30am and ate a light meal and snacks
before heading off to a coach which drove
off to Vienna, arriving in the rain at midday.
We proceeded to take the train, the Wien
Linien (equivalent to our Underground) to
the place we were staying, in a hotel/youth
hostel called Meininger in Keplerplatz.
After we had dropped our bags off in the
hotel, we went back on the Wien Linien to
go sightseeing around Vienna. We saw St.
Stephan’s Cathedral (Stephansdom) which
stood at 136m high, Hoffburg, the national
library where Adolf Hitler made his speech
during the times of the Third Reich, a
Holocaust memorial- a house-style monument
constructed of stone books, before going back
to Keplerplatz to have dinner. We had an
earlier night that night because we were all so
tired after our first day.
Day 2
On the second day, we went to Schönbrunn
palace, which used to be a famous royal
summer home, most notably used by
Marie Antoinette, who was killed during
the French Revolution. She stayed here
as a child before she was called to marry
King Louis XVI. It was called Schönbrunn
because it contains a beautiful (Schön)
fountain (brunn). Around the palace is
the garden, which contains the fountain
through a lane of other gardens, a great
photo opportunity. Through the palace
we went to the famously known oldest
zoo in the world, but unfortunately the
weather was terrible, and it was pouring
down through our entire stay. This limited
our exploration to indoor parts of the zoo,
but the polar bears, penguins, insects and
monkeys in these areas made up for that.
The second day wasn’t perfect, but it was
a great follow up for Austrian culture.
Day 3
On Sunday, we had a typical Viennese
meal in Prater, where lots of us tried
the Wiener Schnitzel. It was very nice.
After, we went to a professional football
match. It was the Vienna derby, Rapid
Wien vs. SC Wiener Neustadt. We had
excellent seats and the atmosphere was
absolutely brilliant. However, the game
was not so interesting, the score settling
at a comfortable 0-0. We were in the
Rapid Wien stand which was very loud
and passionate. We got fans and snacks
at half time. At the end of the game, we
got to buy merchandise from the fan shop.
We also had a football tournament with
all the rooms being as teams in the local
park. This was also fun.
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Day 4
On day four of the Vienna trip we had
breakfast at the usual time and left the
youth hostel about an hour later. The
teachers had a surprise for us and told
us that we would be going somewhere
before we went on the train. After about a
5 minute walk we arrived at a cake bakery
that had chocolate shaped objects put
out for display. After each table ordered
and had their cake we took the train to
where the main Cathedral was situated,
and walked through the town to buy
some ice-cream. We were told to also get
lunch from the place; there were many
traditional sausage huts where a few
people went.
We then headed for a huge theme park
with many roller-coasters and rides. We
walked through the park as a group so
that we could see what we could use
and arrange a meeting point. We had one
hour to roam the park and use up the
time, then we had to come back to be
registered and then went off for another
hour. Near the end Mrs Webster and Mrs
Hensman decided to go on the scariest
ride in the theme park; the Black Python (I
think). They had made the wrong decision
because moments later both teachers
were extremely scared and nearly crying!
Right at the end we all went on bumper
carts together which was quite painful if
your legs were long.
We went on the train again to a park
where there were many different activities
to do. There was table-tennis, putting
your feet in a lake, and a park. After about
an hour and a half’s time, we returned to
Keplerplatz (station where youth hostel
was) and got our dinner.
Day 5
The 25th of April was the day we were
leaving; we packed our bags got ready
and got the train by late morning. When
we arrived we ate lunch and had ice
cream and then walked up to the port and
boarded the boat to Bratislava. When we
arrived in Bratislava we dumped our bags
and walked to the castle and admired the
scenic views while admiring the castle.
After this we went orienteering round
Bratislava taking photos and looking
around.
We arrived back in London Luton at about
10:30 and got on the coach to arrive at
Watford Boys at about 11:30 were we were
greeted by family.
Sahir Patel, Angus Forrest, Josh Patel 8N
Ski Solitude, Utah
E
xcitement overwhelmed us on the journey to our final
destination. We couldn’t wait to see the resort that would
be ‘home’ for the next week.
Once we arrived and packed our belongings we went
straight to bed and were welcomed the next morning with a
hearty breakfast of carbohydrates: French toast and chips!
Once our rented skis had been given to us, we took our first steps in the
powdery snow and had a ski off to see which group we would be put into
out of the three there were. The mountains were immense and the view
in general was breath taking. The ski lifts made you feel like you were
flying, in the sense that they were high, but they were extremely slow!
Half way through the skiing, we went to the lunch hall with our
mouths watering and our stomachs rumbling. All of the meals were
extremely big. The nachos piled up and it was as if they would topple if
they moved; the hot dog had to be eaten with a knife and fork because it
wouldn’t fit in any of our mouths!
Our après ski activity was a hunt around the whole resort to answer
questions. This was a really good way to meet the shopkeepers and also
to find you way around the resort. I doubt that anybody in the resort
slept that night...There was also a warning about room inspection.
Mr Matthews and Mrs Talbot were given enough coffee to last them a
fortnight! They said that we did an exceptional job in tidiness, cleanliness
and also entertainment.
After another day of skiing in which we learnt more about technique,
the next après ski activity was Bingo. I do not think that anybody in the
resort slept that night either…
After learning how to jump on the frosty slopes, many of us finished
tired and hurt, but the NBA Basketball match in Salt Lake City was the
perfect cure! We were given a $10 vouchers to buy whatever we wanted
for dinner and we also chose to become famous for a few seconds…We
appeared on the big screen and as Fionn McGuinness’ birthday present,
he stated,
W
“We flew across the pond to see Jazz win! Go Jazz Go!”
He was also given a Baseball hat and an extra $5 voucher. Utah Jazz
beat the Sacramento Kings 102-91. After buying souvenirs and waiting for
the coach we couldn’t wait to snuggle up under the covers.
The last two days of skiing were mostly just for fun and we learnt
a few tips along the way. The après ski activities were joined on both
days. The first was a game of Scattergories and the second was a quiz
with the same teams. The names were quite unusual like Supa Hot Fire,
Sax roll, Dead Dog and many other extremely creative names. At least
we thought so!
Overall, the trip was a huge success. There were no broken bones,
only a few grazes and somebody had sunburnt skin because they didn’t
think they needed sunblock.
Thanks so much to Mr Talbot, Mrs Talbot and Mr Matthews for
organising this trip and helping us out when we needed them. Also a big
thanks to the ski instructors in the USA who helped most of us learn all
about skiing that we know now. So if you get a chance go on the next
ski trip - do it!
Jaishulin Harsiani 7G
Amsterdam Trip
e met at the school
grounds at 5.30am and
boarded the coach where
we were introduced to
our brilliant tour guide,
Steve, who joined us
for the whole journey. We departed and soon
arrived at the terminal of the Channel Tunnel,
continued our coach journey, soon arriving at
our hotel.
That evening, we had dinner and then
enjoyed some free time before going to sleep
in preparation for our next day, which was
by far the busiest and particularly insightful
one of the trip. It began with us visiting the
Homomonument in the city, which is shaped
as a triangle and commemorates all men and
women who have been subjected to persecution
simply because of their homosexuality.
We then went to the Anne Frank museum
and went round her house into the actual
rooms where she and her family and friends
were hidden during some of the war and
where she wrote her world famous diary.
Following this visit, we went to the
museum of a theatre that was a place
where many Jews went to register but sadly
never returned to their homes, without any
understanding of what was going to happen
to them. In the middle of a small public park
we saw a floor sculpture of broken mirrors - an
artist’s impression of Kristallnacht portraying
how the problems that occurred due to the
war can never be fixed and must be realised in
the here and now just as much as immediately
after the war.
We were taken on an eye-opening tour
of a reconstructed concentration camp with
authentic fences and watchtowers. We saw
the basic layout of the camps and this gave
us a direct understanding of just how tightly
squeezed these camps were, with triple bunk
beds and hardly any washing basins. At the
far end, was a memorial for the children of
the camp, some only days or months old, who
were sent away on Kinder transport only to
be executed as soon as they got off the train.
We learnt that depending on a person’s
reason for being in the camp they would
have a specifically coloured triangle on their
“pyjamas” - for example Jews would have
yellow triangles and homosexuals would
have pink ones. The journey round the
concentration camp was certainly moving
and made us realise just how horrific the
persecution of these minorities was at the
time of the Second World War.
The next day, we visited the Arnhem
Oosterbeek War Cemetery, which has 1436
identified casualties and the graves of 3
soldiers who had won Victoria Crosses. It was
also very poignant and made us realise just
how many people lost their lives due to the
war. A visit to the Battle of Arnhem museum
gave us a visual presentation of how the
battle happened.
Our final stop was at a popular market
in Arnhem before the long journey back. We
arrived home around 22.30 having enjoyed
an incredibly thought-provoking trip, linking
the work studied by RS students on prejudice
and discrimination and the morality of war
along with History students’ work on the First
and Second World Wars.
Jake Wall and Anthony Tryfonos 11P
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
61
ART
T
Art trip to New York
he Big Apple: home to some of the most famous and
historical landmarks in the world. Our trip to New York with
the art department, was a great way to enhance our vision
into the World of Art.
We had a long, comfortable flight to JFK airport and
on our way to the hostel; we had our first taste of the city
night life as we drove into the city. When we arrived at the hostel, we
were assigned our rooms, which were smaller than we expected but we
had comfortable beds and small TVs in the room so that made it better.
Most of the days started early because of the tight schedules. Every day
we began by eating breakfast in a cafe a couple of blocks from the hostel
and, from there, we began our journey into the city. Over the course of
the week, after breakfast, we either visited the art museums or we went
and saw the city landmarks. We toured many art museums such as the
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Guggenheim museum. Both of
these museums were very interesting and looked fantastic; however
many of us found some of the other landmarks even more exciting.
The Rockefeller Centre, the Statue of Liberty and Times Square
were three of the most exciting landmarks. We went up to the top of the
Rockefeller Centre and got to see the amazing views of New York and
then took the boat ride to Liberty and Ellis islands which also gave us a
different perspective of the city and a close up view of the statue. The
atmosphere in Times Square was electric as it is in the centre of New
York and one of the liveliest places in the city. Other places we saw on
our trip were the Ground Zero memorial, Central Park and the Museum
of the Moving Image which were all very intriguing and great to see. We
were also fortunate to see an Ice Hockey match hosted by the New Jersey
Devils which was an amazing event and a joy to watch.
The meals that we ate during the week were fantastic and delicious.
We had dinners at restaurants such as Bubba Gump, the Forest Gump
inspired restaurant and Planet Hollywood which had many replicas
of some world famous movie props. During our free time back at the
hostel, we spent our time downstairs in the sports hall where we played
some basketball or listened to music. When we were in the heart of the
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city during our free time, we were able to go shopping and New York is
known for its vast number of designer shops so it was great opportunity.
Overall, the trip was a fantastic experience and a lot of fun; we were
able to visit one the most famous cities in the world, see some famous
landmarks and learn more about art. It was a great trip and if the chance
ever came round again, I would urge other people to go. Thank you to
the Art department for organising the trip.
Dilan Chauhan 10P
For some of us it was our first taste of a trip abroad without our families,
and we enjoyed the independence and the chance to experience a great
city in the company of our friends.
On our visit to Ellis and Liberty Island, we not only learnt about
the history of America but also we saw some fascinating architecture
which contrasted with the rest of the city. As we went there by boat,
it gave us the feeling of what the first immigrants would have felt as
they arrived from Europe and had their first sighting of New York and
the USA. However, getting onto the ferry was very difficult as there was
airport-like security before you even got to start the short crossing to
go to the Islands.
On Liberty Island we finally got to see the Statue of Liberty up close
and I think it looks bigger in real life than we are used to seeing it on the
TV. We could walk around it and one of our group took a time lapse video
of a complete circle of the Statue.
Another place that gave us an insight into America’s history was
Ground Zero. This monument, to the nearly three thousand people who
died in the 9/11 attacks, was incredible, and their names were all around
the outside of the giant water feature. It was the most moving part of
the trip and felt like a fitting way to honour those who lost their lives.
It was a great opportunity the Art Department gave us that let us
see some extremely famous places and landmarks and I would, if given
the chance, go back again to see all the things we didn’t get to see on
our five day trip.
James Casey 10P
Art Exhibition at the Mall Galleries London
O
n Tuesday 8th July 2014
London’s prestigious Mall
Gallery was crammed to the
rafters with excited young
people for the grand opening
of the 12th National Students’
Art Exhibition. The Gallery is not only a
very prestigious venue but this was also an
inspirational exhibition and, year upon year,
boys from Watford Grammar School for Boys
have shown their work alongside the best
young artists in the country and, as importantly,
other well established professional artists. The
exhibition is held under the patronage of The
Royal Society of British artists (RBA) and this
very title denotes the quality and talent on
show, student work blending seamlessly with
that of the professional painter.
This year we were fortunate in getting four
paintings and drawings selected for exhibition,
Rupert Woods (then in year 12), John Ibabao,
(from year 11) and Jesse Rist and Lorenzo
Pisapia (from year 10) and all were successful
in having their work displayed. This is the sixth
year running we have exhibited work at this
event.
The exhibition was opened by the current
president of the RBA, James Horton MA (RCA)
and James describes this event as “a truly
inspirational exhibition celebrating gifted and
talented students in Schools, Colleges and
Academies.”
GW
Top left: John Ibabao
Top right: Jesse Rist
Below: Kit Gillman
Bottom: Oliver Wighell
Rotary Club Young
Photographers
O
n Wednesday 14th January 2015, at Watford
Rotary Club, Oliver Withell and Kit Gillman
attended the awards presentation for the Annual
Rotary Club Young Photographers’ Competition;
this was the second year running that Kit has
won this award. Along with family members,
the prize winners were treated to supper with the Rotarians at
The Town and Country Club, Watford. The winners were selected
by Hoss, a professional Fine Art and studio photographer and
part of the prize included a day working in Hoss Photography,
Abbotts Langley learning about professional photography in
action. Both boys are very keen, talented photographers and
both their passion for and skill in this media were recognised
by Hoss.
The title of the competition was ‘Light up the Community
and both boys offered very different interpretations to the
theme. Oliver took a very personal view, focusing on his direct
involvement in the Meals on Wheels programme and the support
offered to the local community and Kit took the theme of Light,
celebrating this through colour and movement.
In addition to this event, both Kit and Oliver were then
invited to the Rotary Club Annual Awards’ Evening, where
they did a fantastic job, overcoming nerves to present their
portfolio of photography to a packed room of adults. The aim
of the evening was to bring together some of the young people
who had participated in the numerous competitions organised
during the year in a celebration of youth, the two boys “did the
school proud”.
GW
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
63
Art Department
Student work
from year 12
and 13
Above left: Adam Muscat
Middle left: James Evans
Below left: John Ibabo
Below right (both): Joshua Taylor
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Above left: Mujtaba Shah
Below left: Rupert Woods
Above right: Nicholas Slaney
Below right (both): Sam Della-Valle
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
65
MUSIC
A
Autumn Concerts 2014
t the beginning of September,
our two Autumn concerts seem
a long way away, but they soon
creep up on us. Once again,
the concerts were sold out a
week before the events, which
is always a great joy, and even better now that
tickets can be purchased via ParentPay.
The Wednesday evening started with the
Brass Ensemble, once again reformed after last
year’s Upper Sixth exodus. The opening item on
their programme was one of Gabrieli’s Canzonas
that he composed for the magnificent basilica,
St. Mark’s, in the centre of Venice; it was well
played, with a particularly effective climax as the
two choirs came to together at the end. The final
two pieces, Pavan and Carillon were taken from
Poulenc’s Suite Francaise, a delightful collection
of miniatures written in a neo-classical style,
with some fine playing from the ensemble,
particularly in the Pavan. The guitar group,
which has benefited from an influx of new
classical players, tackled the complexities of
Boccherini’s Minuet most effectively under
the guidance of Peter Gates. Sarah Brinkley’s
saxophone group has also gained some new
recruits and the ensemble performed Crazy
Rhythm with great panache. A group of Year
8 performers on clarinet, saxophone, guitar
and piano then took to the stage to perform
Sidney Bechet’s Petite Fleur and then, as the
smallest group of musicians left the stage,
the largest group of the evening, the Senior
Choir was introduced under the leadership of
Kevin Thorold. The programme consisted of Hey
Jude, with audience participation, Skyfall and
the Supertramp classic, Dreamer. This year’s
intake had provided the choir with many strong
new trebles, providing much needed power
on the top line and helping give an impressive
performance all round. It would be brilliant if
these singers could filter down through the
other sections as they move through the school.
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The last group to perform before the mince
pies and mulled wine was the Big Band. The
set started with the classic chart Chameleon
featuring some very spirited playing from the
band and this was followed by the Latin chart,
Girl From Ipanema, featuring well-crafted solos
from George Heracleous on alto saxophone,
Dhillon Dodhia on tenor saxophone, Jacob
Hartley and Chris Weatherilt on trumpet and
Alex Page on piano. We were delighted to be
able to welcome a very talented singer from
our sister school who joined us for the next two
vocal numbers; Millie Stevens wowed us with
the ballad Cry me a River and then the more
up-tempo classic, Sunnyside of the Street. The
band received a great ovation from the packed
house to end the half.
After the break, Crescendo Strings,
directed by Caroline Cox, performed the opening
Allegro of Vivaldi’s Concerto in G and this was
followed by a topical choice of the opening
title music to Downton Abbey accompanied
by a slide-show of the opening credits from
the programme. The playing of many new,
younger string players was extremely good and
bodes well for the future. The final ensemble to
perform was the Senior Wind Band, under the
leadership of Stuart Quinlan. Their programme
consisted of You know my Name from Casino
Royale, Fireflies and then a medley from the
musical Wicked. The band performed a tight
set and received a very good reception at the
end of the concert.
The following evening’s concert began
with a very large Friday Band. It was a real
delight to see seventeen saxophonists and
clarinettists, thirteen trumpeters and nine
trombonists performing F B Groove composed
by their Director, Stuart Quinlan. Their second
piece taken from High School Musical was
Can I have This Dance? The group had only
been together for a few months, but their
tightness and good ensemble was evident. A
small selection from the band then stepped
forward to form the Junior Brass Ensemble
and play two Handel Menuets and a Hallelujah
Chorus in a more popular idiom, composed by
Chris Hazell. The Brass Band completed the
first half with three exciting pieces, Adventures
in Brass by Ray Farr, a selection of Horner’s
music to Apollo 13 and Mark Taylor’s Crazy
Brass Machine. There were some fine virtuoso
lines from the players, with some exceptional
lyrical moments from Joel Kelion and Tom Watts
amongst others. The second half was given
over to performances by the Senior Strings and
Senior Orchestra. The Senior Strings ensemble
performed Corelli’s Concerto No. 8, known
as the Christmas Concerto. The playing was
excellent, capturing the contrasting moods of
the widely different paced movements and
the solo group, Patrick Kennedy and Gokulan
Kannan on violins and Kazu Sair, on ‘cello
met the challenges of the composer most
effectively. With the woodwind, brass and
percussion members of the Senior Orchestra
joining the string players on the stage, Kazu
Sair continued his solo role with a vivid
account of Hans Zimmer’s score to Pirates of
the Caribbean-Dead Man’s Chest, backed most
effectively by the large orchestra. The final item
was an astonishing account of Andrew Lloyd
Webber’s music to The Phantom of the Opera,
played with real assurance, both powerful in
delivery for the music of the Phantom and
then tender for moments such as All I ask of
you. The final notes were magical and the
audience responded magnificently when the
baton descended. It had been a great two
evenings of musical entertainment, the Muse
packed to capacity and the musicians giving
excellent accounts of themselves throughout.
The Carol Service
In keeping with tradition, the annual Festival of
Lessons and Carols took place at St. Michael’s
Church on the final Tuesday of term. As last
year, Paul Greally was given the opportunity
to play some voluntaries at the beginning of
the service, which included the wonderfully
evocative Prière à Notre-Dame from the Suite
Gothique by Boellmann. The Brass Ensemble
performed Gabrieli’s Canzon XIV, a two-brass
choir introit which effectively exploited the
acoustic of the church. The customary treble
solo to Once in Royal David’s City was sung
most beautifully by Vitalijs Strelcuks, in Year 7,
who kept a good pace and sang with excellent
intonation. The other three congregational
carols were Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, O
Little Town of Bethlehem and O Come, all ye
Faithful and the packed church of family, friends
and a 100-strong Choir provided particularly
rousing renditions of these. The Choir sang
Midnight, Angels, Ding Dong, Christmas
Lullaby, Tonight, When a Child is Born, In the
Bleak Midwinter, and Torches and, despite the
seasonal round of colds, performed these well.
Following the Blessing given by Dr Geoffrey
Calvert, the Brass Ensemble performed Final
Flourish and then Paul Greally played us out
with the first movement of Mendelssohn’s
Sonata in A, No. 3. The evening was memorable
and a wonderful way to bring the term’s music
to a most enjoyable conclusion.
with consummate ease. Once again, many
thanks to the soloists for giving excellent
accounts of themselves so close to the start
of term and contributing in a large way to the
success of the evening.
Lower Sixth Chamber Concert
The evening took place just before half term
on February 12th. The concert started with a
lively rendition on the kit of two well-known
pop songs, Use Somebody by the Kings of
Leon and The Who’s Won’t get Fooled Again
performed by Ben Lester. This was followed
by a controlled performance of the Adagio
Cantabile from Beethoven’s Pathetique Sonata.
Jack Maclean had decided to perform on two
instruments and gave the audience a lively
account of the Allegro Animato from SaintSaens’ clarinet sonata and then transferred to
the piano for a most musical rendition of Piano
Piece in F# by Liszt. Another pianist, Zendell
Crichlow, then took centre stage to play Frank
Bridge’s contemplative Berceuse followed by
Ginastera’s Danza de la moza donasa. Then
Charlie Lee, performed another movement of
Saint-Saens’ clarinet sonata with a lovely tone.
The concert was brought to its conclusion by
Shivaike Shah with a rendition of Chopin’s
Nocturne in B op. 62 no. 1. Once again this
was a very enjoyable and entertaining evening
of examination performances appreciated
by friends and family alike and clearly the
students had made good progress in their
instrumental studies throughout the year.
Spring Concerts
We had two magnificent Spring Concerts at
the end of the term, the first taking place on
Wednesday 25th March to a packed and most
appreciative audience. The concert started
with the Brass Ensemble performing a most
appropriate opener in the form of Sir Arthur
Bliss’s Fanfare for Heroes, getting the concert
off to a lively start with its well-delivered fanfare
rhythms and melodic patterns. This was followed
by an excellent rendition of Homepride, the last of
Chris Hazell’s Three More Cats. The Guitar Group
were the next performers, slightly augmented this
term as more students had joined the ensemble
and their performance piece was a carefully
crafted one of an Andante by the classical giant,
Haydn. Another augmented group was up next
and the seventeen players of the Junior Brass
Ensemble performed On the Sunnyside of the
Street and Breakdance Brass, both played with
real conviction. The Piano Trio, consisting of Alex
Page on piano, Justin Ho on violin and Reuben
Gluck on ‘cello, gave an outstanding rendition
of the first movement of Beethoven’s Trio in Eb,
Op.1 No 1 and this was followed by the ‘cello
ensemble’s debut performance in the concert
hall. Having only been working together with Mr
Theo Vinden for a short amount of time, their
performance of Ah Poor Bird! and then Yesterday
was most impressive and it is excellent to have
this additional ensemble running in school.
The Senior Choir led us to the interval with the
rousing chorus Heil sei dem Tag from Beethoven’s
only opera Fidelio, sung with great gusto.
Prizegiving
This year’s Prizegiving witnessed a showcase
of musical talent with fine performances from
all concerned. This year’s musical introduction
was given by the Fuller String Quartet,
Gokulan Kannan, Patrick Kennedy, Tom Watts
and Kate Watts, who impressed with the first
movement of Mendelssohn’s Quartet in D op.
44 no. 1. The two musical interludes were
performed by Ralph Curwen who exhibited
great musical sensitivity in his performance
of Liszt’s Liebestraume Notturno No. 3 on
the piano and this was followed by Joseph
Longstaff, who gave a great account of Alan
Abbott’s Alla Caccia on the French horn, full
of lyricism in the middle section and a display
of technical skill in the outer sections. The
Musical Finale was a show-stopping wonderful
virtuosic violin composition, Czardas, by the
Italian composer Monti, performed by Justin
Ho, our National Youth Orchestra violinist. The
performance was extrovert and the incredible
complexities in much of the music were tackled
Music 4 moustached trumpeters
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
67
Joel Kelion
on trombone
Following a further operatic indulgence in the
form of Francesco Sartori’s Time to say Goodbye,
the mood was changed with the Electric Light
Orchestra’s signature tune Mr Blue Sky. This was
a bright and energetic performance of a difficult
arrangement of a 70s classic.
