Alan Gibbons

112 Pages·2013·10.91 MB·English

December 2013
Volume 28 Number 17
Contents
3 Editorial
A rest after a new building per month
4 Ins & Outs
Welcomes and farewells
14 Prizegiving
Tony Little awarded the prizes
20 Creative Art
A range of art from Second Form to A2 exam work
26 Music
This year’s cover was created
The Joint Schools and a range of other concerts
by Hannah Moran. Hannah was
a member of the editorial team
34 Creative Design
ts for last year’s magazine and is
n
e Work by students studying Design and Technology now studying Modern Languages
t
n
o at University College, London.
C 36 Enrichment Her wide interests, particularly
in languages, prevented her from
Going beyond the taught curriculum
studying art while at St Albans, but
2 40 Community she completed her AS in Art before
she joined the School.
Staff and students making a broader contribution
44 Creative Writing
3
1 Poetry and prose from pupils and teachers
0
2
n 50 Drama
a
ni
ba Les Misérables and other stage triumphs
Al
e 58 Features
h
T
Prize winning Classics essay Albanian Editorial Team
61 Dukes Editor Noel Cassidy
Deputy Editor Julia Grieveson
The joys of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award
Student Editors Jem Bosatta
Lucy de