The second half started with the 50-strong
Friday Band whose programme consisted of
three pieces, Journey’s Don’t Stop Believin’, Karl
Jenkins’ Agnus Dei from The Armed Man and a
version of George Gershwin’s I’ve got Rhythm.
The playing was excellent, very committed and
with a real sense of unity that bodes well for the
future. When the performance had finished, all
of the junior players sat up in the audience and
listened to the Senior Windband, the group that
hopefully most of them will aspire to joining.
Their programme included two songs used in
James Bond movies: For your eyes only, by
Bill Conti, and Adele’s Skyfall. The final work
was Samuel Hazo’s incredibly challenging Rush,
with many difficult instrumental lines and timesignatures changing almost every bar in some
places, but the challenges were met most
effectively and the lively rendition brought to an
end the first night of wonderful music.
On the following evening, it was the turn
of the Big Band to start the proceedings. Bobby
Troup’s classic Route 66 in an instrumental
version was followed by two vocal numbers,
L-O-V-E and This Can’t be Love, brilliantly sung
by Millie Stevens with the band giving excellent
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
support behind and Tom Watts providing a superb
trumpet solo in L-O-V-E. Two contrasting works
were then given by Crescendo Strings, firstly a
finale from an Orchestral Concerto by Vivaldi
and then Pharrell Williams, Happy, both played
extremely well and admirably led by Andrew Lai.
The saxophone group performed next with a
striking rendition of Gershwin’s I’ve got Rhythm
and then Karl Jenkins’ Palladio and then the Fuller
Quartet repeated their Mendelssohn Quartet that
had been aired earlier in the term at Prizegiving.
The Brass Band, who were in great form, started
their programme with Malcolm Arnold’s Little
Suite for Brass followed by Barrie Gott’s Light
Walk, full of exciting syncopated melodies in a
swing style and featuring a great flugelhorn solo
from Jacob Hartley.
After the interval it was the turn of two Senior
groups, the strings and the orchestra to perform.
The Senior Strings’ programme commenced with
the first movement of Vivaldi’s Lute Concerto,
superbly played on the guitar by Alex Waygood,
a performance capturing the various nuances
of this exciting piece. This was followed by a
contrasting piece called Plink, Plank, Plunk
composed by the professor of light classical music,
Leroy Anderson. This rendition was excellent with
everyone’s pizzicato technique being shown to
full advantage along with the various percussive
sounds demanded by the composer on the body
of the instruments! It was then the turn of the
Senior Orchestra to give a wonderful rendition of
Bernstein’s West Side Story. The final memorable
item, was a performance of the first movement
of Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto, featuring Ralph
Curwen. Ralph’s playing was extremely musical
and mature, lyrical and technically accomplished
and it was amazing to see someone so young be
completely at ease with the music. Credit must also
go to a fantastic orchestra listening and watching
all the way to make this so outstanding. The Muse
erupted and Ralph graciously acknowledged the
fervent applause. It was a real delight to see so
many boys actively involved in bringing musical
excellence to large audiences over two evenings.
Congratulations to all those involved.
Founders’ Day.
Founders’ Day, was celebrated on May
7th, General Election Day and the service
commenced with a wonderful rendition of the
first movement of Handel’s Organ Concerto
op.4 no.6 with Paul Greally as the soloist,
accompanied by a selection of students from
our Senior Strings Ensemble. The hymns were
Amazing Grace and Come Sing the Praise
and the Senior Choir was in excellent voice
with Beethoven’s chorus, Heil sei dem Tag
from his opera Fidelio. The Senior Brass
Ensemble brought the service to a close with
an exhilarating rendition of Sir Arthur Bliss’s
Fanfare for Heroes.
Watford Arts
Forum Concert and
The German Exchange
Concert
A number of students were given the chance
to represent the school in a musical capacity at
the beginning and end of June, when firstly, the
Watford Arts Forum Society asked us to provide
them with some music before their AGM. A
programme lasting one hour was organised and
the ten performers, all of whom were a great
credit to the school, gave performances that
were enthusiastically received by the society.
The concert started with Nicholas Watt playing
an Allegretto by Shostakovich and then Chopin’s
Nocturne in C# minor. Archie McCann then played
the slow movement of Gotterman’s 4th ’Cello
Concerto and this was followed by Dancla’s
Resignation played on the violin by Andrew
Lai. Joseph Longstaff’s horn solo was followed
by Nathan Kelion’s performance of Massenet’s
Meditation. His brother, Joel, stepped forward
to play Mendelssohn’s On Wings of Song on the
euphonium and then without the aid of music,
Anthony Lo performed an unaccompanied
Adagio by J S Bach. Following a touch of jazz
from Eddie Cummins in the form of The Girl from
Ipanema and Khachaturian’s Toccata played by
Paul Greally; brothers Ralph and Robbie Curwen
took centre stage to play the finale, Grieg’s
piano duet, Wedding Day at Troldhaugen. The
chairman thanked everyone for their dedication
and hard work in preparing pieces for the society
to such a high standard.
Two weeks later, a similar opportunity
arose for the same students, with the addition
of Tom Watts playing the first movement of
the Haydn trumpet concerto, to play to our
exchange guests from Germany along with
their teachers and families. Following some
refreshment and speeches, the concert was
introduced by Patrick Noren and Deven Voralia
and, the audience was suitably impressed by
the instrumental skills of our players. It was
then the turn of the Germans to sing us a short
folksong with audience participation followed
by the cutting of the 50th Anniversary cake.
Many thanks and congratulations to all those
boys representing the school and showcasing
their talents to a wider public.
Summer Concert 2015
As part of the 2015 Arts and Literary Festival, our
Prizewinners and Performers’ Concert took place
on Thursday 2nd July. Many of the Prizewinners
from the Music Competition, as well as some of
our ensembles, took part in the event. The concert
commenced with the Friday Band performing Little
Brown Jug followed by WGSBFB Blues, a piece
which allowed a number of our younger players to
showcase a short improvised solo over the rhythm
section. These solo players performed well and the
whole programme made for a great and energetic
start to the evening’s proceedings.
The first soloist to perform was Ashley
Hatch, winner of the Lower School Piano Class,
who took to the Steinway to play L’Orage by
Burgmuller and he was followed by the winner
of the Middle School Woodwind Class, Eddie
Cummins, who gave a very cool rendition of The
Girl from Ipanema. Tom Watts and Ralph Curwen,
two of the winners of the inaugural Open Concerto
Class and the joint winners of the Rosebowl, gave
exquisite performances on the night. Tom played
the first movement of Haydn’s trumpet concerto
and Ralph performed Brahms’s Intermezzo op. 118
No. 2, the piece with which he was a joint winner
in the Middle School Piano Class. The other winner
in this category was Alex Page and he impressed
considerably with his improvisations on Erroll
Garner’s Misty. Sandwiched in between the two
piano pieces was Joseph Longstaff, another of our
rising stars, who gave a most beautiful rendition of
the Reverie by Glazunov.
It was now time for a couple of smaller
ensembles to take centre stage. Two satellite
groups from the Friday Band, the Junior and
Intermediate Brass ensembles, came to the front
to play Summer March and At the Hop. It was
impressive to see the Junior Brass ensemble
performing for the first time and great to see
some of our new tuba players who had only
been playing for a few terms playing in public.
Peter Noren, who finished first in the Middle
School Percussion Class, then played Stockholm
Syndrome by the Muse on the drum kit with great
dexterity, and the half came to a close with the
Senior Choir singing three contrasting songs all
taken from musicals. Benedict Longstaff provided
us with the desired extrovert introduction to
the Circle of Life in Zulu and, with the addition
of a backing track, the Choir gave an excellent
account of this song. Following a beautifully
controlled Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the
Roof came the final song Hernando’s Hideaway,
with its catchy refrain.
The second half was started by the Fuller
String Quartet with the summery Notturno from
Borodin’s 2nd String Quartet and the group
gave us a stunning account of the piece, with
great expression and lyrical lines from each of
the soloists. The eight-strong ‘cello ensemble
led by Ayo Andrews next played two pieces,
Hey, Ho! and Auld Lang Syne, performing with
great ensemble skill and good intonation. The
stage was then reset for the larger Crescendo
Strings group, complete with four double bass
players who impressed with three pieces, String
Street, Half Term Blues and the theme tune to
Game of Thrones. Andrew Lai, the leader of
Crescendo Strings, then moved to the front of
Ben Lester in the
Band Class
the stage as winner of the Middle School String
Class to play Charles Dancla’s Resignation. This
was a lyrical performance of great musicality.
Sivanujan Sivakumaran, a joint winner of the
World Instrument Class, performed an excellent
version of Bho Shambo on the Vina and then
Sam Finkelstein, winner of the Middle and
Upper School guitar class, gave the audience
an agile rendition of Joe Satriani’s Midnight. The
joint Winner of the Vocal Class, Robert Russo,
impressed with a superb performance of On the
Street Where You Live from My Fair Lady and then
our third shared winner of the Open Concerto
Class, Justin Ho, wowed the audience with a
thrilling performance of the Allegro from Bach’s
Violin Concerto in A minor BWV 1041 taken at
an impressive pace. The final item of the concert
was provided by two very musical brothers, Ralph
and Robbie Curwen, who brought the concert to
a wonderful climax with a superb rendition on
the Steinway of Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
by Grieg. The performance had real power and
energy in the outer quicker sections and plenty of
lyricism in the middle slower section.
The Headmaster then presented the
Rosebowl to Tom Watts and Ralph Curwen for their
outstanding performance in the Competition,
winning two solo classes each. The Kienitz Cup
was awarded to Jacob Hartley for his superb
commitment to school music over the past
seven years, whilst the Nigel Compton Cup was
presented to two further musical brothers, Joel
and Nathan Kelion, for their outstanding progress
in music lessons this year. We had witnessed a
brilliant display of the wealth of musical talent at
Watford Boys and congratulations must go to all
the performers and to all those who won classes
at the Competition, but were unable to perform
on this occasion. Once again I would like to thank
all of those committed students who rehearse
each week as part of our ensembles in order to
prepare such great performances for each of our
concerts. Your parents and teachers must also be
congratulated for supporting you in your musical
adventures and being at your concerts in such
great numbers.
Guitar Class
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
69
Striking the Right Note!
O
n the 9th August 2014 two Old Fullerians took part in an
impressive ‘Beating Retreat’ ceremony in Portsmouth’s
Guildhall Square, watched by hundreds. Prior to the
ceremony Musicians Michael Thorold and Freddy Stokes,
both ex-Watford Grammar School pupils, had played in a
special graduation concert at the Guildhall, which ended with
Royal Marine Band traditional items such as ‘Heart of Oak’, ‘Evening Hymn’
and ‘Sunset’, and the regimental march ‘A Life on the Ocean Wave’.
Earlier in the day, Musician Stokes, along with twenty other marines who
had been studying for three years, graduated in a ceremony that took place
at the Portsmouth-based Royal Marines School of Music. Musician Stokes
has now entered full-time service by joining the Royal Marines band at HMS
Collingwood in Fareham.
Musician Thorold is currently in his second year at the Royal Marines
School of Music and recently returned to Watford Grammar School to talk
to pupils in the Brass Band and Senior Wind Band about life in the service.
Musician Thorold recently performed in an orchestral concert at the Painted
Hall, London for an event attended by Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. He
was playing the violin at the banquet; impressive as he has only been playing
the instrument for little over a year.
Having Passed Out after three years of intensive training, both in the field
during basic commando training and in his ‘cell’ learning three instruments
from scratch (tuba, double bass and bass guitar), Musician Stokes joined RM
Band Collingwood. With them he has been to Switzerland for the Basel Tattoo,
played in the Lord Mayor’s Show, and in the RM350 Corps’ dinner which
celebrated the 350th anniversary of the Royal Marines. Recently he played
at the Royal Albert Hall in the Classic FM Live concert, and was also in the
band at the Cenotaph for the Gallipoli remembrance service. Since joining the
service he has discovered a liking for jazz, played in dance bands, ensembles
and orchestras as well as marching in full regalia in the brass band.
KT
Musician Stokes and
Musician Thorold on the
steps outside Portsmouth
Guildhall
Opera Herts Performance - Fidelio
T
he WBGS Senior Choir was presented with a fantastic
opportunity to sing at a public event with Opera Herts, and
we snatched the opportunity with great delight! Opera Herts
are a local group who are committed to bringing high quality
opera to the Watford area and have sung in renowned places
like the Royal Albert Hall and the London Coliseum.
A great deal of time and effort was put in by the Senior Choir in
preparation for this event. We were performing Beethoven’s Fidelio
which is a story sung in operatic form. Not only did we have to learn the
rhythm of the songs, but we had the added challenge of learning and
singing in German! Our commitment to rehearsals was paramount and
we came together on numerous occasions to practise before the event.
We gave a hundred percent dedication to our practice to ensure we
delivered a flawless performance.
The performance was at the Clarendon Muse. The
excitement built up as we all came smartly dressed in
school uniform and the sixth formers wore suits. Most of
us were confident as we were well rehearsed, but when
we saw the audience and the seats all taken, it made
some of us a little nervous as some of us have never
performed in public before.
We settled down quickly and waited patiently for
our turn to perform. Our main involvement was in the
second half. We proudly ambled onto the stage and took
our places. Our performance began with singing in the
finale and we sang “Heil Sei Dem Tag“and other German
songs. The audience loudly applauded the performance
as we took a bow.
It was an amazing opportunity and a great pleasure
and honour to perform with a professional opera group .
Our whole hearted thanks go out to Opera Herts and of
course, Mr Thorold for dedicating his time and effort in
organising such a great event.
Avi Ruparelia, 7N
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Singing at the Royal Opera House
T
he first time that I had ever encountered singing in the Royal Opera
House was about two and a half years ago, when I was nine years
old. I had sung in the Linbury Theatre with the English Touring Opera
performing in our opera called ‘Towards An Unknown Port’.
The English Touring Opera travel around lots of schools, giving
a chance to children to sing in the Royal Opera House. After that
performance, the Youth Opera Company invited me to participate in three singing
and acting workshops and, after that, they chose me and a couple of other children
to join their group which sings in many operas. That year, performed in the Linbury
Theatre again in ‘Gone Fishing,’ a performance which we really worked hard on,
varying from every other Saturday for six hours, to every day for 8 to 9 hours.
The next performance that we took part in was Carmen, a well known opera.
There were twelve performances of this. For the 12 performances and rehearsals
I got £450 in total. For me to perform in the ROH, I must have an opera licence
sent to me by the council, for it involves missing out on some school days. I have
continued performing in many operas, such as ‘The Crackle’ and ‘Life Reimagined,’
the Gala performance of the year. In May 2015, we had three more performances
which I looked forward to very much.
Performing in the Royal Opera is an amazing opportunity to work with vocal
and acting teachers, and perform with world known opera singers on the main
stage in front of over 2300 people.
The Royal Opera House runs a program which is called ‘School Matinees’ and
if a school joins it, the students can visit the Royal Opera House to see Ballet or
Opera for only £7.50p. I hope our school will consider this great opportunity, for
students to explore the world of performing arts.
Crescendo Strings
As part of the school’s wonderful music programme on
offer for all levels of ability, Crescendo Strings forms an
integral role. The intermediate string orchestra meets up
on Wednesday lunchtimes under the conductor, Mrs. Cox.
This gives an opportunity for boys of different abilities to
work together and play pieces of music in an orchestral
environment. A great sense of camaraderie exists and all
boys are enthusiastically encouraged to work towards
playing in the Senior Strings and Orchestra.
This year has been particularly successful as new
talent has settled in very well. It feels like the jigsaw has
been completed and the future looks very promising.
The intermediate group actively participates and
performs in the school’s Autumn, Spring and Summer
Concerts. The boys are encouraged to participate in the
school’s annual Music Competition. Personally, I had a
wonderful experience performing for the first time in the
competition. This encourages confidence and allows
oneself to express them. All the members of Crescendo
Strings reflect the energy and enthusiasm of Mrs. Cox.
It is a tribute to her for all her efforts in partnership with
Mr. Hussey and Mr. Bartai.
Deven Voralia 10N
Vitaljis Strelcuks 7T
A
The Grieg Piano Concerto
fter coming across this wonderful composition as a
youngster, watching the legendary Morecambe and Wise
sketch, I was delighted to receive it as a challenge from
my piano teacher in the summer of 2013. After working
on it for the majority of summer I left it alone for the next
year in order to do my Diploma exam. After the Christmas
break I was delighted to be invited by Mr Hussey to practise it with the
orchestra on a Monday afternoon. Thanks to the wonders of Mr Hussey’s
conducting the orchestra and I were soon ready to go.
It was performance night and we were on last, the finale of the
night. Standing in the wings, waiting to stroll out, I was nervous, very
nervous. However I tried to banish these nerves as my name was
announced and I had to stride out in front of a packed auditorium. I sat
down, steadied myself and waited for the signal from Mr Hussey for
my entry. Thankfully my entry was pretty much in sync with orchestra,
and off we went, winding through all the wonderful melodies. To my
discontent during one of the orchestral interludes, I peered through the
lid of the piano to see one member of the audience deciding it was the
right time to have a chat with his/her neighbour.
As the piece progressed towards the fiendishly difficult cadenza
my hands were getting progressively shakier. But it soon arrived and
thankfully all the practice I had put in paid off. The adrenaline rush
was great and my hands felt in
a sense, electrified. Finally the
concerto came to a grand finish,
and I bowed more out of relief
than anything else. I strode off
the stage shattered only to be
told to go back on again and
again to bow some more. I think
with just a few minutes I must
have bowed about 20 times but
it was an amazing feeling with
over 200 people clapping for you
and for what you’ve done. All this
pressure, nerves and in the end
applause was all because of one
piece: the Grieg Piano Concerto.
Ralph Curwen 10B
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
71
Music Competition Winners 2015
Lower School Piano
Lower School Brass
Lower And Middle School Ensembles
Ashley Hatch playing L’Orage by Burgmuller
Matthew Kenny playing Rondo for Lifey by
Leonard Bernstein
Justin Ho, Reuben Gluck and Alex Page
playing the first movement of Beethoven’s
Piano Trio Op.1 No.1
Middle School Piano
Alex Page improvising on Misty and Ralph
Curwen playing the Intermezzo op. 118 No.2
By Brahms
Upper School Piano
Calum Foley playing Philip Glass’s
Metamorphosis 1
Beginner Strings
Jonathan Davis playing Weeping Willow by K
and H Colledge.
Lower School Strings
Jerry Yang playing Seitz’s Allegro Moderato.
Middle School Strings
Andrew Lai playing Resignation Op.59 by
Charles Dancla
Upper School Strings
Gokulan Kannan playing the Scherzo from
Brahms’s FAE sonata and Patrick Kennedy
playing Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro.
Lower School Woodwind
Benedict Buffery playing Catchy Toon by
Colin Cowles
Middle School Woodwind
Eddie Cummins on the saxophone playing
The Girl from Ipanema by Astrid Gilberto.
Upper School Woodwind
Robert Russo playing But Not for Me by
Gershwin and Patrick Noren playing the 1st
movement of Fasch’s Sonata in C.
Middle School Brass
Tom Watts playing selections from the
Concerto by Aratunian and Joseph Longstaff
playing the Thema and Variationen by Franz
Strauss
Upper School Ensembles
Upper School Brass
Sivanujan Sivakumaran performing Bho
Shambo by Dayaananda Saraswati and
Branavan Navaneethan playing Endaro Ma
by Saint Tyagaraja.
Chris Weatherilt playing Zelda (Caprice) by
Percy Code
Middle School Percussion
Peter Noren playing Stockholm Syndrome
by Muse
Upper School Percussion
Three winners: James Rich playing Bizet’s
Danse Bohemian on the xylophone,
Jonathan Davis playing Gargarin-Public
Service Broadcasting and Wipeout by
Surfaris on the kit and Ben Lester playing
YYZ by Rush, also on the kit.
Vocal
Robert Russo singing On the Street where
you live by Lerner and Loewe and Thomas
Bartlett singing The Armadillo Song by
Flanders and Swann.
Guitars Years 7-9
Imran Omerdeen playing Soledad by Stefan
Oser.
Guitars Years 10+
Sam Finkelstein playing Midnight by Joe
Satriani
Fuller Quartet playing the first movement
from Mendelssohn’s Quartet in D Op.44 No.1.
World Instruments
Lower School Bands
Alternate Anthem-Solomon Linington,
Joseph Longstaff and Ashvin Kapilan playing
Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie and Arthur
Garvey, Solomon Linington and Kian Garvey
playing The Vampire of Time and Memory by
Queens of the Stoneage
Upper School Bands
Tim Bush, Ben Lester and Jonathan Davis
playing Something/Anything-A Wizard…. A
True Star and Arthur Garvey, Sam Finkelstein,
Eddie Cummins, Kit Gillman, Aron Finkelstein
and Joel Kelion playing Uptown Funk by Mark
Ronson and Bruno Mars.
Open Concerto Class
Three Winners: Justin Ho playing the first
movement of the Concerto in A minor BWV
1041 by Bach, Tom Watts playing the first
movement of Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto
in Eb and Ralph Curwen playing the first
movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto.
Rosebowl winners,
Tom Watts
and
Ralph Curwen
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Music Lower School Woodwind winners
G
Glastonbury 2015
lastonbury is a well-known music and arts festival,
which takes place in Worthy Farm, in Pilton. The farm is
run by Michael Eavis throughout the year, but in June, it
is transformed into an incredible explosion of culture,
music and great food. There are various stages, tents
and fields where different events take place.
On Thursday the 25th to Sunday the 28th of June, I went to
Glastonbury. I have been to Glastonbury before (last year) so I roughly
know my way around. The atmosphere was incredible. 170,000 people
were bustling around like ants around a nest. There were different
people walking around, people in weird and wacky costumes, from all
cultures and races. The weather was, luckily, very good. However, in 45
Glastonburys, only 8 have had no rain, so it was
inevitably going to get a bit wet...
Wellington boots are nearly always in use at
Glastonbury. On the Friday, we had two surprise
downpours. My sister and I were unlucky. We
had left our rain macs back where we pitched
our seats and both got soaked. Of course, there
was then mud. There were puddles everywhere.
But, Glastonbury is a very relaxed, go-with-the-flow
kind of festival, so everyone just went along with it,
no moaning or complaining. There’s always mud at
Glastonbury.
There are many different themed places to go
in Glastonbury. One example is Arcadia. This is where
people go and rave all night around a giant robotic
spider. Shangri La is another place with its opposing
clubs called Heaven and Hell. On Sunday, I went to a place called the
Unfairgound and took some photos. It is really creepy there, and the
sculpture/art is eery. You also have the circus area. In the circus you
have the usual performing acts - a Big Top, magicians etcetera - but there
is also a really cool twist that makes the circus field wild. Lots of random
performers and people are running around the field manically, doing
crazy acts. When I was walking back to our caravan on the Sunday night,
these ladies dressed as aliens in strobe lighting clothes were dancing
around, laughing and pretending to be toddlers. There is also a Kidz
Field, as well as the Green Fields and Healing Fields. The Kidz Field has
lots of activities and shows designed for little kids, and the Green Fields
shows the beauty and importance of keeping Worthy
Farm and the world free of harm. Finally, the Healing
Fields is designed for the hippy culture, with spiritual
experiences, massages and Steiner school influences.
The music is the whole reason why Glastonbury
was first created. The music, as expected, was amazing.
Sadly, the Foo Fighters had to pull out of their Friday
night headliner slot due to Dave Grohl breaking his
leg. Despite this, the music was brilliant. My personal
highlights were Florence and the Machine, The
Libertines and The Who. Lionel Richie also had his
Glastonbury debut and had the largest crowd in the
history of Glastonbury with over 100,000 people at
the Pyramid Stage including me! Overall, I think the
quality of the music was excellent as usual, as was
the atmosphere and whole experience.
Dylan Maguire 7G
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
73
An Assembly for Remembrance Day 2014
by Mr Russel-Ponte
I
was conscious when I was planning
this assembly that, for half of you here,
this will be your final Remembrance
service in the school. I’d like us to
reflect today on the history of our
school – and what Remembrance
could, and perhaps should, mean to us.
What was life like in our school a hundred
years ago? Different uniforms – yes; a stricter
and more formal environment – yes… but what
really struck me when I was researching this
assembly was how similar everything was.
Here is a class in a lecture room, all poised
with pens at the ready. I suspect they didn’t
always look as ordered as this. But I can see
a lot of my classes today in this photo. Similar
faces. Similar haircuts. And if look closely you
can see some of their personalities creeping
through – including one of the boys on the left
making a slightly silly face.
Woodwork – no overcoats and
safety goggles in 1912… but plenty of saws
and mallets and vice grips…
Art & Design – and here it looks
like the boys are having a lesson on light
and shade, much like you might
still do today.
The annual school sports days
was also little different from the sports day
that you have contested through your years
in the school.
So, after a busy morning it would be off to
the canteen for lunch –
One difference that you might
notice here is the absence of a queue… so,
there you are boys, not everything gets
better as time passes…
Physics – of course, being a History teacher
I’m not allowed into the Science block too
often… but all the elements of a modern
Science classroom are there – especially the
boys enthusiastically burning things.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
After lunch it would then be time for
a spot of sport in the afternoon. And this
picture does look a little different, I’ll grant
you: full-length button-down shirts, and lots
of climbing, and military-style drills, and bar
work. But, at the same time, also all of the
sports that we play today – and the fixture list
from 1912 is little different from the fixture list
that we have to this day.
So: there we are. 100 years in the life
of our school. A different place from today
in some ways. But also very familiar. A
similar school day. Similar boys with similar
personalities going about their lives. School
work; homework; sport; music; art…… and
then, from a reasonably clear blue sky, World
War I erupted and everything changed.
And this next photo, for me, captures this
change in a powerful image. This photo was
taken in 1919, just after the end of WW1, and
shows a captured German trench mortar on
display outside the school.
In the years before this photo hundreds
of boys, ex-boys and staff from this school
found themselves living and fighting in awful
conditions in France, Belgium and elsewhere
around the world. Like countless others on
both sides of the battlefield it was not a war
they sought. But they answered the call of duty
nevertheless and many of them – as you know,
far too many: 96 from our school community
– gave their lives in the years that followed to
protect their home, families and friends.
I’d like to share with you now some
wonderful research that Mr.Panter and Mr
Pegler’s father carried out a number of years
ago to learn more about 2 of our old boys who
left the safe environment of our school one
hundred years ago to fight overseas. Some of
this comes from hands-on detective work by
Mr.Panter and Mr.Pegler’s father in the school
loft – the rest from enquiries with the Imperial
War Museum, Ministry of Defence, National
Army Museum and the Commonwealth War
Grave Museum.
Like thousands of others John Cameron
Heather joined the army voluntarily at the
outbreak of the war. At the time he was 18 years
old – you can see how young he is from his photo.
He served with the 13th Kensington Battalion,
London Regiment, and quickly rose to the rank of
Sergeant. After 2 years of distinguished service –
and just a couple of weeks after his 20th birthday
– he was killed in operations on the Somme.
Today he is buried in Delville Wood cemetery - a
site we often have a chance to visit on our annual
Y10 WW1 Battlefields Trip.
This picture shows him clearing 5 foot 2
inches – about 158cm in new money –
at our 1910 Sports Day.
This is particularly impressive given that –
unlike you today – he was not jumping onto a
nice mat but, rather, onto the hard ground with
a token dusting of sand on top. He was also a
successful footballer, scoring – wait for it – 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 goals in a famous 14-0 win over
John Lyon school in 1910. In the 1910 football
inter-form final, as House Captain of N, he also
scored 6 goals in a 9-0 victory over T. After
leaving school he went on to play for Cricket
for Hertfordshire, scoring 120 against the MCC.
There is every chance that, but for the war,
he would have gone on to be a professional
sportsman.
Sadly, however, he did not get this
opportunity…
He joined the 5th Essex Regiment in Nov
1915 and quickly rose to an Officer Rank. His
main role was as a Brigade bombing instructor.
In July 1917, after 2 years of dedicated service,
he was wounded in action at Monchy-le-Preux.
He died of his wounds 3 days later.
In the 1910 Fullerian – the year that he
left our school – Ernest Scott Household
is described as having “everything to look
forward to”.
I would like to finish with some poignant
words from his Housemaster, also from that
year.
He said that, “with a Captain like Household,
we were bound to succeed, for his keenness
and enthusiasm stirred many boys to
action.”
John Cameron Heather
He was born in August 1896 and lived at 33
Cassio Road, near to West Herts
Sports Ground. He was at our school from
Sep 1907-July 1913,
Ernest Scott Household
He was born in June 1893 and lived at
1A Westland Road, close to
Watford Junction station. He was at our
school from Sep 1908 to July 1910.
What sort of person was he? According to
his school report he was “an average pupil”. He
made a promising start to his school career. In
1908 he was 5th in his form and “making very
good progress”; a few years later his work ethic
tailed off a little: in 1911 he was 14th in his form
and “did not work hard enough”; in his last year in
the school – 1913 – he had turned things around,
rising to 8th in his form and showing improvement
“in some subjects”. He represented the school in
Cricket, Football & Cross-Country.
What sort of person was he? He was an
outstanding student and an outstanding
sportsman. He finished first in his form in 1909
and 1910. He was captain of the school Athletics
team and the school Cricket team – and you can
see his name on both honours boards at the
back of this hall. In cricket he has the particular
distinction of being the first boy in the history of
our school to score a hundred in a competitive
fixture – in a game against Latymer School.
He was a talented high-jumper
“We are very sorry to say goodbye to him
and we sincerely hope that his example may
be remembered by N House for a very long
time to come”. So, to conclude boys, the purpose of today’s
assembly is to ensure that boys like Ernest
Scott Household, John Cameron Heather and,
indeed, Tom Sawyer – a more recent old boy
who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009 – are
remembered and will be remembered “for a
very long time to come”.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
75
SPORT
Rugby
2013-14
1st XV
It is fair to say that the season was very much
a season of two halves. After 6 weeks of
relaxation and partying, reality hit us that pre
season was about to start. After a few days
of training, the team improved and looked
on hand for our first challenge of the season,
the Mill Hill 15s tournament. Although not
winning the tournament, the squad looked
sharp and cohesive, which was reassuring for
the forthcoming season.
Our first game of the season was against
Richard Hale School. Admittedly, it did take
until the second half to function, but when
this materialised we looked fluid in the
backs and powerful in the forwards enabling
us to win our first game of the season. We
continued our winning run with comprehensive
victories against St George’s, St Columbus
and Parmiters. The local derby against
Merchant Taylors stands in the memory as
an unforgettable game. An outstanding
defensive effort by Tim Dunkerton in the
game inspired us and acted as a catalyst for
our dominant victory of 20-0. Probably the
heartiest win of the season came against the
prestigious Cokethorpe School. The game was
so memorable as almost half the team were
injured prior to the game. Members of the 2nd
team stepped up and were superlative in both
defence and attack enabling us to win 17-13.
Unfortunately, our impressive winning run was
about to end when we faced Berkhamsted
School away. Truthfully, Berkhamsted were
much fitter than us, enabling them to get
around the field to the breakdown quicker. The
loss against Berkhamsted was disappointing,
preceding the half term break.
Following half term, we had a set of
fixtures that we knew would be challenging
and strenuous. Unfortunately, we came second
best to Haberdashers’ Aske’s, Aylesbury and
Bishop Stortford Schools. Despite these
demanding and gruelling fixtures, the team
continued the ‘never say die’ attitude that we
had established from the start of the season
and were successful against Queen Elizabeth’s
Grammar School, Barnet. The game highlighted
that we are still a skilful and competent team.
The team continued to enjoy our rugby
experience in both training and matches and
made the most of our team socials.
I wish every year in the school the best
for the future. Rugby at Watford Grammar
School for Boys has created some of our most
memorable experiences and has enabled us to
create friends for life.
Giorgio De Lucia U6
Team: Giorgio De Lucia (captain), Douglas
MacDonald, Charles Fern, Cameron Wells,
Thomas Marsh, Jonathan Waller, Adam Wolf,
Sam Oguz, Tom Franklin, Myles Finnegan,
Robert Kennedy, Austin Bailey, Julian
Manieson, Tim Dunkerton, Matt Wright, Pranav
Amaranath, Adam Kowalewicz, Tom Durn, Luke
Ashton, Aaron Sharkey.
2nd XV
I was fortunate enough to co-captain the WBGS
2nd 15 during the rugby season and I would not
be exaggerating if I described it as the most
enjoyable experience in my 7 years of playing
rugby at the school. Although it was a season
littered with difficult fixtures against the likes
of Merchant Taylors and Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Schools in which we were often placed on the
receiving end of heavy defeats, we were able
to produce some fantastic performances in
which the boys persevered and played well as
a team in order to grind out results.
The season itself started with a tough
away fixture against Richard Hale School, in
which, after trailing throughout large periods,
the team was able to turn the game around
and come away with a 14-12 victory. However,
as good a mood as this put us in going into the
rest of the season, it was not, unfortunately,
a standard we could maintain throughout the
coming games as we went on to lose 8 of our
next 9 games including heavy defeats against
Hitchin and St Albans Schools. Our single
victory throughout this period came again
St George’s School in which we played some
of our best rugby of the year but it would be
wrong to say that we didn’t deserve to have
more victories like this.
The highlight of the season came against
Aylesbury Grammar School in November where
the team fought back from a try down in the
final minutes to pull off a spectacular victory in
front of a loud (If a little small) home crowd. A
well worked team try combined with impressive
kicking from Austin Bailey had given us a 10-0
lead early in the game and meant that we
entered the second half in front (a position we
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
had rarely been in all season). However, an injury
suffered by our kicker early in the 2nd half was
made worse by the fact that the away side were
able to score two tries in quick succession to
cancel out our achievements from the first half.
Without our coach, Mr Jelski, who was away on
family business, the team knew that they would
need to pull together in order to claw back the
victory. With 2 minutes to go, the forwards turned
over an opposition line out,10 metres from our
own try line and, after a series of masterfully
executed rucks, which took us up the other end
of the field, Jake Obiora was able to power over
the line to win the game in the dying seconds. It
was a victory that demonstrated the heart of the
boys as we were able to produce such a strong
performance, even after losing so many games
prior to this fixture. This was one that made both
my co-captain (Adam Woolf) and me proud to be
a part of the team.
Insisting that the victory was solely
due to Mr Jelski’s absence, we asked him if
he would politely stay away from our final
two fixtures but it was impossible to keep him
away. In the second to last game we managed
another impressive victory, this time against
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Barnet,
away in some difficult weather conditions and
(if we disregard our final fixture) this meant we
finished the season on winning terms.
To conclude therefore, it was an absolute
honour to co-captain the 2nd XV throughout
my final year at the school. Before each game
,Mr Jelski would always tell the boys to “go out
there and have fun” and indeed with the level
of commitment that both the upper sixth and
lower sixth boys showed week in week out,
that is indeed what we did. With a total of 4
wins and 9 losses, it was regrettably a losing
season. Yet throughout the entirety of the term
the boys’ enthusiasm never waned and victories
towards the end of the season such as the ones
against Aylesbury Grammar and QE not only
demonstrated a high level of skill but also a
desire to fight for each other which made both
Adam and I proud to captain the boys. Special
thanks must go out to all the boys who turned
out to play for the 2nd 15 throughout the season
and of course to both Mr Jelski and Mr Wallis
for training us to be the best standard we could
possibly be because without them, this season
would have been nowhere near as enjoyable as
it turned out to be.
Jonathan Waller (U6NAI)
Lewis Reynolds, Thomas Marsh(Vice-Capt),
Pacalavan SivaharanAdam Woolf(Capt), Robert
Angel, Jake Obiora, Jack Wagman, Zachary
Banson, Marco Scozzafava, Conor Callanan,
Bradley Mitchell, Timothy Dunkerton, Sam
Beeston, Matthew Wright, Luke Davies, Sean
Gordon, Rupert Woods, James Todd, Harry
Dinsdale, Niall Sharma, Alexander Pierce,
Charles Fern, Oliver Tanner, Daniel Bugler,
Jonathan Waller(Capt), Dominic Wills, Aaron
Sharkey, Douglas McGregor Smith Daniel Park,
George Noakes, Salman Hassanali, Marco
Goldsmith, Hamish Rawbone, Matthew Lally,
Mohammad Yunis, Robert Slade, Thomas
Franklin, Robert Kennedy, Thomas Durn,
Luke Ashton, Peter Pickford, Sam Oguz, Jack
Hayes, Nathan Horsley, Hamish Rawbone,
James Wood, Vithushan Ratnaraja, Nicholas
Lawrence, Alexander Eliad
U16
All in all, we had what can only be described
as a very tough season, full of difficult
fixtures, which were only made tougher by a
horrendous number of injuries. This became
clear immediately when, before the season
had even started, one of our fly half options
suffered a broken arm. Yet there was far worse
to come. In our first real game, a difficult
fixture against a very strong Merchant Taylors
side, we sustained a further 3 injuries to A
team players including a broken thumb and
what appeared to be a broken collarbone.
However despite these setbacks, we went
on to register a convincing 31-12 victory versus
St Columba’s College which lifted the spirits
of all involved. Unfortunately any celebrations
were short lived as we bowed out to a narrow
defeat to Hitchin School followed by a thumping
by an extremely strong Berkhampsted School
team in which our captain, Zak Flesch, was
side-lined from rugby for life with a shattered
cheekbone after a collision with Jonas Kitadi.
We continued for the next 4 games with our
vice-captain, Douglas Mcgregor-Smith standing
in. A decent win against Dr Challoner’s Grammar
School followed, but, once again, we were
unable to capitalise on the momentum and
proceeded to concede 3 straight defeats in a
row over the following month as we ran into
half term.
We returned from our week off with a
fresh mind-set and, following a week of fitness
training, we went down fighting to Haberdashers’
Aske’s School 27-5 in a heated game. The
spirited performances continued and our hard
work finally paid off with our heavily weakened
side producing a huge result to beat University
College School 19-17. This was the one match of
the season that I missed and thus I maintained
a stunning win rate of 0% throughout my
captaincy. We had hoped this would fuel a late
spell of form; however more injuries struck and
we could do nothing to prevent a defeat to
Aylesbury Grammar School in the next game.
Nonetheless we had plenty of keen
players stepping up and this became evident
as we defeated Queen Elizabeth Grammar
School Barnet, 38-20 despite being 20-14
down at half time with perhaps the greatest try
in our year group’s history being finished off by
former C team winger James Wright.
The year ended as it began with a heavy
defeat to a very good Bishops Stortford side,
despite a resolute performance by the mishmash of A, B and C team players representing
us. All in all, despite a very hard season with
a long injury list, we enjoyed a few excellent
victories and hoped to carry those experiences
into the following year as some of us make the
step up to 1st and 2nd team rugby.
I’d like to thank all those who stepped
up from the lower sets and teams and those
who have always been A team regulars too,
but most importantly I’d like to thank Mr Beere
and Mr Reeve for helping us at training and
generally sticking by us whatever the final
scores were in our matches.
Tom Lees 11G
U15
This season was a brilliant season for the
under 15s. After our extremely successful year
last year, every boy was keen and determined
to do even better in the coming season. We
started our season strongly with a close win
over a strong Richard Hale side, narrowly
beating them 22-20. With our first win under
our belt, we felt confident coming up against
Cokethorpe School, comfortably beating them
50-10. Our winning streak continued, making
it seven out of seven; however we were still
to face our biggest rivals, St Albans. It was
extremely close and we were leading for most
of the match until our defence broke in the
last few minutes. We were, however, handed a
lifeline, through a penalty on the 10 metre line
in the last minute. Unfortunately, the attempt
at goal narrowly missed the right hand post
and the game went to St Albans. Nevertheless,
the boys were determined to have a good
end to the season. We did just that, cruising
through tough rugby playing schools, such
as Haberdashers’ Aske’s, University College
School, Queen Elizabeth’s school and finally
Bishop’s Stortford High School.
In the home straight we managed to win
4 out of 5 games, which both the coaches and
the boys were very proud of. Over the season,
the under 15s proved again that they were one
of the dominant teams playing at Watford Boys.
Out of the 14 games we played, we raked
up a points total of 378, whilst only conceding
159 and with a high average of over 27 points
a game. Both Mr. Dawson and Mr. Jacobs were
extremely proud of how far we had come.
However our season wasn’t quite over; a tour
match against Mr. Jacobs’ old school, Kirkbie
Kendal had been arranged. The boys were
excited to have the opportunity to play again,
but with a clashing of match dates with hockey,
half the team were unable to play. However the
boys didn’t stumble and treated the game with
the same fight and determination that they
had done all season. It was a brilliant game
of end-to-end rugby and, in keeping with the
trend of the season, Watford boys managed
to seal a win of 22-10. Man of the Match was
awarded to Rohan Finnegan, who received a
Kirkbie Kendal school tie. A brilliant end to
an amazing season, and we can’t wait to start
improving and winning again in year 11.
Rohan Finnegan 10F
Squad: Harry Pettit, Shahen Shah, Jay Thanki,
Robert Russo, Keir Allen, Thomas Cooney,
Patrick Addison, Harry Devon, Johnny Kennedy,
Ashley Charles, Jake wall, Luke Benton, Hashim
Jamal, Jacob Burnett, Rohan Finnegan (Capt),
Keegan Scholtz, James Rich, Moses Mutalaga,
Raphael Thompson.
U14
The 2013/14 season for a vastly improving
U14 squad was a tale of two halves, not
literally but metaphorically. From the outset
of the season, as a rejuvenated side that had
had a successful season previously, we were
inspired to perform well. However this upbeat
feeling took a rapid turn for the worse after
the first eleven games; we had been beaten
up physically and mentally in a number of
gruelling matches against tough opposition,
leaving us with a measly points’ differential
of -43. Although in a lot of these matches we
were unlucky to be the side travelling home
as losers in a close knit match, we had played
eleven games and won three.
It had been a miserable season to that
point; including the 25-0 loss to Queen
Elizabeth Grammar School, Barnet. It was
a thoroughly disappointing loss, the first
round of the county cup; a cup we had great
aspirations for, cut away from us abruptly by a
powerful opposing side. So when we then faced
them again later on in the season, everyone’s
aspirations weren’t particularly high but, as
a close team we bound together and decided
we were going to avenge our previous loss.
And from then on, during that cold Saturday
morning, we switched on completely and
fought hard. We fought so hard to the point
we had a chance to beat them on the last kick
of the game, the scores being 20-22, and we
had a reasonably kickable penalty. I stepped
up and comfortably slotted the kick, leaving
us to win 23-22 against a team who had a
thumped us earlier on in the season. And this
truly defined our turnaround season; we put
ourselves in motion and competently won all
the remaining four games, turning around the
points difference to plus 31.
Many thanks to Mr Williams and Mr
Davies who did a superb job at coaching us
this season and gave up their spare time, we
hope to continue this form into seasons to
come.
Craig Beeston 9P
Liam Green, Sam Boyce, Ben Plunkett,
George Wright, Adam Tucker, Aidan Sharkey,
Ronaldo Joslyn, Harry Clements, Euan Wiley,
Craig Beeston (captain), Tom Milford, Robbie
Troude, Rob Vangucci, Kiran Vyas, Micheal
Onyekuru, Gavin Lee, Tobi Odanye, Danny
Russo, Jake Lees, Alex Foley, James Thomson,
Haaris Malik, Deen Taj, Shenal De Almeida,
Haroon Alishan, Tom Stock, Francis AppiahDanquah, Jamie Ivory
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
77
U13
After having a very good previous year of
rugby we were confident that we cold emulate
the same success this year as well. Our
fixture list was full of some big names like
Haberdashers’ Aske’s and Dr Challoner’s. But
we were confident that we could give them a
good game and possibly get a positive result.
Our first game of the season was against
Richard Hale. We knew that they were a good
side as we played them 3 times the previous
year. Unfortunately we got off to a slow start
and Richard Hale made the most of this
opportunity and beat us 10-15. But we were
determined to come back from this defeat
and we did this by beating Cokethorpe 51-0.
Feeling confident after our win we came up
against St Columba’s College and failed to
perform again, losing 5-29. We worked hard
in training and needed a win in our next game,
where we played Hitchin Boy’s, and won 36-10.
Slowly starting to get our form back, we had
one of the biggest games of the season, Dr
Challoner’s. We knew they were very well
drilled and would be a very good side. This
clearly showed as we were outclassed by a
much better side; we lost 0-60.
After the Dr Challoner’s game we had
lost our heads and this showed in our results.
Losing the next 4 games to St George’s (12-53),
Magdalen College (7-10), St Albans (17-22),
Haberdashers’ Aske’s (5-45) and Aylesbury
(5-45). We wanted to come back from our run
of losses; we beat Queen Elizabeth’s School
17-15 in a very tightly fought game. It was a last
game of the season against Bishops Stortford
and we wanted to win, but the result didn’t go
Our first taste of rugby at WBGS was a very
exciting prospect for all of us, especially those
who were new to the game. Many players had
only had a few months of training before being
thrown in the deep end for an away fixture against
Verulam Boys School. Unfortunately, this game
was lost 44-12, and served as a bit of a wake
up call to all of us. We went on to win our next
game against Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School,
Barnet, 24 - 14, and then went to a tournament
at Richard Hale School, where we suffered some
more losses but finished with welcome revenge
over Verulam in the form of a 15-5 win.
We were geting somewhere, we were
improving and sett off for our next game in positive
spirits. Unfortunately we suffered the massive
blow of three consecutive heavy losses to Hitchin
Boys, St Columba’s and University College School.
Two cancelled games after this gave us a chance
to work hard, with Merchant Taylors being our next
game. The boys showed great spirit in bouncing
straight back from these defeats to battle our
way to a well earned 22-14 victory. In this game
we showed some of the grit and determination
that we had been lacking previously. This then
led to a good win against St George’s in which we
managed to win by 44 points.
Another successful tournament followed
as well as more wins against Tring School and
Queen Elizabeth’s Barnet (for the second time). Our
season was finished off with a 10s tournament at
Berkhampsted School. This allowed our boys to use
all the skills we’d picked up throughout the season.
It was great to play some running rugby as we
made it into the plate final where we faced Hitchin
School. Despite a huge effort after such a long day
our way. We lost 15-17, this really summed up
our season, a very close game but the result
not going our way. So overall we played 12,
won 3, lost 9. 180 points for and 321 against
a difference of -141. It was not a great season,
but we will be wanting to have a better season
next year.
Colm Finnegan 8C
Squad: Matteo Ponzini, Nathan Tyson, Paarth
Patel, Lucas Dyson-Diaz, Zachary O’Malley,
Ethan Meller, Max Brown (Capt), Thomas Walsh
(Capt), Owen Rackham, Max Baker, Louis
Harris, Angus Finnegan, Sam Netscher, Jack
Aitchison, Joseph Hancock, Ayo Fasanya, Colm
Finnegan (Capt), Ryan Sin, Festus Mensah,
Connor O’Donnell, Aaron Manu
U12
1st XV Rugby Squad 2013-14
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
of rugby, we couldn’t pick up the silverware. This
year has been thoroughly enjoyed by all of the boys
and we owe lots of this to Mr Wallis, Mr Jacobs and
Mr Beere. We are all looking forward to lots more
enjoyable seasons at this school.
James Milford 7B
Squad: Sebastian Tempest, Tommy Wheeler,
Yasir Merali, Billy Balchin, Edward Stock, William
Bishop, Jack Shute, Josh Dawood (Vice-Capt),
Robert Curwen, James Simmons, Oliver Withell,
James Milford(Capt), James Ryan, Ewan Cooney,
Ali Shah, Het Patel, Billy Balchin, Edward Stock,
Angus Forrest, Emmanuel Zewdu, Siraaj Shah,
Oliver Griffiths, Harry Kendal, Luke Dejager,
Oliver Tattersall, Aron Finkelstein, Kartigan
Navaneethan, Inesh Ahuja, Joseph Mohan
2014/15
1st XV
After a season in which we lost more games
than we won, there is a temptation to gloss
over the less flattering results and hold up
the wins that we had as examples of what we
could do when we set our minds to it. This, I
believe, does not do justice to the character
that we displayed in some of our losses, and
ignores the fact that schoolboy rugby isn’t
simply about the winning or the losing, but
about the people that you win and lose with.
The upper sixth members of the 1st XV deserve
a special mention I think, because they gave the
coach rides to and from games an atmosphere that
was second to none and, despite the results, they
have all been a key part of everything good that has
happened on the field this season.
The official season opened with the match
against Richard Hale School, as it does every
year, and by the end of the fixture, we had
lost the game, Douglas McGregor-Smith, Oliver
Tanner and Toby Brown. Douglas and Oliver were
both ruled out for the season, and were robbed
of an opportunity to play a greater part in it. The
game was a reality check in more ways than the
injury toll – it made the point that there were not
going to be any “easy” wins this season.
St. Benedict’s was always going to be
a difficult ask. A team that contains two age
group internationals and a drove of regional
and academy players is going to cause any side
problems. What we failed to anticipate was quite
how many problems they would cause, and
whilst it is churlish to suggest that the scoreboard
flattered the opposition, it is also true to say that
the losing margin was so wide that the All Blacks
would have been flattered by it.
The first senior rugby social of the season,
as is the tradition, was a classy, enlightened and
thoroughly highbrow affair; and the lower sixth
contingent of the squad is eagerly awaiting the
opportunity to extend the same courtesy and
respect to next year’s rugby cohort.
The best performance of our season, in my
opinion, came in a loss (a near statistical certainty
unfortunately) against St. Albans School. I have
refrained from using the oldest adage in sport
up until this point, but in all honesty, this was a
game that we should have won. The performance
from the whole team, especially the halfbacks,
Robert “Dobby” Kennedy and Austin “Glass
Ankle” Bailey, was honestly exemplary, and to
see the opposition scrumhalf duck through our
defensive line and score under the posts in the
final play, after we had slowly been moving up
the field, was excruciating.
The title of “Best Match” of the season,
however, goes to the penultimate fixture against
Queen Elizabeth’s Grammar School, Barnet. We
managed to win, which made it an exceptional day
in its own right, but the event that earned QE the
“Best Match” moniker came after the final whistle.
There we were, celebrating our victory,
when into our huddle strides the impressive,
hulking man that is Mr Wallis. There were no
words from the wise, gnarled mouth, and the
silence was moving. However as he attempted
to articulate himself to his young charges, he
shed a tear that revealed a kind-hearted and
warm soul, kept under wraps until that day by
endless scrummaging and short shorts.
But in all seriousness, that moment and
countless other moments over the course of
the season reiterated the fact that Mr Wallis is
a man that cares very much about rugby at our
school, and puts an incredible amount of time
and effort into it. We were and are exceedingly
lucky to have him coaching the 1st XV.
Julian Manieson L6P
2nd XV
The 2nd team did very well this year, overcoming
the loss of players to the first team and car
crashes to win 5 of their 13 games. The season
started slowly but eventually good wins were
recorded including beating St Columba’s College
36-17 with 4 tries from Charlie Staines when
he found out where the try line was and a
22-7 victory over University College School. The
highlight of the season was coming from 19-5
down at halftime to beat Cokethorpe School
26-19 due to captain Sam Beeston being subbed
off after scoring the try to start the comeback.
The final match was a 27-12 victory over Bishop
Stortford School including a ‘beautiful’ hat-trick
for Rob Angel. Special mention must also go
to Lewis Reynolds for scaring the life out of
oppositions all season; Vithushan for doing most
of the team’s tackling by himself and to Michael
Mensah for solving the team’s front row crisis.
Everyone is grateful to Mr Jacobs for putting up
with the team all season.
Squad: Sam Beeston (captain), Rob Angel
(vice-captain), Lewis Reynolds, Michael
Mensah, Tim Edwards, Daniel Gillen, Ranishka
Kumarage, Vyshnave Amaranath, Andy
Tunwell, Harry Dinsdale, Vithushan Ratnarajah,
Atharva Abhyankar, Adam Anwar, Tom Lees,
James Hayes, Chris Butcher, Sean Gordon, Jack
McLean, Jonas Kitadi, Peter Shears, Cameron
Simmonds, Matt Lally, Charlie Staines,
Brandon Kato, Niall Sharma, Andrew Layton.
Sam Beeston U6P
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
79
U16
This year the boys were determined to repeat
the success of the season before. Under the
guidance of Mr. Beere, we were hopeful that
we would have a brilliant and solid season
as a unit. Our season began with a brilliant
tournament win at Mill Hill School. Over the
summer, pre season training was put on for the
boys to ensure that we were in prime condition
going in to the tournament. Under Mr. Wallis
and Mr. Dawson we were sure we had a good
chance. We started off with a bang, with a
solid win over Judd School, 23-0. Finally, only
Mill Hill school stood in our way to victory.
We knew this would be a test of our fitness,
and our pre season training really paid off. We
came out of the tournament having only let in
1 try. With another confident win against Mill
Hill we knew we were champions! There were
standout performances from Luke Benton and
Rohan Finnegan, who bagged 4 tries each.
This was exactly the start we needed to our
season and gave us confidence going into the
first real game.
An extremely strong St Benedict’s
School was our first match and with some
key players out injured, St Benedict’s attack
was too much and we narrowly lost. However,
the boys were determined to bounce back
with a good win and that’s exactly what we
did, with a confident performance against
St Columba’s College, winning 21-5. We then
went on to lose to both Merchant Taylors and
Berkhamsted, which gave a big blow to our
confidence. However we bounced back with
3 good wins against St George’s, Beaumont
and Magdalen College Schools. Yet again we
came up against our rival, St Albans, and once
again it was the same story. St Albans proved
too strong and were too much for us on that
cold, wet morning. We had a successful end
to the season, only losing 1 of out of our last
5 matches. Out of the 14 matches we played,
we managed to score 299 points whist only
letting in 169, which gives us an average of 21
points per game. Both the boys and Mr Beere
were extremely proud of what we had achieved
over the course of the season. Every player
is excited about the idea of sixth form rugby
next year and hope we can have a similarly
successful season next season.
Rohan Finnegan 11F
U15
Statistically this season may not have gone
completely to plan, as is shown by us only
winning just under 20% of our games. Most
people would describe our season as a failure,
but in fact it is quite the opposite of that. Given
that we have a tough but pleasingly challenging
fixture list, we did very well to lose by less than
ten points to teams like St Benedict’s, Ealing,
and University College School and beat strong
opposition such as Richard Hale and Bishops
Stortford High School. We were the ‘nearly’ team;
we came so close in lots of hard fought grudge
matches. But over the course of this year, under
the fantastic coaching of Mr Dawson and Mr
Dyson, we have vastly improved personally and
wholly as an age group. We have been taught a
better style of rugby; a slick style of rugby which
when we are big enough in further seasons, we
can use to beat teams who had beaten us before
merely because of size. Our understanding of the
game in full is considerably better and having
been taught an intelligent game plan of intensity,
maturity and continuity, we can continue to
improve and ease into the senior rugby set a lot
more easily in future years.
So, overall, our season may seem
disappointing to an outside eye, but in truth
the team has greatly improved. This is as
a consequence of great coaching from Mr
Dawson and Mr Dyson, of whom we are very
grateful for not only coaching us so well but
also giving up their spare time to aid us.
Craig Beeston 10P
U14
This was our third year of rugby at Watford
Boys, and having two previous years of strong
results we were feeling confident going into
this season.
On a cold and wet Saturday morning we
made the long journey to Richard Hale School
where, despite our best efforts, we lost narrowly
22-26 in a very even game. The week after we
faced the same problems and lost to St Benedict’s
7-45, but we were determined to come back and
get a win the following week. And win we did,
29-26 against a very strong St Columba’s team
with outstanding performances from Tom Walsh
coming back from an injury, scoring two tries and
also from Paul Field scoring a hat-trick, his standout try being in the last play of the game.
Next we faced Merchant Taylors. As
always we went out strong and were winning
by 11 points going into the second half.
Unfortunately spirits dropped and the team
suffered an unlucky 46-21 defeat. This defeat
marked the beginning of our mid-season
slump. On the back of this defeat, we lost a
further five matches on the trot, including:
a 45-5 defeat to Berkhamsted School; a
frustrating 50-14 defeat to Bishops Stortford
School in a field in the middle of nowhere. This
defeat knocked us out of the quarter final of
the county cup and left us feeling a bit flat.
Despite these defeats, we carried on
giving spirited performances against tough
opposition. Unfortunately, even with the
guidance of the masterful Mr Williams, we
were undone 30-12 against St George’s School
and suffered even worse defeats against St
Albans despite some unbelievable scramble
defence. A disappointing 19-0 defeat against
Haberdashers’ Aske’s School followed.
Things were looking bleak after this unlucky
run of games; however, we were still determined
to bounce back. When we finally got a home
fixture against University College School, we
This season has been a real roller-coaster ride.
We would like to thank Mr Davies and Mr
Jelski for sticking with us for what has been a
tough season. Results wise our season could
certainly not be classed as successful, but we
have shown lots of potential in our matches.
It became quite evident at the start of the
season that our defence would be our ultimate
downfall. It was not a case of not being able to
tackle, but we lacked the appetite to do so. Our
first few games showed this pretty clearly, as
we went down by 50 points in all of them. For
our next three games there was a complete turn
around, and we showed great spirit to come
back from such heavy early losses. So, we beat
St Columba’s (where Ali Shah stormed to a hat
trick down the wing), St George’s (where we
scored 29 unanswered points) and Magdalen
College School (where Billy Balchin set the tone
with a storming run down the middle of their
defence straight from a kickoff ).
Unfortunately during the half term
finally showed our class. Early on in the first
half, we went 21-0 up through some brilliant
work from Max Brown and Waleed Malik. In the
second half however, UCS battled back and after
some players had gone off injured, the game
became a close affair. We showed real character
to maintain our advantage and the score line,
38-27, was a real reflection of the game.
We then travelled to Aylesbury Grammar
School with a change in captaincy. This change
unfortunately didn’t pay dividends, and we
lost the game 44-12. With many games getting
called off towards the end of the season,
and our team desperate to end on a high,
Mr Williams provided a rare opportunity to
face Queen’s School. We took this opportunity
and had our best win of the season (points
wise). 54-5 was the score at the full time
whistle and we were all very buoyant about
our performance.
Max Brown 9P
U13
80
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
holidays, we lost all our momentum and,
when we returned to school, we faced a wellorganised and well- fed St Albans team and we
lost heavily 7-57. We lost our next four matches,
a losing streak that finished with a 67 - 0 loss
away to Bishops Stortford School, whose welldrilled team took full advantage of a number of
key absences from ours. Overall we are all very
determined to do better next season.
James Milford 8B
U12
It has been a fantastic year of rugby for the
U12s; with the A team winning twelve games
and narrowly losing one to Richard Hale, 7-5.
Although it wasn’t just the A team that was
successful this year, the B team also had
success, winning sixteen games out of twenty
against very strong opponents. The A team won
the Broxbourne Tournament for the first time
in 9 years, beating Richard Hale School in the
Semi-final and Verulam School in the final. Not
only that, but the A team also came runners up
in the Berkhamsted Rugby Tens Tournament
against some of the best rugby schools in the
area and in the country, losing to a very good
Bishop Stortford High School team in the final, to
round off a great season. On the evening of May
20th the A, B and C teams all went to Jimmy’s
World Grill in Watford for an awards, celebration
evening. Congratulations to Tom Kennard for
winning B team player of the year, Kaden Elsey
for winning most improved player of the year
and Shay Rafter for winning A team player of the
year. Well done to every boy who represented
the school in Rugby for the U12s this season and
thank you to Mr Jacobs, Mr Wallis, Mr Williams
and Mr Gould for coaching us.
James Foley 7N
U16
U15
U14
U13
U12
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
81
Year 8
O
Kendal Tour Report 2014
n the 14th February the under 13s rugby team
left for the North. Two mini-buses holding
twelve eager and excited players each had a
good few hours journey up to Manchester to
watch the Saracens versus Sale Sharks match.
We arrived at the AJ Bell Stadium to watch a
good but tense match, Saracens marginally winning 15-10. Soon
after the match had finished, we endured another couple of
hours up to Kendal, where a very cosy and superb hostel awaited
us. We were welcomed by the staff and shown to our rooms in a
matter of minutes. In next to no time at all, the hostel fell silent,
as every one was fast asleep after a tiring journey.
Day two of the tour and we were up early and prepared for
our own match against Kirkbie Kendal School. Soon enough kick
off approached and not long after, Watford Boys were already a
try up. To our surprise, we were in quite a wealthy lead at half
time. With many fresh legs coming on at time-to-time our team
did exceptionally well, winning handsomely 59-0. Our strong
use of both forward and back play made our game fun and
successful, even though the pitch was pretty wet and muddy.
After the match and a little free time to roam around the town,
we went to the local bowling complex to play two games, some
of us eventually trailing into the arcade.
Unfortunately on Sunday our match against the club side
was cancelled due to an unplayable pitch, so instead we played
a mini-football tournament on the schools astro-turf. However
the time soon came for us to leave and make our way back to
Watford. Another several hours in the minibuses faced us.
Eventually we made it to Watford at about four-ish. Many
parents were waiting for their sons. The enjoyment and tiredness
on everyone’s faces was high as the first under 13s tour should
be one that our age group at Watford Boys shouldn’t ever forget.
Tom Walsh
Year 8
T
Kendal Tour Report 2015
he year 8 rugby team this year travelled to Kendal,
which was a great experience for us all. For many
of us it was our first rugby tour but the first
flush of excitement soon wore off someway on
our seven hour coach journey on which we were
accompanied by Mr Jacobs, Mr Wallis and Mrs
Cox. We arrived tired and weary at a small restaurant, where I
drew the allocation of rooms out of the hat. After our meal we
made our way to our rooms next door and started the settle
in. Once we were in bed, many of us suddenly decided that we
were no longer tired and, in fact, had the energy to stay up all
night chatting, despite the fact that we faced an early game in
the morning. The next morning, we had our breakfast and headed off to
our game against Kirbie Kendal School, where we faced a side
that was less well-drilled than us. In the first minute we were
sliced open in midfield and, as their centre strolled over the
line to casually touch the ball down, Emannuel Zewdu flattened
him and he knocked on. From then on, we thrashed them with
a mentionable hat trick from Ed Stock and a Man of the Match
performance from James Simmons who controlled the game.
After a quick shower and change of clothes, we headed
off to a tree top adventure centre which was great fun for all
(including the teachers). We then went to Kendal Rugby Club to
watch the England game as well as the Kendal first team play.
Both games were very good: England and Kendal won. After
that we drove back to the hostel where we were staying, and
had a few minutes to relax after such an eventful day before
82
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
we set off again for a night’s bowling. The bowling rounded off
a great day and we were entertained on the way back by Mr
Wallis’ sports quiz.
The next morning we had another early game, this time
against the more experienced and well-drilled opposition of
Kendal Rugby Club. After a shaky first quarter where we saw
little ball or territory, we scored a superb try due to excellent link
play between the backs and which was finished off in the corner
just before the half-time whistle went. This gave us lots more
confidence going on, as some players weren’t playing in their
usually position due to injuries and some absences. Despite this,
and everyone’s lack of sleep, the team stuck at it - led brilliantly
by captain Billy Balchin - and were unlucky to suffer a narrow
defeat to a side that on another day we would have beaten. We
had a good meal in the clubhouse and then headed home after
a very enjoyable and successful tour. Of course that would not
have been possible without the hard work from all the teachers
who gave up their weekend for us to have a great tour, and our
thanks go out to them. Squad: Het Patel, Joseph Mohan, Billy Balchin, Hayaan Khan,
Edward Stock, Emannuel Zewdu, Inesh Ahuja, Harry Kendal,
Robbie Curwen, James Simmons, James Ryan, Ewan Cooney,
Will Bishop, Joe Page, Shun Asano, Charley Smith, Ben Adonis,
Siraaj Shah, Mohammed Yahya, Josh Pressler, Aaron Treon,
Angus Forrest, Ali Shah
James Milford 8B Cricket
2013/14
1st XI
The 2014 cricket season was a tough one for
the first XI, characterised by games postponed
due to rain and players missing games due
to exams. The first game, against Aylesbury
Grammar School, resulted in a disappointing loss
but this was followed by solid back-to-back wins
against Dr. Challoner’s and University College
School. Although this form wasn’t extended to
the next two games, against Merchant Taylor’s
and the MCC, the 1st XI bounced back with two
consecutive wins against the Old Fullerians and
the Will Jones XI. The season ended with a tough
loss to Haberdashers’ Aske’s and an entertaining
trip to the Cotswold 5 over tournament. The final
game record stood at 4 wins and 4 losses, a
respectable result but one that this year’s first XI
will hope to improve on.
It was a very successful season for the U15s, losing
only 3 matches out of 12. We began the new season
under the guidance of our new coach, Mr Welch. The
season was sparked with our opening match, being
a County Cup draw against St. Columba’s College.
Batting first we scored 196 for the loss of only 2
wickets, down to a well-deserved century from Greg
Sumpter and went onto bowling St. Columba’s out
for 56, resulting in an emphatic victory.
This led onto a run of victories against sides
such as University College School, Berkhamsted
School, St. Albans School and Aylesbury
Grammar School as a result of outstanding
batting from the likes of Greg Sumpter, Ashan
De Silva, Harry Pettit, Sebastian Plunkett,
Jonathan Kennedy and Jesse Rist, coupled with
exceptional bowling from Deil Patel, Conrad
Pinn, Rahul Patel, Samir Patel, Thomas Mohan,
Luke Jones and Mohammed Zarin.
Helping us reach the semi finals of the
County Cup, where we frustratingly came second
to an equally matched Parmiters side, the
game came down to the last ball. However we
managed to bounce back, securing convincing
victories right until the season’s close.
Overall the season was extremely successful
with each player contributing on and off the field,
hopefully helping us lead onto senior cricket.
We started the season with a change of coach
and captain. Mr Wallis took over after an excellent
year under Mr Samarasinghe, who guided us to
our second consecutive county cup, and Tom
Milford took over the reins as captain from Tom
Stock, who had been called up to the 1st team.
Inevitably losing such a key player would be
a challenge for us, but, over the course of the
season, the team managed to adapt, learning to
take more responsibility on its shoulders.
After spending the Spring term in the sports
hall nets, we were ready to go. We started the
season against St George’s Weybridge. Early
wickets from Shrey Parikh put St George’s on the
back foot and before long they were all out, having
posted a well below-par score of 52. A strong
opening partnership set up our innings and we
knocked off the runs with 10 overs to spare. A good
start, but with the following match lost to the rain,
we went into the game against a strong University
College School side slightly under-cooked. They
posted a good but not unachievable score of 138:
this was a match played on Toy Town, famous for its
small boundaries. However, nobody seemed to get
in and our soft dismissals were our downfall as we
finished short on 108. Next came Queen Elizabeth’s
Grammar School Barnet, and a comfortable 20
run win, only to be followed a few days later
by an extremely frustrating five run loss against
Berkhamsted School, where we came agonisingly
short of reaching their target of 84. A second round
exit of the County Cup to St Albans, where a poor
score of 88 was never going to be enough to win
despite a superb fielding performance was quickly
followed by a convincing loss to Dr Challoner’s.
Here our season changed. A superb 68*
from Rohan Pau helped us to 157 off our 20 overs
against Hitchin Boys, and we managed to bowl
them out for just 66, immediately before the
rain came. We gathered momentum with a good
We came into our second cricket season as County
Cup champions which brought high expectations.
In what was supposed to be an eighteen match
season we only played thirteen due to the
weather. We won eight of these and lost five.
In our first match, which was against Queen
Elizabeth’s Grammar School for Boys, we lost by
six wickets. We quickly forgot about that loss and
went to Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, which we
won by four wickets. In an inspired performance,
Kailum Patel got 5 wickets and a 50. Our next
match was away to Aylesbury Gammar School,
in the second round of the national cup, which
we were in after winning the County Cup the
previous year. We won this convincingly by nine
wickets. The star in that performance was Jonny
Napier taking five wickets. Then we went to
Aldenham School and smashed them by 107 runs;
Kailum Patel scored another 50 and Max Brown
got well into the thirties. We then played in the
third round of the National Cup against Bancroft
School, which was a tight affair in which a dropped
catch was ultimately the difference. We lost our
next match by 20 runs against St George’s College,
Weybridge in a below par performance.
Our next match was in the County Cup semifinal against Haberdashers’ Aske’s. We deservedly
lost by 10 wickets. A week later we went to
Cokethorpe School to play in their tournament,
where three Year 7 boys: Edward Stock, Harry
Kendal and James Milford played up a year. We
won 2 out of the 3 group games which qualified us
Squad: Atharva Abhyankar Conor Callanan(Capt),
Matthew Rose(Vice-Capt), Robert Gaffney, Hamish
Rawbone, Vikesh Patel,Angus Ball,Sulaymaan
Ahmed,Gregory Sumpter,Thomas Stock, Thomas
Durn, Jaxon Lloyd
Atharva Abhyankar 11F
U15
Greg Sumpter was awarded Player of the Season
for his impressive batting and bowling statistics,
and Harry Pettit took the Most Improved Player of
the season. Thanks to Mr Welch for making our
season the success that it was.
Deil Patel 10T
Squad: Greg Sumpter, Luke Jones, Harry Pettit,
Deil Patel (Capt.), Rahul Patel, Samir Patel,
Conrad Pinn, Sebastian Plunkett (Capt.),
Ashan De Silva, Thomas Mohan, Jesse Rist,
Mohammed Zarin, Jonathan Kennedy.
U14
win against Aylesbury Grammar School and our
traditional demolition of Parmiters. We finished
on a high, beating Enfield Grammar School with
a great performance.
So, with a flourish of victories at the end of the
season, the team finished with statistics of played 10,
won 6, and lost 4. Some disappointments along the
way did not detract from a respectable season over
all. Player of the Season went to Dhillon Dodhia, who
was consistently brilliant behind the stumps, and the
Most Improved Player award went to Shrey Parikh,
our opening bowler. Many thanks must go to Mr
Wallis for all his hard work this season.
Thomas Milford 9N
Squad: Thomas Stock, Thomas Milford(Capt),
Rohan Pau, Benjamin Plunkett, Ralph Curwen,
Romario Ranabahu, Haaris Malik, Dhillon
Dodhia, Shrey Parikh, Aushan Gosrani, Joshua
Pickard, Divyam Arya, Hassan Sohail,
U13
for the semi-final. The game was very high scoring
and we narrowly lost.
We finished the season excellently, winning
four in a row including our last game, which was
against Enfield Grammar School. We scored 167
and Paarth Patel chipped in with a magnificent
innings of 98. In truth, it was a disappointing
season but hopefully we can work hard and
improve for next season. Most Improved player
went to Kailum Patel and Player of the Season was
Devang Arya.
Kailum Patel 8C
Squad: Kailum Patel(Capt), Jack Aitchison, Max
Brown, Paarth Patel, Devang Arya, Waleed
Malik, Jacob Culshaw, Jonathan Napier, Ali
Shah, Varun Dodhia, Jack McRae, Sam Netscher
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
83
U12
The U12’s this season has been very successful
with 15 games played and a stunning 15 games
won. Along the way we had some very close
finishes including the County Cup semi-final
against Haberdashers’ Aske’s School where
it came down to the last few balls of the
game. James Milford managed to bowl the last
over and Haberdashers only needed 5 to win.
Some brilliant fielding and bowling meant two
wickets in the last over secured victory.
The season witnessed a few champagne
moments, like Edward Stock getting a century
against Dr Challoner’s Grammar School and
a fantastic 500 runs throughout the season,
which is a new school record. Dr Challoner’s
was one of our best games with EdwardStock
(100) and Harry Kendal (56) batting the entire
20 overs with a partnership of 156 runs. We
went on to beat Dr Challoner’s by a further
98 runs. The bowlers were very reliable all
season, but a special mention must go to
James Milford, James Ryan, Joseph Mohan and
Sahir Patel. Joseph Mohan and Sahir Patel
managed to take 35 wickets between them.
Harry Kendal captained the team brilliantly
all season particularly in the County Cup
final. To get to the final we beat St Clement
Danes, St Albans, Roundwood Schools and
Haberdashers’ Aske’s. There were great
contributions from Ed Stock, Harry Kendal and
James Wheeler with the bat. The final of the
County Cup was against Richard Hale School.
It was a high scoring match. WBGS set 134,
Richard Hale started their run chase well but
some tight bowling in the middle overs from
Mohan, Ahmed and Ryan put them well behind
the run rate. Richard Hale were all out for 100.
We have been a successful team that
has worked well together through the fun and
tough times. Of course this season couldn’t
have been successful without our outstanding
coach, Mr. Samarasinghe. He kept us on the
ball, and frankly is unreplaceable and was a
key part of the season. The Most Improved
Player went to Sahir Patel for his brilliant
bowling with the new ball and Player of the
Season to Edward Stock for his 530 runs in
15 games. All the hard work throughout the
year has earned us a well-deserved, Team of
the Season!
Sahir Patel 8N
Squad: Harry Kendal(Capt.), Edward Stock,
James Milford(Vice-Capt.), Joseph Mohan,
Sahir Patel, James Ryan, Robert Curwen, Yusuf
Ahmed, Zeeshan Rafiq, Amaan Manji, Charlie
Smith
2014/15
1st XI
The first XI season was characterised by good
bowling efforts let down by our batting. After
losing two games at the start of the season to
the weather, the first team were up against it
when they were put in to bat against a strong
St George’s Weybridge side. Despite putting up
a strong effort with the ball, WBGS’ score was
never high enough and Weybridge won with 5
wickets in hand. Despite a very disappointing
loss to Aldenham School, again solely due to a
poor batting performance, the first XI did well
to bounce back with a convincing win against
University College School.
As exam season set in, training sessions
and matches were few and far between.
Unfortunately, the first XI were beaten at
Merchant Taylors’ by a mixture of squad
unavailability due to exams and a great knock
from one of their players. WBGS took a lean
run of form into the annual MCC game, and
while they did well to restrict them to 200, the
first XI were unfortunately bowled out late in
the afternoon. As the season drew to a close,
our batting finally began to find its form, with
a score of 200 off 30 overs set for the Old
Fullerians. Predictably, we were robbed of what
was very likely to be a victory by the rain and
the match was washed out.
The last game of the season saw us take
on something of a dream team of old boys in
the Will Jones Cup. Some lapses in the field
meant that the old boys could set a strong total
which, despite some strong hitting lower down
the order, we didn’t manage to chase down.
Although the season was disappointing in
terms of results, it must be noted that the vast
majority of the team, including the captain, are
not in the upper sixth. The fact that that the
players in the team have a lot of time to grow
into the roles of first team members offers a lot
of optimism for the future.
A big thanks to Mr Needham and Mr
Samarasinghe for all their hard work over the
season.
Atharva Abhyanka L6F
U15
This year was a very successful season for the
U15 cricket team. Following the pre-season
tour to Barbados, where we won 3 out of the
5 games played, we went on to win 13 out of
16 fixtures and picking up the Hertfordshire
County cup on the third occasion out of a
possible four - a record feat.
The season started off with a comprehensive
victory against St George’s College, Weybridge,
which included a 50 from Thomas Milford. This
set the tone for the matches that followed,
including a 128-run win against University
College School where Ben Plunkett scored 50
and Ralph Curwen took 4 wickets. There were
also terrific wins against Aldenham, RGS High
Wycombe and Aylesbury Grammar Schools.
These friendlies were capped off with a 9 wicket
triumph against Hitchin School where Thomas
Stock top scored with 103* (the third highest in
the school this year) followed up by Jagrav Patel,
who took a 5 wicket hall.
The County Cup began against Parmiters
School who we managed to bowl out for less
84
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
than 30 runs and win the game by 10 wickets. We
carried this momentum through and comfortably
won rounds 2 and 3 against St Columba’s
College and Tring School respectively, with
Joshua Pickard being the stand-out performer
in those games taking valuable wickets. We met
our rivals, Haberdashers’ Aske’s School, in the
next round. Knowing this would be a difficult
challenge, we batted first, posting a total of
95. We immediately started on the front foot,
with Shrey Parekh picking up the wicket of their
opener with the very first ball of the innings. This
set the tone early, with Aushan Gosrani proving
what a brilliant off-spin bowler he is and we went
on to win by 6 runs.
St Albans School (favourites for the
competition) was our next challenge in the
semi-final. This was by far the most intense
game of the season so far. WBGS batted
first, and set St Albans a mammoth task of
chasing 146 runs to win. This was achieved
by match-winning performances from Thomas
Stock (49) and Captain Rohan Pau (48). The
total proved too much for St Albans, with a
great performance in the field, which included
Divyam Arya taking 5 wickets. Dhillon Dodhia
has consistently showed his excellent form
behind the stumps, particularly in this match
with 3 stumpings.
The final was played on the 30th of June
against Richard Hale School at St Albans on a
fantastic pitch in ideal conditions. Having won
the toss and electing to bat, we saw Thomas
Stock once again scoring prolifically with 63
runs supported by Haaris Malik with 33 runs,
taking WBGS total to 136 runs - a great score
for a final. This proved too much for Richard
Hale and they fell short by 54 runs. The U15
team at Watford Grammar School were county
champions again.
This was the perfect way to say thank you
to our coach Mr Welch who retires at the end of
this academic year, and will be sorely missed.
We wish him all the best.
Rohan Pau 10C
U14
Our first game was played against St George’s
College, Weybridge, which we had lost to last season
but this time, thanks to some excellent bowling from
Jack McRae and a good innings of 65 by myself,
cruised to a 25 run victory. From this match onwards,
we won 8 games in row, including beating Queen
Elizabeth Boys by 60 runs; beating Aldenham School
in a game which Jack Aitchison scored a superb 44*
on route to 10 wicket victory; and a 3 wicket win
against RGS High Wycombe, where Max Brown, with
help from Paarth Patel and Devang Arya, won us the
game with Max scoring an unbeaten 50.
However we came unstuck in our next 3 games.
The first was against Merchant Taylors, a typically
strong sporting school after they posted an intimidating
score of 192. The highlight of the game had to be our
number 11, Jacob Culshaw hitting a four straight down
ground. What a great shot! In our next game against Dr
Challoner’s Grammar School, we thought we had pinned
them down to below par score of 142, but then the rain
started to fall which made it very hard for our batsmen
to score very much and one bowler in particular ripped
through our batting line-up taking 4 wickets in 4 overs.
We managed a respectable 101 in response in which
I got 55 out. In our next match against Haberdashers’
Aske’s, by far the closest match of our season, we
We started our long awaited cricket season
with much to look forward to and plenty of
confidence. In our first few games we started
to show signs of last season’s success, winning
by 9 wickets in our first two matches with an
effortless 100 from Ed Stock carrying on his
superb form from last year. We then faced Queen
Elizabeth Barnet, expecting to beat them easily
but we fell short by 8 runs and it was a wakeup call. Next we faced Haberdashers’ Aske’s
where we set a decent 119 with 56* coming from
James Milford aided by captain Harry Kendall and
Robbie Curwen. We won by 67 runs and we were
back on track. We then faced Latymer away in the
National Cup for a huge match. Tommy Wheeler
scored an unbeaten 101 without ever looking
troubled: a great innings in such a crucial match.
We won our next few games with Abdulla
Raja storming into the A-team with 6 wickets
and another 50 from Tommy Wheeler who
was proving impossible to get out. Our next
competitive match was the quarter final of
the National Cup (the final of west England)
against Bede’s Prep School. We batted first but
struggled to find runs against some excellent
bowling; we didn’t manage to bat all of our 30
overs and only reached 98. We were reconciled
by the fact that coming so far meant that we
were the best state school side in England.
Following
great
team
winning
performances in the quarter and semi finals of
the County Cup our opponent in the final was
the same as last year: Richard Hale and at the
same venue, St Albans. We called to increase
posted a good target of 132 in which I got 50 and Waleed
Malik got 20* and we set about defending it. In the
process of trying to defend it, we had some excellent
bowling including Jack McRae and Ali Shah. We thought
we had won it when on route to taking 5 wickets, I got
a hat trick in one over but on the last ball of the last
over they managed a boundary and we lost. We won
our final two games, in which the last one Max Brown
scored a brilliant 58 and Paarth Patel got 23. In most
of the matches, Jack McRae our second leading wicket
taker bowled brilliantly. He bowled the most overs out of
everyone showing how well he has bowled this season.
Kailum Patel 9C
U13
the run rate – and Tommy Wheeler delivered
yet again! He hit a sublime 54 off very few
balls and nudged us up to 103. We knew we
were going to have to work hard to defend this
total. Excellent bowling from James Ryan and
Yusuf Ahmed kept us in, slowed them down
and gave us a chance. Two hours into the game
and they needed 11 of 12 balls – neck and neck.
Robbie Curwen and James Milford both bowled
excellent final overs to give us the win: a great
way to finish an excellent season. A huge part
of our success was down to the help of our
coaches, Mr Jacobs and Mr Samarasinghe, who
give up countless lunchtimes, Saturdays and
afternoons after school to help us progress as
cricketers, and a big thank must go to them.
James Milford 8B
U15
U14
U13
U12
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
85
Barbados Cricket Tour
B
A team
arbados, the destination of the U14 and U15 cricket tour.
After months of build-up and anticipation the group finally
arrived on April 1st in a vibrant Barbadian environment.
The first fixture was a tape-ball match, somewhat a Bajan
speciality that none of us English folk were accustomed
to. But we soon acclimatised and bowled the opposition
(Northern Academy) pretty swiftly as a result of smart wicket keeping
from Dillon Dodhia despite a few massive sixes from the opposing
batsmen. The target was successfully chased down and Watford had
notched up their first win of the tour.
The U15s were in for a shock in the second fixture with Grantley
Adams racking up a decent total despite some ferocious short bowling
from Tom Stock, and clever spin bowling from Aushan Gosrani and Josh
Pickard. Then we collapsed, losing wickets constantly to run outs and
other seemingly innocuous deliveries with the final result being Watford
losing by 85 runs.
Our second victory saw us beating Alleynes School. The innings
began poorly for Watford as we lost the openers in quick succession but
Ben Plunkett and Romario Ranabahu put on a healthy partnership with
Romario eventually reaching his half century. Watford got off to a good
start with the ball with a wicket in the second over (Ralph Curwen) and
some testing, economical bowling by Shrey Parekh. The game was won
in the middle overs with Divyam Arya and Kailum Patel tying up both
ends and grabbing a handful of wickets between them.
After spending a day on a wonderful island tour we travelled to
Ralph Curwen 10B
B team
A
s we met at school in the early morning darkness, we
waved our glad/ sad parents away. We knew this was
where our holiday and tour began. On the journey to the
airport, many of us were just going through the early
morning blues. As we got off the coach we headed into
one of the busiest airports around: Gatwick. After we had
checked in and passed security, the wait was long but it gave us time to
get some rest and breakfast. Finally it was time we boarded the plane
and began the long flight to Barbados.
As soon as we landed, we were greeted by the warm Barbadian
sun. We collected our bags and packed them onto the coach and went
off through the small roads of Barbados in search of our hotel whilst
86
Coleridge and Parry school for our penultimate fixture. This game was a
nail biter with Watford notching up a solid score thanks to contributions
from Kailum Patel and a solid partnership between Tom Milford and Tom
Stock. At one stage in the chase Coleridge and Parry needed 12 of 13
balls but they eventually saw it through.
Combermere School was our final opponent; one of, if not the
best team on the island. Famous for nurturing big cricketing names like
England’s Chris Jordan, we were going to have a stern test. Combermere
batted first and got off to an explosive start in reaching 104 of just 10
overs! However Watford managed to peg it back mainly thanks to a
fantastic spell of spin bowling from Aushan Gosrani removing their best
batsmen (84 off 38 balls) and two others. Our fielding was sublime, with
tactical nous provided by skipper Rohan Pau accounting for a number
of run outs. The target set was a massive 153. We got off to a flyer, with
Ben Plunkett and Tom Stock constantly finding the boundary. They would
put on a century stand before Tom Stock (49) was run out. However Ben
with an incredible knock 76* of 59 balls and some great support from
Romario meant that we chased the target comfortably and rounded off a
brilliant tour in some style.
On the last night the we had an awards evening, Bowler of the Tour
went to Kailum Patel after producing some magical spells on spin and was
the leading wicket taker, Ben Plunkett, picked up Batsman of the tour, his
unbeaten 76* to win the game was a brilliant innings. Fielder of the tour
went to Dhillon Dhodia, his wicket keeping was brilliant in every game.
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
enjoying the magical scenery that we passed. Finally we reached the
hotel and were shown our rooms where we immediately relaxed ready
for the next day when we had a cricket match.
The next morning we were all ready to go as the teams were
announced at the breakfast table. We shoved the large bags through
the window at the back of the coach and set off to play a 20-20 tape ball
match against a local church team called Millwall Saints. Our captain
Jamie Ivory won the toss and decided to bat first. We ended up of 132
for 10 wickets. Jack Aitchison, Jonny Napier and Nevan O’Sullivan gave
a good performance with the bat, scoring 58 runs between them. As we
went out to field we won the game by 43 runs with a collective effort
from all our bowlers. The most economical bowler on the day was Jack
McRae who bowled a full spell and was hit for 10 runs and took a wicket.
It was a convincing win and a great start to our tour in Barbados.
The next day bought us at the same pitch but against a different
opposition called Northern Districts Academy. Kailum Patel stood up
and took the skipper position and won the toss. He elected to bat first
so he and Jack Aitchison opened the batting. We ended up on 99 with
contributions from Jonny Napier, Paarth Patel and Jack Aitchison. We
knew we had to be spectacular in the field as the score was under par.
Unfortunately we were right and they chased the runs down in 18 overs
with some big hitting. The stand out bowler was Jack Aitchison who only
went for 14 runs in 4 overs. Jonny Napier and Jack McRae also bowled very
well without leaking too many runs.
Next morning was an early start as we had a game and it was to be played
far away at Isolation Cricket Club against Isolation Cavaliers. This match was
to be played in a 30-30 over format. The day would see Tom Milford take the
captaincy and we were hopeful of victory. Sadly that wasn’t the case as we lost
the toss and put into bowling. Sensible batting was led out by the Barbadians,
which led them to a score of 157. Excellent bowling from Tom Milford, Jonny
Napier and Jagrav Patel kept the runs to a minimum. Unfortunately they had
a bowler who was rapid! His first ball went past Nevan’s nose and the second
one hit him on the head! We battled hard with Tom Milford showing excellent
application but, in the end, we fell 45 runs short.
The next day was a rest day in which we took a tour of the island
and visited the famous landscapes of Barbados. First we stopped off
at a public beach and played and then went on to the rest of the island
where we saw exquisite scenery. The tour of Barbados was remarkable.
The evenings were always enjoyable as we sat near the pool and played
games of cards and poker.
The next day bought us a comfortable win in a 30-30 over game
which saw one side dominate another. We were up against Ignatius
Byer school where Rohan Pau lost the toss and they put us into field
for an extensive 30 overs in the scorching Barbadian heat. Luckily for
us, our bowlers were up for it and all of them came out with astounding
figures but the stand outs were Jonny Napier, Jack McRae, Ralph Curwen
and Jagrav Patel. The amazing bowling and the fantastic captaincy from
Rohan Pau restricted the Barbadians to 69 runs which was an easy
target to chase down. It seemed like a walk in the park but with the
inconsistency with our batting on the tour, it took us 7 wickets to chase
a small total. Jack Aitchison was the provider of runs again with the top
score of 18. It was our second win in Barbados and it felt good.
The next morning we were given a tour of Barbados’s national
cricket stadium called Kensington Oval. This time we were up against
a strong side, older than, us who were on their game. Jagrav captained
and won the toss and elected to bat first. We ended up on 75 runs after
19 overs, with Jack Aitchison getting most of the runs again ending up
on 26. We knew we had lost after the second ball was smashed for a
four. The bowling from Watford Boys was punished and within 11 overs
they had chased the runs down and won by 9 wickets. Unfortunately it
was a sad end to our tour as we lost our last game. Excitement about
the catamaran tour planned for the next day helped us get over our loss.
On awards night for the B team, the Best Bowler went to Jagrav
Patel. The batting award obviously went to Jack Aitchison and the Best
Fielder award went to Sam Netscher for his brilliant catches.
As we set off for the catamaran tour on the last day we headed
straight out to swim with the turtles. After that we went closer to the
shore and swam over the coral reef, where we saw beautiful coloured
fish and coral. After the swimming we were all hungry so we stopped and
ate our lunch on board.
It was an amazing tour. The cricket was great and the teams we
played were really friendly. We would like to thank Mr Samarasinghe for
organising the trip.
Paarth Patel 9T
Barbados Tour Sponsors
A big thank you to all for making this tour possible!
MET Coaches
Thanks to MET coaches for sponsoring one of the tour playing shirts. MET is the main transport provider for WBGS.
Their continued support of all school sport is fantastic to see. The boys will be wearing their tour jersey’s with pride in Barbados.
http://www.metcoaches.co.uk/
A.T. Bone and Sons
Thanks to A.T. Bone and Sons for sponsoring one of the playing shirts. AT Bone sports solutions are a
sports grounds management company who have worked with the school on a number of occasions. Company founder Alan Bone
attended the school in the mid 1940s so there is a strong family connection with WBGS
http://www.atbone.co.uk/sports-solutions
Spice Lounge
Thanks to Ali and his team at the spice lounge for sponsoring the training tops. Spice lounge is an excellent local
Indian restaurant in Market Street. The tour party had a meal there the week before we left! Thoroughly recommended!
http://www.spiceloungewatford.com/
Help 4 IT
Help 4 IT is an IT solutions company with a strong family connection to Watford Grammar School.
We’d like to extend our thanks to them for sponsoring the tour hats.
http://www.help4it.co.uk/
Synergy
Thanks to Synergy for their donations which have gone towards the sponsorship of the training shorts.
Synergy is a construction consultant with a long standing relationship with Watford Grammar School
http://www.synergyllp.co.uk/
Barnett Waddingham
Thanks Barnett Waddingham for their sponsorship of the tour training t-shirt.
Barnett Waddingham is the UK’s largest independent provider of actuarial, administration and consultancy services.
http://www.barnett-waddingham.co.uk/
Old Fullerians’ Association
The Old Fullerians’ Association has made a very generous donation towards the tour and have provided all boys with a tour
cricket bag. Their support of school sport is brilliant to see and we’d like to thank them for their help in making the tour possible
http://www.oldfullerians.org.uk/
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
87
Hockey
2014/15
2014/15 proved to be a very successful term with
one hundred fixtures played across 15 different
teams. C teams were fielded at both U14 and U 15
levels, and over 200 boys represented the school
at hockey. The U16 and U14 teams qualified for
East Preliminary Finals, having been crowned
County Champions and runners up respectively.
The hockey season started earlier this year
due to a pre-season tour to Rotterdam at October
half term. Twenty five boys from the U18 and
U16 squads went for a 5 day trip to Rotterdam
Hockey Club to see how the game was played
on the continent. They were accompanied by Mr.
Dyson, Mr. Samarasinghe and Mr. Welch on his
last official School hockey tour.
The trip was for hockey development
and the focus was on training. We had four
training sessions, led by Dutch coaches and
the sessions were really interesting, focusing
on individual skills and techniques – offering a
slightly different perspective to those sessions
we receive back at home.
The facilities were also of an equally high
standard. Rotterdam HC has seven hockey
Astros, including 3 water based pitches. The
opportunity to train on the first team pitch with
its stadium was also a tour highlight.
Whilst on tour each team played two
competitive fixtures. The U18 side drew a
thrilling game 2-2 with our hosts, before
beating Berkel & Rodenhjuis 5-0 in their last
fixture. The U16 team beat Rotterdam HC and
Berkel in their fixtures for the School to finish
the tour unbeaten.
1st XI
The School 1st XI had a very good season. We
managed to progress to the quarter-finals of the
East rounds of the EH National Cup – visiting the
Olympic Park on our travels. In total we played
16 games winning and losing seven a piece.
There were some very strong performances
along the way, with wins over Haberdashers’
Aske’s, Berkhamsted and Windsor Schools.
However, our best hockey was saved for the
Cup competitions. An emphatic 8-2 victory over
Forest School at the Olympic Park, was followed
up by our best performance of the season in
beating local rivals Merchant Taylors 2-1. This
set up an away tie at Eltham College. The game
finished 3-3, having come back from 0-3 down
and we were disappointed to lose the game on
penalty strokes.
After the disappointment of losing in the
cup, our season petered out somewhat, with
the side coming up against strong opposition
The second XI had a mixed season, initially
proving to be very difficult to beat, unbeaten
in our first six games, then towards the end of
the season somewhat easier to beat. Our best
performance of the season was in a solid 4-1
demolition of University College School first team.
The team were captained by Andrew Tunwell,
who was also awarded Player of the Season,
and Charlie Armitage, who was awarded Most
Improved Player. Charlie was also responsible
for the most memorable moment of the season,
where he managed to knee himself in the face
attempting to make a base line cross, breaking his
nose in the process! Our thanks go to Mr Beere
who coached the team this season.
Following on from our performances over the
last two seasons, we all had high hopes for
this season.
We started our season in September with
Indoor Hockey. We beat the likes of Aldenham
and Bedford Schools to deservedly win the
County Competition. We then went off to the
East Competition where we narrowly missed
out on getting through but the whole team
played well. A big thank you to Mr Welch and Mr
Samarasinghe for helping us to be so successful.
The outdoor season started with a 5-1 victory
over Royal Grammar School. Unfortunately our
next game against Dr Challoner’s was cancelled so
we went straight to the County Cup competition.
After a nervous draw against Hitchin School, the
team finally clicked and we then went on to win
the next 3 games. Lewis Foley pulled off some
unbelievable saves and, with the help of our solid
back line, we did not concede a single goal in the
whole county competition.
By half term, our team was unbeaten and
we had only conceded 3 goals. After beating
Merchant Taylors we went to the East Outdoor
The U15 team had a remarkable season, going
unbeaten and showing how much they had
developed in the space of a year under the
coaching of Mr Grinham. The side played a
high tempo, energetic pressing game with
few sides able to cope with their energy or
dynamism. Haaris Malik captained the side
superbly and his pace and energy in midfield
rubbed off on his compatriots. There were a
number of breakthrough performances with
the likes of Aidan Sharkey, Tobi Odanye, Harry
Clements and Craig Beeston and Nathan Kelion
really upping their games this term. Their
enthusiasm and energy, coupled with the more
elusive skills of Dhillon Dodia and Aushan
Gosrani mean that the U15 squad should have
in both St. George’s and Kingston Grammar
Schools. However, there were some notable
performances, and the side does look capable
of going onto bigger things in the next few
seasons. Player of the Season was Captain
Simon Guest, who led the team admirably
throughout the season, and most improved
player was Andrew Cull. Our thanks go to Mr
Dyson who coached the team this season.
Simon Guest U6P
2nd XI
Squad: Andrew Tunwell(Capt): Zakaria Khan;
Charles Armitage; Sharan Sanjay; Dominic
Jones; Benjamin Wilson; Aaron Sharkey;
Alexander Crawford; Peter Shears; Pranav
Patel; Matthew Chapman(Vice-Capt); Qiellor
Haxhiraj; Brandon Kato; Harry Baker
Andrew Tunwell U6P
U16
Competition where we scored 12 goals in the first
three games and we did not let a goal in. Special
mention to James Martin who scored 7 penalty
flicks that day. Unfortunately we narrowly lost
the last game after an exhausting battle.
Our Player of the Season was Lewis Foley
and our Most Improved Player was Jesse Rist.
Thanks must go to Mr Moore for taking us so
far this season and making this season the so
successful. Hopefully we can continue this in
the 6th form.
Samir Patel 11B
U15
88
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
a great chance in the County Cup next season.
Player of the Season was the excellent Tom
Watts, who has also made the JRPC squad,
and Most Improved Player was the fearless
Nathan Kelion.
Haaris Malik 10G
U14
The 2014 Hockey season saw the U14s having
a successful term under the excellent coaching
of Mr Samarasinghe. The record was played 10;
successfully winning 8, and losing only 2 games,
both against top opposition. We continued our
success into the County Cup, finishing 2nd in
Hertfordshire and had a trip to Norwich and the
UEA to compete in the East Prelims where we
came a respectable 5th place. The season saw
us as a free flowing and high scoring team with
special mentions going to Waleed Malik who
finished top goal scorer, Max Brown, for winning
Player of the Season and the award for Most
Improved Player going to Nathan Tyson. The team
was superbly captained all season by Max Baker.
1st XI
U16
U15
U14
Louis Harris
U13
A very successful season! For
most of us, it was the first time
picking up a stick let alone playing
hockey. This year our squad has
been developed and groomed by
the trusted Mr Welch. As we are in
Year 8, we play 7-aside games so
we can focus more on the ball. One
of the most impressive features
of our season was the fact that
we had over 50 players turning
up to practise every week, which
made selection for the fixtures
very difficult. Our results have
actually been quite evenly spread
with 3 wins, 3 losses and 3 draws.
The highlight would have to be
against UCS, a very strong side
who we beat 5-0. In this game
the boys showed their skills in action. Of the
three games lost, two were very close and the
results could have gone either way. We were
only well beaten by a much stronger team
(Beacon Prep) on one occasion, so the results
overall bode well for the future. The team also
performed well in the Herts Mini’s competition
but unfortunately didn’t score enough goals
to get amongst the medals. However you can’t
have a great team without great players. In
the B-team their star player was
Sameer Kanji who won the best
Player award at the end of season
Hockey Dinner. In the A team we
had Sahir Patel and Amaan Manji
who both picked up an award at
the dinner as well. We also have to
thank our Goalkeeper Aaron Treon
who has tirelessly been stopping
goals.
We couldn’t have been as
successful as we have been without
the brilliant coaching of Mr Welch.
He is a fantastic coach and he will
be deeply missed as he is retiring
at the end of the year. We wish him
the best of luck and we thank him
for his dedication to the team. The
goalkeepers in the squad are also
indebted to Zac Flesch’s (1st X1 GK) help, for he
turned up to training every week and coached
all 5 GK’s expertly.
Sahir Patel 8N
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
89
Sail
France
2014 and
2015
S
ail France has continued to run with huge success with boys
and girls from both Watford Grammar Schools travelling to
France for one week of fantastic sailing in May.
At Azu’Rivage, the Rockley staff greet us with a warm
and friendly welcome, as well as a hearty breakfast! After
being shown to our allocated tents, we are ready for our
first sailing session in our groups; some go out onto the water straight
away, whereas some, like mine, do a thorough theory session. The
instructors are very enthusiastic and a pleasure to work with! Most days,
the routine is: wake up, breakfast, sailing, lunch, more sailing, relaxing,
dinner, evening activities and off to bed. There are a vast array of boats
to sail including Wayfarers (also known as Wanderers), Darts (similar to
a catamaran) and Picos (which are very small) – my favourites are the
Picos and Darts.
Everyone seems to enjoy the trip whatever the weather; I’ve even
managed to scout a few sailors who could be the next Sir Ben Ainslie! In
free time the majority of us are either at the Astroturf playing football or
table-tennis, or by a café-stall near the campsite having some ice cream.
It is good to nee new friendships being made.
We practise several sailing manoeuvres, such as tacking and
gybing. We also have theory sessions on tacking, (I in one session was a
tertiary instructor!) Soon, after consolidating our knowledge, we are on
the water for some more practice.
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Sailing sessions can be hilarious. Some people fall in the water for
fun (all safe as we have to wear buoyancy aids always when on water). And
as a treat we have been allowed to jump into the lake from the pontoon
for a good 45 minutes! We have witnessed some incredible dives and
everyone has a lot of fun, even though everyone has a drenching!
The final day comes all too soon and we bid goodbye to the
instructors at the end of a terrific week – after the tent inspection.
I would recommend the trip for any sailors, anyone who would like
to try something new, anyone who wishes to make more friends, and to
enjoy a week’s adventure away from home! It is a shame that I cannot
complete my hat-trick of trip next year! I have fond memories from both
the 2014 and 2015 trips.
Overall the trips are very well organised and the Rockley campsite
resort is excellent with great friendly helpful staff, instructors and
warm hospitality. This enables us to progress through our sailing levels
and abilities, experience life and survival skills, experience the French
culture, its beautiful countryside, towns, beaches and make new friends.
I would also like thank Mr.Creak, Mr.Gould, Mr.Siskin, Mr.Parks and
Mrs.Stokes from the Boys School, and Miss Sparke, Miss Aldridge and
Miss Leonard from the Girls School, for their support and accompanying
us on this truly fantastic adventure!
Deven Voralia 10N
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County Cross-Country Championships 2015
O
n a cold, wet, drizzly Saturday 31st January, I woke up
with nervous expectation for the day that lay ahead. I
had been selected, along with Tom Gwynne-Evans and
Oliver (Ollie) Griffiths, to represent the school in the
Hertfordshire Schools’ Cross-Country Championships at
Verulamium Park in St Albans.
I arrived at the park an hour early to have another look at the course
(which I had checked out earlier that week) before the race. An icy wind
whistled in my ears as I walked to the start and finish area. With about
half an hour to go, I started warming up, with everyone else looking
annoyingly calm and experienced. After all, many of them had done it
before. How were we going to compete on a course 5.8km long – around
twice as far as the District event at Aldenham Reservoir, for example?
I have orienteered at the park in the past and was pretty confident
with the terrain, but the long uphill climb at the back of the park still
looked as though it could cause some problems. Unlike many of the
fixtures, we would be running multiple laps of the same course. For Tom
and I, in Intermediate Boys, this meant one short lap of 1km followed by
three laps of 1.6km each, while in Junior Boys, Ollie had to run the same
course but with only two of the longer laps (total 4.2km).
Soon, we were called up and the race began. Amazingly, for about
the first hundred metres, I led the field with Tom in second place but,
T
Danny Figg 11P
Cross Country 2014/15
his season has been as enjoyable
as any Cross Country season
can be, helped by being one of
the most successful for a while.
Being captain of the Senior Cross
Country team has been a great
honour; everyone I’ve run with this season
has been surprisingly enthusiastic about the
sport and we never fail to be the noisiest
(male) team, having the most fun, while always
getting fantastic results.
The season started off brilliantly at the
District championships, every team from year
7 to seniors finished in the top five with the
entire senior team finishing in the top ten.
We’ve had consistently good results in both
92
disappointingly. as we reached the end of the tapes at the start/finish
area and started to climb to the summit of the course, other runners
caught up and overtook us. For a while, I chased the leading group,
but as the race developed and we passed the 2.6km mark (close to the
distance for most fixtures) I got slightly left behind.
The weather was already very cold, but, on lap two, the snow
started. However, this only made us more determined to finish, and
provided the impetus to run even faster. Soon the finish funnel was
in sight and I sprinted in. Although none of us made the top twelve
needed to go through to the National Championships, we all did well,
considering that we were competing against some of the best runners in
the county. I came 16th out of 44 in a time of 21 minutes and 22 seconds,
with Tom technically finishing 26th, although unfortunately his number
fell off so this was not recorded, but there is a clear gap in the results
between 25th and 27th. Later in the day, Ollie finished 17th out of 68 in
a time of 16 minutes and 5 seconds.
I would like to thank the event organisers, and most importantly,
our parents and Mr. Beere who came to support us on that cold Saturday
morning. I am very grateful for the opportunity to run in the County event
and hope we will continue to do well in cross-country and other sports
in future.
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
the junior and senior sections, finishing as
the first state school in pretty much every
event we’ve entered, while reminding the local
schools of our cross country prestige. There
have been a few stand-out performers across
the season, Oliver Griffiths (Junior captain) and
Danny Figg (Year 11) both running consistently
well throughout the season.
However, the success this season hasn’t
been built around individuals that have stood
out and single-handedly led the team to victory;
every relay team we’ve entered, particularly in
the seniors, has been strong from the first leg
runner all the way through to the last. What’s
more, there’s always a group cheering on their
mates for the home straight.
It is for these reasons that, despite
competing in cross country for around seven
years, both at a club and my old school, I’ve
never been in a cross country team that is
as much of a team as Watford Grammar. The
boys just don’t know how lucky they are to be
picked for the Cross Country fixtures!
Thanks to Mr Beere and Miss Jones for
trekking down for the fixtures and giving up
their free time; thanks also to the whole team,
from year 7 right up to year 13 who made
turning up to all the fixtures a laugh and not
just a miserable experience running through
field after field.
Jonathan Hill – Senior Captain U6G
Athletics
Senior Cross Country 2014-15
Junior Cross Country 2014-15
Senior Athletics 2014-15
Junior Athletics 2014-15
Senior Tennis 2015
Tennis
Junior Tennis 2015
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
93
Tennis Report 2014-2015 Season
T
he tennis season for schools these
days, continues all year round and
began in the winter term with some
wins in the group stage of the senior
students’ cup sponsored by Aegon.
Mohammed Ali, Nick Hatcher,
Christopher Tynemouth, William Adeboye, Jacob
Brunert and Greg Wood all played and won 2
matches out of 4 in the group stage of the event.
However this was not enough to qualify for the
county semi- finals this year.
In the Spring term, the new senior team
for the National schools competition lost their
first match against the highly rated and top
seeded St Albans school, whose team boasted
a player who was in the main draw at junior
Wimbledon this year, so this loss was certainly no
disgrace. Next year’s senior A team will be even
stronger with Dhillon Dodhia joining the likes
of Jacob Brunert, Greg Wood, Nick Hatcher and
Christopher Tynemouth. There will be enough
strength and depth to enter a senior B team too.
The Summer season of tennis began with
the annual Road to Wimbledon competition
which took place as West Herts tennis club for
the year 7 qualifying event, followed by the main
draw event for years 7-9, which took place on
the May bank holiday Monday. The winner of the
year 7 qualifying tournament was Irfan Chagani
who beat Toby Benton 6-4 in the final.
In the main draw, the top seed, Jack
Shute, was knocked out by Ayo Fasanya the
8th seed who subsequently lost his semi- final
to the 7th seed Ayaaz Bukhari in 3 sets. In the
other half of the draw, Sameer Kanji, seeded 3,
beat David O’Brien the 2nd seed in 2 tough sets
to advance to the final to face Ayaaz Bukhari.
Sameer Kanji won the final in 3 sets, which
ended with a championship tie-break. He went
on to represent the school in the regional Road
to Wimbledon knock-out competition. Thanks
must also go to Angie Gunn and Mr Brunert at
Cassiobury tennis club, for allowing Watford
Grammar School to play this tournament over
the bank holiday weekend and also to West
Herts Tennis club where the boys can play on
Monday afternoons.
In the schools’ team tennis competitions
for the Under 15 division 1 and division 2 teams,
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TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Watford Grammar once again had enormous
success reaching the regional finals in both
divisions for a second year in a row. The Under
15 division 1 team has really benefited from
the addition of Ali Habib in 7P who plays in the
number 1 position for the Under 15 A team and,
due to his national ranking and rating, won all
of his matches in his debut for the school team.
The winning team of Ali Habib, Patrick Evans,
Dhillon Dodhia, and Sam Pullen-Merriman won
all 4 group stage matches, before beating the
very competitive St Clement Danes School in
the semi-finals, followed by a marvellous win
against St Albans school in the county final,
where no Watford Grammar School player lost
a set. Congratulations must go to the whole
team, but particularly Sam Pullen-Merriman,
who played and won every match, and even
gave up his Wimbledon ticket to represent his
school at tennis.
The Under 15 Division 2 team also won
through to the county finals, but were not so lucky
in the final. There was a point for the team to win
this final, but in the crucial final tie-break doubles,
they missed a match point and Longdean school
achieved its first ever county win. Congratulations
should still go to Vedant Gopolanathan, Toby
Wilkinson, Alborz Modersi-Fard, Nathan Burstow,
Jamal Hussain, Antuan Saravanan, Ayo Fasanya,
Matthew Hives and Ayaaz Bukhari.
The Under 13 division 1 team also won
all of their matches in the group stage beating
Aldenham, St Edmund’s college, Haberdashers’
B team and despite losing to Haberdashers’
A team in the semi- finals, went on to play
a consolation final, as Haberdashers’ Aske’s
Under 13 teams were unavailable to play the
final, against Bishops’ Stortford College, winning
on a championship tie-break. Congratulations
must go to Jack Shute, Oliver Griffiths, David
O’Brien, Sameer Kanji, and Alex Cook who all
represented the school admirably well.
The Under 13 division 2 team included
new boys to year 7 and players like Toby
Benton, Fred Roberts, Irfan Chagani, Alex
Richman, Matthew Field and Kushal Budhdeo
all contributed to some good wins for the
school. Toby Benton and Fred Roberts played
particularly well as a doubles pair and also won
Key Team Players:
Senior First Team
William Adeboye, Mohammed Ali,
Christopher Tynemouth, Nick Hatcher,
Jacob Brunert, Greg Wood and Tom Watts.
Under 15 A Team
Patrick Evans, Ali Habib, Dhillon Dodhia,
Sam Pullen-Merriman
Under 15 B Team
Toby Wilkinson, Vedant Gopolanathan,
Alborz Modaresii-Fard, Nathan Burstow,
Antuan Saravanan, Jamal Hussain, Ayo
Fasanya, Matthew Hives, Ayaaz Bukhari
Under 13 A Team
Oliver Griffiths, Jack Shute, Sameer Kanji,
David O’Brien
Under 13 B Team
Alex Cook, Irfan Chagani, Toby Benton,
Fred Roberts, Alex Richman,
Matthew Field, Kushal Budhdeo
many of their singles matches. Unfortunately
the team was not quite strong enough to
win through the group stage losing out to
Kings Langley School. Still, the team’s overall
performance was very promising and with
practice and commitment, the players will be
able to improve next year.
Further chances to improve for all players
will take place during the tennis tour to the La
Manga club in Spain next Easter where the boys
will be coached every morning before playing
competitive matches every day. So in school
tennis terms, the future looks very bright.
The year’s Most Improved Player award
this year goes to Sameer Kanji who won the
Road to Wimbledon competition and all but
one of his matches for the Under 13 division
1 team.
Thanks must also go to colleagues
like Olivia Hockin, Jarek Budarkevicz and Ali
Dawson who each took all or some of a fixture
this season.
DR
Swimming
This season saw the Senior Boys Swimming Team qualify for the ESSA
National Relay Finals at the Olympic park, Stratford.
The team comprised, Jack Pickford, Ross Calder and Freddie and
Arthur Woodcock. The boys qualified for the finals after finishing second
fastest from the East rounds in both the Freestyle and Medley relays.
At the Finals, the boys managed to progress from their Heat with
the 9th fastest time in the Freestyle relay and qualify for the final. A
new school record of 1:43:86 secured 8th place in the final, which is a
fantastic achievement for a school with no swimming facilities. The final
was won by Millfield School, with Plymouth College coming in second
place. This goes to show the illustrious company that the school is
keeping and competing against. It was a fantastic day, at a wonderful
venue. Very well done to those boys involved.
DN
Goalball
Goalball is a Paralympic sport, played by those
with a visual impairment. It is played with
teams of three (with all players blindfolded)
on each end of a volleyball-like court (made
with tactile lines), and the objective is to score
a goal using a heavy, audible ball. Goalball is
not a contact sport and was developed to allow
veterans of World War II access to sport for
pleasure. It is now recognised as a Paralympic
sport, and is played at the Paralympic games.
In the UK, there is also a Domestic League, run
by Goalball UK.
Goalball UK is the group which organises,
manages and directs Goalball within England,
Scotland and Wales, including Team GB, which
plays in international tournaments. Funding
for national and international tournaments
is limited, and this can make it hard to raise
awareness of the sport. However, in the
Domestic League which has run for many
years now, There are three divisions: Novice,
Intermediate and Elite with around four to five
tournaments in each division every season.
The season begins in September and ends
in July - similar to the academic year, which
is unsurprising considering many Goalball
players are still in education, whether it be
secondary education, college or university.
I play for Winchester Goalball Club.
Everyone in the team has a visual impairment
and our coach is a goalball player for Team
GB. We train two to three times a month and,
as well as providing a leisure activity which
is enjoyable for those without sight, it is a
great way to socialise with others who are in
similar situations. It provides a way to make
friends across the country, and to improve
independence skills. Goalball has indeed given
me valuable skills and has changed my life since
I began playing back in July 2013. Not only am I
now more interested in sports, I have developed
friendships and improved
many skills like including
communication, necessary to
play the sport well.
Over the last two years,
I have participated in many
Goalball-related
activities.
Besides training, I’ve competed
in novice and intermediate
tournaments in locations as far
north as Leeds and as far south
as Kent. I’ve also participated
in two Goaball UK talent camps
in Hereford, which I thoroughly
enjoyed as they have both
Volleyball Team 2015
taught amazing skills to do with the game of
Goalball.
I love playing Goalball; it has opened up
some many doors for me both socially and in
sport. It would be great if Goalball UK could get
more funding to raise awareness, and there are
many players trying to provide money, through
sponsored activities like a long-distance cycle
ride, which I am participating in this summer.
I plan to stay involved with Goalball for a long
time to come - long live Goalball!
Kelsey Trevett 8B
Table Tennis Team 2015
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
95
Year 10 2015
Basketball
Year 8 2015
Senior Team 2015
96
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Year 9 2015
Year 7 2015
Badmington
Junior Team 2015
STAFF LEAVERS’
Graeme Welch
Graeme has been part of the fabric of the
school for 37 years having joined the school
in 1978.
During his time at the school, black
boards have moved to the other end of the
light spectrum, overhead projectors came
and went, were replaced by digital projectors,
then by interactive whiteboards. The range of
paraphernalia to confiscate has changed as
the new invention of a Walkman has evolved
into ipods, phones and pads. Fortunately, one
of Graeme’s many strengths is his adaptability,
and he has taken all these changes in his stride.
His popularity was evident in the
excellent turnout of old boys that came to
the Old Fullerian hockey games in March. His
reputation as a hockey coach and player is
such that everyone in Hertfordshire, if not the
East of England has either played with him,
or been coached by him. And Graeme is still
regularly playing Vets hockey for the East, and
was invited to England trials this year!
Graeme’s travels have taken him to the
Indian subcontinent, Asia, Australasia, South
America, the Caribbean, Africa, and countless
travels stories and mischief within Europe.
He’s missing out only on North America, and
Antarctica for the full continental set – which,
if penguins played hockey, I’m sure he’d have
toured! Graeme’s love of sport and hockey
in particular seems to make him friends
everywhere he goes and, whilst on tour in Sri
Lanka, he was offered the job of running the
National Hockey Centre in Matale.
His dedication to hockey in particular
will surely be the lasting legacy that Graeme
is remembered by, but he has contributed so
much more over his time at the school. Running
rugby teams, cricket teams, athletics team is
par for the course with the life of a PE teacher
at WBGS, but the enthusiasm, commitment
and professionalism that Graeme has put into
his 111 terms at the school is extraordinary.
Within the department, Graeme has acted as
colleague, mentor, friend and guiding hand
to those teachers fortunate enough to have
worked with him.
We will miss Graeme, especially as he is
taking his wife too, but we wish both Jane and
Graeme a very happy retirement, hope that
they will enjoy their planned travels - and find
time to check in and see how we are doing.
JD
Jane Welch
Jane Welch joined Watford Boys in 1978,
where she joined her husband Graeme. Jane
is reluctant to appear in the spotlight, but
cannot help but be noticed for her extreme
effectiveness in and commitment to all she
does. Jane is and always has been a truly
wonderful colleague, calm in scenes of chaos
like the old History Office or Room 4; an
excellent practitioner who has a real thirst
for learning; and she has been an excellent
role model for the NQTs and GTP/Teach first
graduates who have flourished under her
tutelage. She has never failed to offer practical
help and advice that has made a real impact
and difference. She has been such an asset to
this school and an inspiration to all those who
she has taught, and she will be very missed, by
the History department and the school.
Ballet, reading, cinema and travel are her
passions after marathon running. Jane is an
excellent athlete in her own right and starts the
day with a full cardio work out on the rowing
machine to get her going! Another attribute that
she deserves a medal for is her commitment
to Graeme - and Hockey! She has unfailingly
attended Hockey fixtures at the New Field and
served up coffee and hotdogs in an effort to
raise some much needed funds to replace the
all-weather pitch. She has travelled the world
with Graeme for Hockey and Cricket and seen
both played in India, Barbados and Sri Lanka.
Astute, conscientious and considerate are
just a few of the words that students and
staff have used to describe Jane as a teacher
and colleague. She will be truly missed in
the department. Her attention to detail and
thoroughness in preparation has enabled us
to challenge students at so many different
levels and promote History for the brightest
students at the top universities. She has been
so dependable and fearless in her teaching
that when called upon, she managed to make
a whole course on Liberal Democracies from
scratch and became an expert on such disparate
periods from the American Constitution, to
the Great Reform Act and on to the French
Revolution. Jane has been a great support for all
our recent changes and has helped strengthen
the department in many ways.
Jane’s presence on trips was always
calming and sensible, particularly our three
epic visits to Russia where she had to endure
communist style cuisine, dancing bears and
students sneaking off for “water” at any
opportunity! We never made the Bolshoi Ballet,
which Jane would have loved, but did endure
the overnight train journey from St Petersburg
to Moscow and crazy Russian circus.
Everyone will miss Jane at school and we
hope she will come back to visit us on one of her
extended holidays. We wish Jane all the best for
the future here in Watford and further afield in the
extensive travels with her husband, Graeme.
JM
Robert Chapman
Robert has been teaching at Watford Boys for
twenty three years – he’ll tell you that’s 8400 days
or 201,600 hours, or 1,209,600 minutes even!
He is a consummate statistician – loving
numbers and sorting data – and is the school’s
“statistics supremo” to quote an old boy. When
it comes to who got what grade – GCSE, AS,
A2 – or even the Year 7 arithmetic test – ask
Robert. He can tell you not only how many
pupils in the same year group share the same
name, but also what those names are.
After a spell working in the NHS, Robert
came into teaching through the HATS scheme
(Hertfordshire Action on Teacher Supply) in
March 1990. His interest in statistics, even on his
training course, was immediately obvious. There
were some talks on classroom control by an
ex-head from East London. I could go on because
there doesn’t seem to be anything Robert can’t
remember or look up about the school - although
when it comes to his love of football and passion
for Peterborough United, just sometimes his
memory can fail him – there are other in the
department who can out-geek him.
Robert became Head of Maths here in
2006 after a spell as Head of Year 6. He
quickly became a worthy successor to notable
predecessors – Peter Nunn and Geoff to name
just two, and I imagine the high point of his
time as Head Of Department must have been
the outstanding rating in 2010 – although not
necessarily the photo the Watford Observer
used to report this!
His extensive knowledge of school history
and data is demonstrative of a man who has
essentially lived and breathed this school in
his many years here, both as a parent and
teacher, just like others leaving today. A kind
and thoughtful man, Robert genuinely cares
about every student in the school and the
staff he works with. Nothing delights Robert
more than making links with the school which
he comes back to report to us. He has found
that his new GP in Bampton, Oxfordshire, has
a vague and distant link with Watford Boys and
his new librarian has a link with Watford Girls! I
am sure Robert will continue his links with both
schools as he settles into life in his new village.
Watford Boys and the Mathematics
department in particular are going to miss
Robert in so many different ways. We wish him
a long and happy retirement.
CG
Margaret Wort
Margaret had left teaching after a considerable
time of working in a variety of schools, including
local ones such as John Penrose, Ashlyns
and Bishophsholt, and schools in more exotic
places such as Nigeria and Taiwan. To this day
she is not quite sure why she applied to WBGS,
but she did and immediately fell in love with
the school and teaching again.
Margaret joined the school in September
2000 to teach Maths. She made an immediate
impression at interview when she taught the
first half of a double lesson and then just
carried on when the teacher covering the
second half failed to turn up. What was as
impressive in that lesson as her ability to teach
Maths, was her ability to deal with some of our
more ‘individual’ students.
In spite of not seeking high office, she
was soon made head of year 11 where she
was hugely successful. There was a terrified
silence when Margaret entered the room, but
students also gave her a friendly greeting as she
crossed the quad. Students knew that though
she was firm, she wanted what was best for
them and that she was determined that they
would produce their best for her. As a result,
Margaret subsequently became Assistant Head
with responsibility for years 10 to 13.
As a maths teacher Margaret was
equally happy teaching the weakest and most
unenthusiastic year 7 student as she was
teaching further maths to our most outstanding
mathematicians. She is a very accomplished
mathematician, a fan of mathematical rigour, who
inspires her students to excel.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
97
Throughout her time at WBGS, Margaret’s
students achieved excellent exam results at all levels
and in addition a number of fortunate graduate
trainees benefited from her thorough mentoring.
Margaret leaves us after 14 years (her
longest spell in any school) to take up full
time quilting, site management at her house in
Northern Ireland, and taking care of her many
grandchildren. We are sure that she will enjoy
her retirement and not waste a moment of it.
MA
Martin Monks
Martin joined the RS team in 2001 and was
quickly popular with staff and students for his
engaging enthusiasm, which has encouraged
the confidence of many a student. As a result
he rose ‘through the ranks’ as head of year
and then as assistant head, initially in charge
of pastoral care of Key Stage 3. Martin has
been involved in the promotion of RS and
Philosophy and Ethics both in and out of the
classroom. He has also been known to help out
on Classics and Geography trips as well as the
more sombre visits to Auschwitz and Holland
that the RS department ran. Martin has been
a vital part of the RS team, running the team
during two maternity leaves and spearheading
the very successful A Level course.
In addition to his skiing skills (which a
number of boys have seen him demonstrate),
members of the school Big Band will know that
Martin is a very good saxophone player and his
skills will be missed in the Autumn and Spring
concerts.
Martin is off to be deputy head at Hitchin
Boys School. He will be missed and what
Hitchin’s gain is most definitely our loss!
TC
Ian Crozier
Ian Crozier joined the school in September 1991
as Head of Department and following years
of successful growth (and the loss of ‘craft’
from the subject title), he oversaw the rapid
integration of CAD CAM into the curriculum, the
introduction of Product Design A-Level and the
significant growth of GCSE into a credible path
to access the best Architecture and Engineering
University courses in the country.
The lower years used to enter the school
struggling to understand the broad Sunderland
accent (though at least two were brave enough
to own up to being Magpies’ supporters) and
yet left the school half a decade later full of awe
and affection for the motivational Mackem.
His sixth form tutor groups had a wonderfully
informal yet thoroughly respectful relationship
with him. The myriad of gifts he received as he
moved on in the summer of 2014 reflected the
special place this man held in their educational
experience.
Staff were a little the same! He built
a reputation over many years of mentoring
junior department staff who rapidly climbed
the teaching ladder, becoming Heads of Year,
Assistant Heads and Heads of Department
themselves in this or other local schools. In his
time Ian worked with at least six technicians and
98
TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
five workshop colleagues who all remember
him fondly. The one thing all held in common
was a love of gently winding him up, of which
there were two guaranteed ways to succeed,
firstly to refer to his ‘Geordie’ accent and
secondly to mention Newcastle football club.
To this day I am not sure how Josh Taylor and
Dave Anderson survived switching the fixture
list on his office wall for the Magpies’ dates.
This passion for football in a rugby school
remains legendary. It saw him serve on the
staff team as part of John Malcolm’s famous
dream team and referee sixth form matches on
Wednesday games afternoons for many years.
He has been impossible to replace, indeed it
has taken two people to fill his role, and we
all wish him well in his new life back up in
‘God’s country’. We will try to fill his shoes, and
whilst we might come close, we will never quite
manage it with such a North East gentle charm!
Michael first arrived at Watford Boys in 2007 as
teacher in charge of German and immediately
showed himself to be an outstanding teacher
with excellent leadership ability. Throughout
his time at Watford Boys, Michael has shown us
his limitless talents by teaching German, French
and Italian. Michael was quickly promoted to
Head of Modern Foreign Languages and has
demonstrated nothing but German efficiency
ever since. He has accompanied several trips and
famously cheated in an eating competition
against sixth formers when away on the
German exchange by trying to hide hotdogs
under his feet, which he very nearly got
away with. Michael has always had excellent
relationships with students and they
undoubtedly appreciated his attendance and
commitment to extra-curricular activities and
trips. What he has contributed to languages is
immeasurable, building a strong department
with a fantastically positive ethos and leading
the way with hard work and going the extra
mile. The consistently outstanding results of
the department are a reflection of his own
personal hard work and also of the strength of
the team he has worked hard to develop.
Michael is leaving us to deservedly move
onwards and upwards, for an impressive
promotion at another strong school. 9B were
not impressed with the news when they heard
about his change of allegiance to Queen E
lizabeth’s School Barnet; they along with the
rest of the school will miss him greatly and we
are all secretly hoping that he will change his
mind and come back as soon as possible.
were always well-planned on the basis of
forensic analysis of what the students needed
to learn, and full of creativity to engage even the
most reluctant learners. Several generations of
WBGS students have respected and loved her
for her teaching skills. Both as an English (and
latterly Latin) teacher and as a Form Tutor, boys
know they always get the best from her; they
know that she really cares about them and how
they will develop.
As Head of English she has been a
revelation in taking what was an unruly bunch
of teachers doing their own thing within a
somewhat loose framework, into a wonderfully
coherent structure but with a lot of freedom
for individual teachers to be themselves
while improving themselves as teachers. I
think her greatest legacy to WBGS will be
the overarching structure she has developed
which sees a student through from Yr 7 to sixth
form in English, designed to ensure that every
student achieves his best. The personnel of the
department might change but everything is in
place to ensure consistency for years to come.
Emma is someone who always wants to
develop herself and widen her knowledge.
One of the lesser known facts about her is that
she has the most amazing cultural knowledge.
She has read virtually every novel and book of
poetry we have studied in school and I don’t
think there is any play (ever!) she hasn’t seen
performed on the stage at least once. The
delightful counter to that is that she is also a
fund of low-brow cultural knowledge and is an
aficionado of many soaps: from Eastenders to
Corrie; Grange Hill to Brookside; as well as an
avid reader of OK and Hello magazines!
Emma’s departure has been a significant
loss to the school and personally I miss her a
great deal. However, we are all acutely aware that
she’s done all she can here. She has developed
rapidly from a newly Qualified Teacher to an
outstanding teacher to an outstanding Head of
Department and she has given support to other
English Departments, been UCAS coordinator at
a time that has seen WBGS move to become the
top state school in terms of students going on
to Russell Group Universities, and undertaken
whole-school strategic projects.
The end of the academic year 2013-14 was
the right time for Emma to move on. I know that
St Clement Danes are lucky to have, and staff
there have told me that she has continued the
trajectory she began here at WBGS in 2004.
We wish her every success in her future career,
a career that I will follow closely as I believe
she will continue to make vital contributions to
the lives of her students, continue to lead and
inspire her colleagues and will one day be an
outstanding headteacher.
RC
MH
When Emma Brogan was appointed in the
summer of 2004 we knew we were getting
someone who would be good. Her academic
record was exemplary – BA in English from
Brasenose College, Oxford and a Masters in
Mediaeval Literatures from York. However, what
we got was someone who was outstanding.
From the start of her career here her lessons
Ana Burne joined the MFL Department at
Watford Boys in 2004 as a fresh-faced NQT and
has been both French Key Stage 3 co-ordinator
and Head of Year 6 at various points during her
ten years at the school.
Ana has a love of everything to do with French
language and culture which she transmitted to
pupils successfully. Ana particularly enjoyed
NB
Michael Taylor
Emma Brogan
Ana Burne
teaching boys in the lower school where she
always tried to make lessons as fun as possible
to promote the language.
Another of Ana’s strengths was the way
in which she brought the curriculum to life
and promoted French by organising trips to
France, such as to Lille, Chateau Beaumont
and even the Europa Centre in Essex, as she
viewed contact with the target language
country to be an essential component to any
modern language learning course. These
trips were always well received by the boys
and undoubtedly contributed to the French
language’s popularity in school.
Ana has also been Head of Year 6 and
has worked closely with the Head of Year 7 to
ensure that boys have had a smooth transition
from primary school. Ana often “disappeared”
in the summer term as she attempted to visit as
many primary schools as possible so that she
could gather information about the new intake
and allay any fears that the new boys may have.
Ana has left us this year to go on to work
closer to home at Heatherton House School. This
will be a new challenge for Ana as she will be
teaching French and Spanish to primary pupils
there. We wish her all the best for the future.
MT
John Croft
John started here in September 2011 as a Newly
Qualified Teacher in the Physics Department
and quickly established himself as an integral
member of our team. He is a brilliant teacher,
with a real gift for communicating physics in a
clear and uncomplicated manner which means
the students in his classroom are inevitably
going to learn, and clearly students appreciate
the time and energy he puts into helping them.
As a colleague, John has made a massive
contribution to our department, with ideas,
resources, schemes of work and consistent
enthusiasm. Probably his greatest strengths
as a colleague are his unflappable manner and
his persistently cheerful personality. During his
time here, John has also taken responsibility
for running the Extended Project Qualification
for Sixth Form students and has developed our
links to the Ogden Trust who fund and sponsor
initiatives to support Physics education. John
has also been a highly supportive form tutor
in the Year 7 pastoral team and more recently
in Year 12 as well as being a regular member
of staff on the German exchange each year.
John is moving on to be Head of Physics at
Wallington County Grammar School and we
wish him every success in his new role.
JH
Katie Watson
Katie joined us as an NQT in 2011 having
completed her training in Nottingham and
since then has become an integral part of the
Science department; Katie is well known for
her cheerful nature, colourful PowerPoints and
her love of Biology.
From the beginning, Katie was always
keen to take part in activities outside of the
classroom and has helped to run Science
club for the past four years, taking the year 7
group to exotic locations such as the Leicester
Space Centre. Along with being a big asset in
the Science department, Katie has also made
many contributions to the wider life of the
school, taking part in trips and producing the
school magazine for staff, PedEx, for the last
year.
Katie is an outstanding teacher and,
during her relatively short time at Watford
Grammar School for Boys, has progressed
from NQT to KS3 coordinator, a job that she
has really made her own and excelled at. She
will be greatly missed here by staff and pupils
alike and we hope that she comes back to visit
us when she returns from her new life in Spain.
LW
Sam Howe
Sam first arrived at Watford Boys during his
PGCE year and despite being mistaken for
a sixth former by Matron, he was clearly a
teacher of outstanding promise. Even before
he joined the staff full time as a newly qualified
teacher, Sam had accompanied a Year 7
activities week and so enjoyed it that he went
on to accompany students on two more of
these weeks. Possibly as a reward, he was
invited to enjoy trips to more exotic locations
such as Rome and Malta where his presence
was always appreciated by the students.
Sam has only been in the English
department for two years, but he leaves a
wealth of resources, wonderful spreadsheets,
and an engaging enthusiasm for the job of
teaching. The promise he showed when we
first met him has certainly been realised, so
much so that, in his second year here, he was
appointed Second in department, a role that
he stepped into effortlessly.
During his time here, he has run a variety
of extra curricular activities including reading
groups, speaking competitions, the poetry
recital competition and a very memorable and
successful Junior School production of Sherlock
Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Sam is leaving us to go and teach in
Spain, (which explains his weekly forays to
lessons in the Spanish department) and we
wish him the very best of luck. We hope that
one day we might see him back.
GA
Stefan King
Stefan joined us a year ago to teach French.
His calm manner has made him popular with
boys, but not many people know that he is a
Real Tennis coach. That doesn’t mean that he
is a really trained tennis coach with certificates
to prove it, but that he is one of the few people
who can coach the sport of tennis that is
called ‘The Sport of Kings’ by some and seen
as the precursor to modern tennis. The rules
are more complex, the racquets wooden and
the balls made of non-synthetic materials.
In addition he is another WBGS keen cyclist
having ridden a section of the Tour de France.
Stefan leaves us to teach at The Beacon School
in Buckinghamshire. We wish him well.
Emma Hensman
Emma Hensman has been with the Modern
Foreign Language teaching German and
Spanish for only a short time, but her cheerful
compassionate character and willingness to
contribute to the department has made her
very popular. She has enthusiastically taken
part in a number of trips and has a multitude of
entertaining stories to tell. As well as teaching
students, a number of staff benefited from
Emma’s successful weekly Spanish lessons.
Emma’s presence will be missed and we wish
her well in her move to the West Country.
SW
Peter Franklin
Peter Franklin joined the school from Ovaltine
and was known for his ability to fix anything
that came through the technology doors,
for example the Head Master’s tables and
chairs, numerous musical instruments and a
large number of bicycles and electrical items
generally worn out or accidentally mistreated
by staff and students alike.
His incredible practical skills evidenced
themselves in his ability to create woodwork
masterpieces from the most uninspiring off-cuts
of timber (mainly old science bench worktops).
He constructed the front reception desk
(otherwise known as Mrs Goad’s Bar), display
cabinets across the school, adjustable white
boards, plaques and countless play sets for the
theatre. In addition Peter’s incredible range of
home projects completed during downtime in
the department or after school hours inspired
generations of students to explore the limits
of their own DIY creativity. The collapsible boat
called Trifle, the summer house, the Spanish
guitar, the engine lifting jig, as well as a myriad
of beautifully made retirement presents for
various members off staff.
He could be found working faithfully
after school on a Wednesday, inspiring pupils
attending the Key Stage three Product Design
Club. As he neared his final weeks, one attendee
of the club summed up his sense of foreboding,
stating emphatically that Mr Franklin ‘simply
could not retire - as he was awesome’.
But although he was such a fantastic
craftsman, the main thing he will remembered
for here was being such a thoroughly nice
gentleman, full of enthusiasm for the subject,
always spearheading the integration of new
technology, overflowing with creative solutions
to problems, regularly found sketching and
thinking alongside the GCSE and A level
students at lunchtimes, the go-to man for
Health and Safety in the school with such a
common sense approach to navigating the
minefield of bureaucracy.
The little job that was to see him through
to retirement went on for longer than he
intended to the school’s lasting benefit. His
passion will thrive in the pupils he inspired
and his practical legacy will be utilised in the
school for many years to come. Thank you
Peter. You will be missed.
NB
NT
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
99
Old
Fullerians
and
The Antarctic
I
n February 2015, a monument was unveiled in Stanley, Falkland
Islands, in remembrance of twenty nine British scientists who
lost their lives in Antarctica in pursuit of science to benefit us all.
One of them was an Old Fullerian, my younger brother, Jeremy
Bailey who attended the school between 1952 and 1960, a year
after me. I was present at the unveiling.
Jeremy was not an obviously outstanding pupil, quiet, retiring, no lover
of sport or popular music, but a keen member of the school Scout troop and
school choir. By the time he was in the sixth form and a school prefect, he
was an Assistant Scout Master and one of the strengths of the troop.
On leaving school he went to Bristol University where he gained an
upper second in Physics and was awarded a place at Downing College
Cambridge as a research student at The Scott Polar Research Institute.
He was working on a project involving the development of the technique
to measure the thickness of ice in polar regions by the use of Radar
waves to assist in mapping the terrain beneath. The same principle is
still being used today although much more advanced.
In the summer of 1964 he was in a party which carried out its first
field trials in Greenland and at the end of that year he travelled to Halley
Bay in Antarctica to use the equipment on the ern polar ice sheets.
Whilst on an expedition in The Tottan Mountains in Queen Maud
Land, over two hundred miles from Halley Bay, the tractor in which he was
travelling, with two companions, fell into a crevasse and they were all killed.
Tribute was paid to him in the “Fullerian” in December 1965, by his
form master Mr. J B Rigg.
It would be easy to over-dramatise Jeremy’s school career, for in
many respects he was the antithesis of the future explorer, popularly
conceived. Small in stature, he never attempted to make good this
deficiency by self-assertiveness at the expense of others. A moderate
scholar when compared with his contemporaries in the “A” stream, he
was engaged at the time of his death in research which those with better
paper qualifications may well have envied. It might have been expected
that life at Bristol and Cambridge Universities, in Greenland and
Antarctica would have carried Jeremy intellectually as well as physically
far from his old school. Yet one recalls the boyish enthusiasm with
which, during a recent leave, he showed his photostat echoes from the
rocks beneath the Greenland ice; and the excitement when there arrived
from Halley Bay a letter with every current Falkland Islands stamp upon
its cover. (This was, at his suggestion, later sold for charity.)
Alan “Killa” Collins, the Scoutmaster also penned this paragraph
for the Fullerian.
“Jeremy Bailey will be remembered by the School Scout Group
chiefly for his unfailing cheerfulness, his tremendous enthusiasm and
his capacity to enjoy life to the full. In camp, on expeditions or in the
usual activities of School life, his consideration for those around him and
100 TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
his resourcefulness in difficult conditions were an inspiration to many of
us. His sense of humour and his musical versatility will be remembered
round many a camp-fire.”
After his death, the Scout Troop was installed in a new hut which
was named “The Jeremy Bailey” hut. His portrait was painted by the art
teacher at the school, Mr. J.R.Smith. The scout troop closed down in 1992
and when the hut was demolished, Killa gave the portrait and the plaque
describing it to me. In 2014 I gave it back to the school and it now hangs
in the Fuller Memorial Library.
In 2006, I was invited to attend a reunion of the personnel who had
worked at Halley since it was first constructed fifty years earlier. There I
met several of Jeremy’s former colleagues including Rod Rhys Jones who
had been on the expedition when the accident occurred and had been
a good friend of his. Rod discovered that during the time that British
scientific research had been carried out since 1944, twenty eight men
and one woman had lost their lives in Antarctica. Many of these have no
known grave and all but one remain in the Antarctic. A project to provide
a Memorial Orchard in the grounds of British Antarctic Survey was
underway, but Rod and a few others considered that this was not public
enough and that there should be a more public tribute to them. He was
proposing to launch a Trust to achieve this and invited me to become a
founding Trustee, which I gladly agreed to do.
The Trust was established in November 2006 with generous grants from
The Commonwealth Office and from The United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage
Trust, followed by many donations from families, friends and supporters.
Rod had met Oliver Barratt, a distinguished sculptor who had
previously designed and erected a monument on Mount Everest to
those who had perished whilst attempting to scale the peak. Rod and
Oliver developed the idea of a sculpture in two parts, one to be sited
in Cambridge, which is the centre of Antarctic research and the other in
The Falkland Islands, being the Gateway to Antarctica, through which
all travelled on their way.
The Cambridge sculpture, which is sited in the grounds of The
Scott Polar Research Institute consists of two oak pillars 3 metres
high, forming a mould the shape of the stainless steel “flame” which
surmounts a bronze plinth. This stands serenely on Dockyard Point in
Stanley pointing towards “The Narrows,” the entrance to the harbour,
through which all who worked in Antarctica sailed on their way .
By 2011 enough money had been raised to provide a memorial plaque
in St Paul’s Cathedral. This was formed of riven Welsh Slate,1.4 metres in
diameter and 50 mm thick. Around the edge are engraved the words “For
those who gave their lives in Antarctica in pursuit of science to benefit us all.”
While the manufacture of the Cambridge Sculpture and the slate
plaque were in progress, my role was to try and locate the families of those
who had died to inform them of the activities in progress. As the earliest
deaths had occurred in 1948, this was by no means an easy task. With
the help of appeals to former colleagues and local press we were able
to invite over three hundred to attend the dedication of the plaque in St
Paul’s Cathedral in May 2011, and many also attended the unveiling of the
Cambridge Sculpture two days later.
Fund raising continued and the manufacture of the ern sculpture
commenced.
Oliver Barratt constructed a full size model of the sculpture
and Pangolin Structures Ltd. were contracted to manufacture the
monument. The names of those who had died were to be inscribed on
two faces of the plinth and maps indicating the locations of both parts
of the sculpture on another, this layout being carefully prepared by our
designer, Graeme Wilson, who had prepared the design for the slate
plaque. The formation of the bronze plinth was by means of a unique
process developed by Pangolin, using 3D printing and a series of rubber
moulds before sand moulds were made to cast the four panels.
The structure was completed in September 2014, just in time to be
loaded on one of British Antarctic Survey’s ships to be transported to Stanley.
It was unloaded, two months later and erected in Stanley by former employees
of British Antarctic Survey and the surrounding area was prepared and paved.
Meanwhile, the trust decided to organise a Voyage of Remembrance.
In February 2015, eighty five family and friends, former colleagues and
supporters were present at the dedication of the monument, and then
journeyed to Antartica, attempting to visit as many of the former research
bases on the Antarctic Peninsula, to pay tribute to those who had died.
At the dedication of the ern Sculpture, which took place on 25th February
2015, I was given the privilege of speaking during the ceremony. I stressed the
importance of a lasting memorial to those who had died, partly as a point of
reference for those who would never have the opportunity of visiting a grave.
This has enabled me, in some sense, to come to terms with the loss of my
brother, and was a most fitting conclusion to many years work by the Trust.
Brian Dorsett-Bailey.
Much more detail of the work of the trust and those who died can be
found on the website: www.antarctic-monument.org
Editor’s note: At the unveiling of the memorial to the scientist in St Paul’s Cathedral,
Professor John Dowdeswell, Director of the Polar Institute said ‘It is fitting that there
should be a monument for those who died, names unknown to the outside world, but
who have helped create the enviable polar reputation that the UK enjoys. Jeremy Bailey
made a very significant contribution to that reputation.
Whilst weather conditions and working conditions have not improved at the
British Antarctic Survey, scientists are now enjoying significantly better living conditions.
A brief modest article from the chief designer of Halley 6 (another ex Watford Boy)
simply does not do justice to the complexities of creating this new base.
I’m extremely grateful to Brian Dorsett-Bailey and Michael Wright for allowing us
to include their connections with the ‘other side of the world’ in this issue.
Opposite above: Kista, Jeremy and
penguin.
Opposite below: Jeremy and Brian
on board the Kista, prior to Jeremy’s
sailing to Antarctica.
Above: Sculpture in Stanley, Falkland
Islands, with plinth face showing
names of those commemorated.
Antarctica Research Base WBGS
phone link up
In the week leading to the talk from Antarctica, many teachers
promoted the event in lessons and form times and when it came to
it, we all gathered in P1 in the science block. The room was packed
full of students from science and other subjects such as Geography.
It was exciting to see an application of what we were learning and
how subjects worked in conjunction with one another. This was
especially relevant to me as a student who studies both Physics
and Geography.
There was a phone on loud speaker sitting on a chair in the
middle of the room. The audience were listening to the British Antarctic
Survey scientist, who had spent 1.5 years on base, who was speaking
to us live from the Halley Research Base. It is crazy to think that they can
just call us from where they are, 10,000 miles away, with relative ease!
The presentation was interesting and spoken in a way that
we A-level students could understand. He spoke in conjunction to a
PowerPoint presentation that our own Mr Hensman, was in control of
in the lab. The talk was about the work they do at Halley 6, the life on
the base, and in his own story of how he got there, he reflected that it
was a mixture of luck, skill, and personality.
A few weeks later, Michael Wright came to give a lecture to the
Sixth Form about the engineering side of construction of the base
that the scientist had spoken about.
James Wright L6C
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
101
M
Life in the Freezer
ichael Wright, Regional Director with AECOM and
former pupil of the school and parent of 3 boys
currently at the school, was at the British Antarctic
Survey (BAS) Research Base, Halley VI in Antarctica
from December to the beginning of March. Whilst
there he arranged a live link up with the school,
speaking to a number of pupils and staff – quite a unique experience for
any school to directly communicate with an Antarctic Research Station.
A group of 56 A-level students were given a presentation from BAS Met
Scientist Richard Warren describing the type of science undertaken
at Halley and how this relates to global weather systems and its
importance to life on earth. This generated some interesting dialogue
between the students and Richard and gave a rare insight into the detail
of the science conducted on this frozen continent. Richard and I were in
the Upper Observation Laboratory, the upper deck of the end Module
in the photo, talking by phone to students at WBGS 10,000miles away.
Less than three weeks following this link up from Antarctica,
102 TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
Michael Wright gave his talk, Halley VI-Life in the Freezer, to the whole
of the sixth form which described his design of the new base, the
conditions the design had to overcome and its construction together
with some recent photographs of the base in use following his visit
there. It was made even more remarkable when so many boys raised
their hand when Michael asked who had been present at the link up just
a few weeks earlier.
Halley VI, the British Antarctic Survey’s new ‘space-age’ Antarctic
research base, is one of the most technically challenging projects ever
delivered. Halley VI is designed to lift itself out of rising snow to prevent
it from being buried by the ever increasing snow accumulation and has
the ability to be relocated to avoid an unstable ice shelf it sits on that
could potentially break up during its lifetime.
Since opening, it has won a series of major awards, has appeared
on a British stamps and coins and even the UK Government is using
Halley VI to promote British innovation.
Michael Wright
Friday Afternoon Lectures
The Friday afternoon lecture is one of many traditions in
Watford Boys that certainly provides many memorable moments, some
life changing for some students.
T
he Friday afternoon lecture is one of many traditions in
Watford Boys that certainly provides many memorable
moments, some life changing for some students. Outside
speakers are invited, often eminent in their own field,
sometimes Old Fullerians, but usually fascinating to most
boys. Perhaps the most entertaining are those that have
the students on the edge of their seats ready to get up and question
and assumption. Any speaker arriving and expecting an easy afternoon
will be disappointed, but any open-minded student may walk away
with their own ideas developed and shaped by what they have heard.
Perhaps this year, one of those speakers to have an impact was Erwin
James, a man who had served a jail sentence having been convicted for
murder, and spoke about the criminal justice system.
This year too, Watford Boys had its own hustings, with Watford’s
Labour, Conservative, UKIP and Liberal Democrat candidates trying to
persuade those of voting age which way to use their vote.
2014-2015 Speakers
Swaziland Choir
Madani Younis
Erwin James
Mark Bhagwandin
Dr Greg Strain
Dr Omar Malik
Fred Bridgland
James Beere
John Levy
Susan Watts
Alex Lowe Michael Wright
Fire Service
Professor Kurt Jane Marshall
Professor Leigh
(Old Fullerian) A career in theatre
and theatre management
Criminal Justice
How do we value human life
Why I am a Christian
Being a Doctor in the NHS
(Old Fullerian) Journalist and Writer
The Army
Middle East in Crisis
Science Journalism
Barry of Watord and the life of an actor
Life in the Freezer
Road Safety for new drivers
Journalism
Writing an excellent personal statement
The Law
The Extraordinary life of a
Foreign Correspondent
Fred Bridgland
During my years as a Watford Grammar School pupil we were lucky to
have a particularly unusual and outstanding individual as headmaster.
Harry Rée, who had been a pacifist until the Second World War,
was recruited in 1940 into the Special Operations Executive and
was a remarkably brave and unassuming man who, despite some
terrible experiences, never talked much about his experiences in public
explaining that it was not so much through modesty as a feeling that he
could never explain adequately the importance and bravery of the vitally
important people who supported him and other agents. These people
were running just the same risks of arrest, torture, concentration camp
and death and the courage of such supporters was often more worthy of
the acclaim than that of some of the more spectacular heroes.
It’s important that I pay tribute to the huge cast of unacclaimed,
unostentatious characters who made possible my privileged working life
in India, the Middle East, Africa and mainland Europe.
“You must have had quite an exciting life,” is sometimes what
people say when I first meet them. And yes, I’ve been shot at, seen men
die, been detained and interrogated by the Syrian Secret Service, been
put on trial in a jungle clearing by an African guerrilla leader, been in a
plane crash and a rail crash, been swept down rivers, been bombed by
attacking aircraft, crossed frontiers clandestinely on foot, walked many
hundreds of miles with guerrilla armies, walked through minefields at
night, endured the terrible killings and deaths of close friends.
All this is true, but like Harry Rée I’ve been supported by some
wonderful and unassuming people who have greatly enriched my life and
made it a journey of deep fulfilment and real wonder. I have been very lucky.
I’ll start with Angola, where at the height of the Soviet-era Cold War,
I was assigned to report one of the competing liberation movements,
the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola, UNITA. It was
led by one of the most charismatic individuals I have ever met, Jonas
Savimbi, who, I was later to discover and reveal, was a truly monstrous
mass murderer.
From a chance meeting, I began the pursuit of a story that changed
history in that part of the world and showed, among much else, that
South Africa, encouraged by Western governments – including our own –
and intelligence agencies, had launched a secret invasion of Angola that
dragged in also a Cuban Army.
And so began a lifetime’s work, including two books. But there is
a third book that has to be written. A very close friend of mine in the
UNITA movement was a brilliant young man named Tito Chingunji, who
became much loved by my family. Savimbi was killing his own officers
and throwing their wives and children to their deaths on to bonfires in
public ceremonies in huge jungle clearings. Tito, I also discovered, had
been threatened with death and though I worked behind the scenes in
Britain and the United States to try to persuade top officials to intervene
to ensure that Tito did not die, it was to no avail. I eventually learned
that my friend, his wife, four children, including one-year-old twins, his
mother, father, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles had all been executed in
appalling circumstances on Savimbi’s orders.
I wrote the full story of what I knew had happened in a number of
newspapers and as a result received death threats and threats to mutilate
my wife that were so serious that we were given special protection by
Special Branch in London. Savimbi had written denying the killing of
Tito and others to the then American Secretary of State James Baker and
accused me of plotting to assassinate him. The allegation was untrue and
I believe that letter sealed the United States’ abandonment of Savimbi
who eventually died in a hail of bullets on the banks of a tributary of the
Zambezi River after being tracked by some of his former generals and
South African soldiers who had once fought in his support.
From 1988 onwards, I was based in South Africa to cover the big
changes expected to the racial apartheid system including the release
of Nelson Mandela and his subsequent election as South Africa’s first
black head of state.
But in October 1991 I returned to Zambia to report the first multiparty parliamentary and presidential elections in a quarter century. It
was there, I learned of the activities of Winnie Mandela’s crimes.
It formed the basis of a critical biography I wrote of Mrs. Mandela
and for a related hour-long BBC-TV documentary. The revelations forced
South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission to stage two weeks
of hearings into the activities of Mrs Mandela and her Football Club
which terrorised Soweto. In addition, I uncovered stunning new facts
including Nelson Mandela’s role in the attempts to prevent Winnie
Mansela’s crimes coming to light.
Not a cheerful note to conclude on, I realise, but this kind of human
drama is part of the life of any foreign correspondent who does his job
conscientiously. However, I have also encountered many people who, in spite
of everything, were among the warmest, kindest and sweetest on earth.
Abridged version of lecture
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
103
University & college entrants
Leavers List 2014
Name
Course
University/College
Adnan Abbasi
Applying 2015
Vamsi Akinepally
Applying 2015
Amar Ali
Chemical Engineering Manchester University (2016)
Pranav Amaranath
Economics
Edinburgh University
Alexander Eliad
Mathmatics
Christian Amos
History
St Catherine’s College, Oxford
William Ashford
Philosophy, Wadham College, Oxford
Politics and Economics
Mustafa Farishta
Economics and Business University College London
with East European Studies
Dilakshan Asokakumar Accounting and Finance Durham University
Accountancy
Amar Bains
Nottingham University
Name
Course
University/College
Thomas Durn
Sport and
Exercise Sciences
Birmingham University
Sayan Dutta Chowdhury Astronomy, Kent University
Space Science and Astrophysics
Warwick University
Charles Fern
History
Birmingham University
Alexander Finn
Politics
York University
Eoin Finnegan
Engineering
St Johns College, Oxford
Ishan Bairoliya
Law
York University
Myles Finnegan
Economics
Swansea University
Russell Barnett
Zoology
Exeter University
James Foulger
Civil Engineering
Bristol University
Daniel Barrett
Politics
Nottingham University
Thomas Franklin
Physiotherapy
Brighton University
Mark Beglan
Environmental Science Manchester University
Elliot Freer
History
Birmingham University
Daniel Bell
Sound Technology
and Digital Music
Oxford Brookes University
Robert Gaffney
History
Nottingham University
Hassan Bhandari
Economics/French
Cardiff University
Vinay Gandecha
Economics and Politics Essex University
Steven Binns
Computer Systems
Engineering
Birmingham University
Dillan Ghelani
Business
Bournemouth University
Information Technology
Laurence Bisdee
War Studies
and History
King’s College, London
Aryeh Glover
Economics
Tomas Greene
History
Nottingham University
Charles Blake
Economics
Trinity College, Cambridge
Christopher Griffin
Law
Hull University
Thomas Bolton
Ancient History
Cardiff University
Jerzy Griffiths Medicine
Aberdeen University (2016)
Harrison Bradford
Business Management Brighton University
with Economics
Imperial College London
Jamie Brenner
English and French
Jonathan Brighton
Birmingham University
Christopher Haines
Mathmatics
Liam Hall
Information Management Loughborough University
and Business Studies
Politics and
Bath University
International Relations
Kieran Hansford
Politics and
Kent University
International Relations
Daniel Bulger
History and Politics
Elliot Burford
Physics and Astronomy Durham University
Shivam Haria
Mathematics, Warwick University
Statistics and Economics
Douglas Campbell
Industrial Economics
Nottingham University
Joshual Harper
English Literature
Durham University
Robert Carpenter
Physics York University
Jake Harvey
French and Italian
Swansea University
James Carruthers
Mechanical Engineering Sheffield University
Bikram Chaggar
Philosophy, Politics
and Economics
Warwick University
Timothy Chau
Medicine
King’s College, London
Shyam Chauhan
Engineering
Warwick University
Bradley Cheeseman
Economics
Bath University
Kian Chong
Finance, Accounting
and Management
Nottingham University
Warwick University
Warwick University
Salman Hassanali
Jack Hayes
Accounting and Finance Durham University
Jian Hong He
Asian and
Robinson College, Cambridge
Middle Eastern Studies
Glen Hempenstall
Economics
Birmingham University
Heriot-Watt University
Max Hiley
Engineering
Max Hill
Broadcast Technology Ravensbourne University
Tobias Hill-Summers
Economics
Birmingham University
Benedict Cross
Graphic Communication Reading Univeristy
Sam Hillman
Politics and Economics Nottingham University
Joshua Curtis
History and Politics
Nottingham University
Alexander Hiscock
Historical Archaeology
York University
Edward Daniel
Mathmatics
Brasenose College, Oxford
Michael Holohan
Hispanic Studies
and History
Nottingham University
Nathan Horsley
Computer Science
Bristol University
Thomas Hughes
Mechanical Engineering Southampton University
Ussama Hussain
Chemistry
Dev Darbar
Economics and Finance Surrey University
William Dare
History
Exeter University
Alasdair de Costa
History
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Giorgio De Lucia
Geography
Leeds University
Raphael Debnath
Criminology
with Psychology
West of England University
Heriot-Watt University
Lavandan Jegatheeswaran Medicine
Nottingham University
Kelvin Kan
York University
Economics
Arth Desai
Economics
Birmingham University (2016)
Vishal Kaneria
Dentistry
King’s College, London
Timothy Dunkerton
Geography
with Business
Nottingham University
Kishan Katwa
Medicine
Trinity College, Cambridge
104 TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
college entrants
Name
Course
University/College
Benjamin Keenlyside
Physics
Southampton University
Cyrus Khan
Politics and
West of England University
International Relations
Kourosh Khodabakhsh Physics
University College London
George Knight
American Studies
Manchester University
Kiran Kotecha
Economics Priyesh Kotecha
Management
Name
Course
University/College
Arjun Riyait
Medicine
Leicester University
James Russell
Geography
Royal Holloway University
James Scott
Neuroscience
Leeds University
Marco Scozzafava
Politics with Economics Bath University
Bristol University
Chanak Shah
Chemical Engineering Birmingham University
with International Study
London School of Economics
Miraj Shah
Natural Sciences
St Catherine’s College, Cambridge
Rohin Kotecha
Economics and French Cardiff University
Hasan Shaikhali
Medicine
Queen Mary University of London
Adam Kowalewicz
General Engineering
Durham University
Yusuf Shaikhali
Medicine
Imperial College London
Hui Fung Kwong
Medicine
University College London
George Smith
Politics and I
Bath University
nternational Relations
Rajiv Solanki
Materials Engineering Loughborough University
Stanley Speel
Engineering
Frederick Lazar
Engineering
Oxford Brookes University
Sam Lees
History
York University
Jacob Leighton
History
Girton College, Cambridge
Alexander Lever
Chemistry
Warwick University
Dhruv Suji
Electrical and
Hull University
Electronic Engineering
Douglas MacDonald
Geography
Leeds Beckett University
Prasann Sumaria
Chemistry
Hertford College, Oxford
Nottingham University
Aarun Malhotra
Accounting and Finance Bristol University
Jon-Luke Summerfield Sport Performance
Bath University
Daniel Malik
Finance, Accounting
and Management
Nottingham University
Joel Sutcliffe
Psychology
Sheffield University
Mostafa Mansour
Dentistry
Queen Mary University of London
Jeremy Swanwick
German and Spanish
Leeds University
Joshua Marks
Business Management Nottingham Trent University
and Economics
James McBride-Wilson Geography
and Economics
Birmingham University
Robert Sykes
Classical Civilisation
Warwick University
Anees Taj
Law
West London University
Mudit Taldar
Statistics, Economics
and Finance
University College London
Lancaster University
Manojkumar Mistry
Economics
York University
Anthony Tarabe
Economics
Aaron Mitchell
Geography
Brighton University
Elias Taylor
Business Management Birmingham University
Bradley Mitchell
Psychology
Leeds Beckett University
Joshua Mottram
Law
Exeter University
Dominic Texeira
Medicine
St George’s,
University of London (2016)
Alexander Mullin
Mechanical Engineering Southampton University
Felix Thompson
Chemistry
Imperial College London
Callum Till
Economics
Portsmouth University
Luke Tunstall
Aeronautics & Southampton University
Astronautics/Spacecraft Engineering
Vivek Vanza
Economics
Warwick University
Viruben Nandakumar History and Politics
Nottingham University
Yajin Nathwani
Business Mathematics
and Statistics
London School of Economics
George Noakes
Psychology
Aberystwyth University
Krister Noren
Spanish and Arabic
Exeter University
James Vettese
Philosophy
and Mathematics
Edinburgh University
Ayush Oza
Mathematics
and Economics
London School of Economics
Sebastian Walker
Music
Cardiff University
Akhil Parekh
English
Bristol University
Jonathan Waller
History
Warwick University
Daniel Park
Sport and
Exercise Science
Coventry University
Lawrence Weinrabe
International Relations Birmingham University
with Economics
Nilen Patel
Geography
Regent’s Park College, Oxford
Cameron Wells
Chemistry
Rishi Patel
Accounting and Finance London School of Economics
Dylan Patel-Vathvali
Chemical Engineering Birmingham University
Jason Patterson
Mathematics
Samid Pervaz
Applying 2015
Alexander Pope
Neuroscience
Sussex University
Joshua Powell
English Literature
Glasgow University
Jamie Pyrke
Philosophy
Adiel Radia
Economics
Warwick University
Bristol University
Sam Whiteman
Medicine
Newcastle University
Dominic Wills
German and History
Nottingham University
James Wood
Engineering
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Adam Woolf
Natural Sciences
Girton College, Cambridge
Matthew Wright
Geography
Leeds University
Yue Yu
Mathematics
York University
Nottingham University
Mohammad Yunis
Accounting
and Management
Kent University
Nottingham University
Aaron Zolnai-Lucas
Mathematics
Warwick University
Vishal Raniga
Accounting and Finance De Montfort University
Anojan Ratnarajah
Law
Prathap Ratnayake
Chemical Engineering Aston University
York University
Hamish Rawbone
Economics
Durham University
Archie Ring
Acccountancy
Birmingham University
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
105
SCHOOLPRIZES
Year 11
For excellence, effort and progress during the GCSE course
Art
John Ibabao
Biology
Ali Manji
Maisam Merali
Chemistry Prize Pearson Prize
Classical Civilisation
Richard Raineri
Computing
Chetankumar Mistry
Design Technology
James Wright
Drama
Jack Butler
English Language
Patrick Noren
English Literature
Timothy Bush
Le Vesconte Prize
Jorge Leitao
French
Rugby
Julian Manieson
Games
Hockey
Matthew Sears
Cricket
Sulaymaan Ahmed
Athletics
Matthew Lally
Daniel Gillen
Geography
German
Maisam Merali
Oliver Lee
History
ICT
Devan Bulsara
Latin
Matthew Shaw
Mathematics
Muhammad Manji
Shivaike Shah
Music
PE
Casey Hanson
Physics
Soham Garg
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics Atharva Abhyanker
Ahsan Sabir
Science (double award)
Spanish
Matthew Shaw
Tomlinson Prize
Nimrod Kasper
Joel Landshaft-Singhe
Excellence in GCSE examinations
Atharva Athyankar, Eugene Chang, Soham Garg,
James Hamilton, Dominic Jones,
Mohammed Kazin Kanji, Mohammed-Jaffer Khaku,
Oliver Lee, Ali Manji, Muhammad Manji,
Luke McGee, Maisam Merali, Patrick Noren,
Benjamin Quinney, Shivaike Shah
Exceptional Performance
Zain Ali
Lower Sixth
Upper Sixth
Art
Rupert Woods
Biology
William Adeboye
Chemistry Joshua Shemtob
Computing
Joshua Blake
Economics
Harshil Patel
English Language and Literature
James Dutton
English Literature
Charles Staines
French
Darius Tehrani-Vahid
Rugby
Sam Oguz
Games
Cricket
Robert Kennedy
Hockey
Simon Guest
Cross Country
Jonathan Hill
Geography
Kenzo Motohashi
German
Jannik Pedersen
History
Daniel Blake
ICT
Alexander Robson
Latin
Daniel Blake
Mathematics
Shreyas Vora
Music
Alexander Waygood
Physics
Joshua Shemtob
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics
Alexander Lewis
Politics
Thomas Gibson
Psychology
James Dutton
Spanish
Darius Tehrani-Vahid
Sport and PE
Austin Bailey
Young Engineers
Gokulan Kannan
Hertfordshire Scouts
Zi Ning Ning
Duke of Edinburgh Award
Kenzo Motohashi
Applied
Dilakshan
Robert Silver Prize
Asokakumar
Economics Applied Science
Eoin Finnegan
J R Smith/Southern Prize
Benedict Cross
Art
Biological Science E J Slinn Prize Albert Knight
Biology
Russell Barnett
W R Carter Prize
Felix Thompson
Chemistry
Classical
Civilisation Norman Marrow Prize Alasdair De Costa
Computing
Nathan Horsley
Debating
William Ashford
Shivam Haria
Economics Myers Clark Prize
English Language F H Vince Prize
Marco Scozzafava
& Literature
English Literature F H Vince Prize Joshua Harper
R F Smith Prize
Rishi Patel
French
Nilen Patel
Geography P E Posner Prize
Jonathan Waller
German William Sullivan Prize
Sir Fredk. Pedler Prize Alasdair De Costa
History
IT
Vamsi Akinepally
Latin
Christian Amos
Mathematics Keith Turner Prizes Alexander Eliad,
Aaron Zolnai-Lucas
F W Thomas Prize
Robert Carpenter
Music
Physical Science Philip Proffit Prize Adam Kowalewicz
Benjamin Keenlyside
Physics Loydell Prize
Brearley Prize
Kiran Kotecha
Politics
Psychology
Giorgio De Lucia
Philosophy, Religion and Ethics
Aryeh Glover
Spanish Krister Noren
Giorgio De Lucia
Sport Stanley Rous – Rugby
Stanley Rous - Hockey
Jeremy Swanwick
FH Openshaw – All round
Thomas Durn
Tommy Thompson - Cricket
Matthew Rose
Athletics
Jonathan Brighton
OFA Prize
Thomas Durn
Sport and PE
Ishan Bairoliya
Neil Hart Prize Discovery Club
Workshop Michael Holohan/Krister Noren
School Council
Kiran Kotecha
Community Councillor Rabi Martins Prize Krister Noren
Duke of Edinburgh Hertfordshire Scouts Adam Woolf
Award
Alastair De Costa
Governors’ Prizes for Services to the School Jonathan Waller, Jeremy Swanwick,
Kiran Kotecha, Jonathan Brighton,
Russell Barnett
Woollams Prizes for Excellence in the A Level Examinations
Alasdair De Costa, Christopher Haines
Exceptional Performance
Eoin Finnegan
For excellence,
effort and progress during the Lower Sixth course
Guest of Honour
Richard Harrington MP
Richard was elected as Member of Parliament for Watford in May 2010. He works hard
for the people of Watford both here and in Westminster, fighting on the issues that
matter most.
As our MP he has secured £50m for our schools, hundreds of millions of pounds of
investment in our transport infrastructure and new health facilities. Unemployment has
halved in the last four years and thousands of new apprenticeships have been created
for local youngsters.
Richard was born in Leeds in 1957, the eldest son of a shopkeeper. He worked in
the family shop at weekends and school holidays from the age of 10. This gave him what
he sees as the most significant values in his life, hard work and enterprise. After leaving
Leeds Grammar School in 1975 he was awarded a scholarship to Oxford University to
study Law at Keble College.
Upon graduation Richard started working in the Trewins Department store in
Watford (now John Lewis) and eventually left to start up a business with two friends.
Richard ran the business for 20 years before going to work full time for the Variety Club
Children’s Charity. He was selected to stand for Watford in December 2008.
Richard is married to Jessie and they have two sons.
106 TH E F U L L E R IA N 2014- 15
For excellence,
effort and progress during the Upper Sixth course
Senior Prefects
2014-2015
Head Prefect
J. Shemtob
Deputy Head Prefects
R. Angel
Z. Arain
G. Kannan
A. Tunwell
F
Animal Behaviour
ive years ago, pretty much to the day, I left Watford Boys
with a good number of GCSEs and A Levels to my name. I
was heading towards something that, to be honest, I did
because everyone else was; I was going to university. A
large number of my friends had achieved places studying
Engineering, Economics or Business. I, however, was taking
a bit of a leap into the unknown and had secured a place at Exeter
University reading Animal Behaviour. This was met with a large amount
of bemusement from friends and teachers alike “Huh?” “Are you going
to be a zoo keeper?” “So, will you be able to read my dog’s mind?”,
questions that I would hear every time I met someone new for the next
three years… the last one wasn’t, and will never be, funny.
What did I actually do? I spent the next three years in lecture theatres,
labs and in the field discovering the mechanisms in which animals make
complex life decisions; for example I now understand how wildebeest move
in herds a million strong as if operating under one collective mind. The lowest
point of my course was when I tried to beat a pigeon at a cognitive test and
failed. A highlight was flying to the Bahamas and recording the habitat use of
juvenile fish. I snorkelled on coral reefs for five hours a day; it was awesome.
I really enjoyed my three years at University, but for the whole of
third year I had been secretly worrying about my job prospects; is there
a graduate scheme working with animals? Turns out there’s not unless
you work for a pest control company. No thanks.
Instead I looked towards charities. I won a European scholarship with
a charity researching the behaviours of whales and dolphins in Tenerife
for three months, not a bad start. And then soon after I started working
at The Zoological Society of London, one of the world’s most influential
wildlife organisations. I am a Presenter at ZSL London Zoo where I speak to
visitors about the animals we house, and communicate the importance of
the conservation work we carry out across the globe. For the most popular
talk, Penguin Beach Live, audiences exceed 1,000 in the summer every day,
which is just a fraction of the 1.2million people the park hosts every year.
My job is way more important than telling people a few odd facts;
each talk carries with it a conservation message for the audience to take
away, asking them to support research, or use their buying power to
support sustainable practices. As a team, if we can change the views and
behaviours of a few people every day, then we’ll be, ever so slightly, on our
way to achieving a more balanced relationship with our world’s wildlife.
The reason why I was asked to write this small piece was
because passion and my job are different to the typical Old Boy’s. I
don’t earn a lot of money, it’s not very white collar, but it is no less
important. Wildlife conservation is fast becoming a growing concern
for governments the world over, and in the next ten years everyone will
know the word ‘conservation’ and what it stands for. This is evident with
David Attenborough meeting with the most powerful man in the world,
Barack Obama, to discuss the future of our planet.
What’s in store for me next? My end goal is to end up working in
wildlife programming producing documentaries. So a move to Bristol,
the world hub for wildlife documentaries, is definitely on the cards.
Sam Ginger
Prefects
W. Adeboye
J. Jackson
V. Ratnarajah
M. Ali
A. Karet
H. Samudrala
D. Anderson
R. Kennedy
R. Shah
D. Bail
Z. Khan
S. Shah
S. Beeston
A. Lewis
A. Sharkey
D. Benson
J. Manivannan
N. Sharma
J. Burke
R. Masters
S. Shrinanda
N. Chandarana
K. Motohashi
S. Singhal
M. Chapman
C. Muraleedharan
C. Staines
T. Chen
L. Muraleedharan
J. Taylor
A. Crawford
W. Ning
D. Tehrani
S. Guest
A. Pandya
S. Versi
J. Hartley
R. Patel
A. Waygood
W. Hasan
N. Patel
R. Woods
G. Heracleous
G. Ramesh
J. Hill
V. Rastogi
The Watford Fuller
Foundation
would like to thank
Peter Angel & Co
Chartered Accountants
Finance House
77 Queens Road, Buckhurst Hill,
Essex IG9 5BW
for their help in
submitting the Foundation’s
HMRC gift-aid return over the
past seven years.
T HE F UL L ERIAN 2014- 15
107
THANK YOU
The Governors, Headmaster and Staff of Watford Grammar School for Boys
wish to offer their warmest thanks to the parents, alumni, friends and organisations who
have supported the school during the year.
Thanks also to the many families that make regular contributions to the school.
Their gifts of time, expertise and money to the school continue
to make a real difference to the education of our students.
Friends of Watford Grammar School for Boys
Old Fullerians Association
The Watford Fuller Foundation
The ES Household Family
John Taylor
Pabulum
Mr Roy Hayes
Mr Adam Parsons
Lord Robert Winston
Councillor Ian Brown
Shirley Greenham
Stone Computers
David Lloyd
Warner Brother Studios
Moor Park Golf Club
Aubrey & Finn Estate Agent
Watford Mercure
Mr & Mrs Hudson
Mrs Kachela
Mrs Bishop
The Watford Observer
Selex ES
Hyder Consulting
AECOM - Young Engineers and Sixth form lectures
Engineering Development Trust
Young Enterprise
Affinity Water
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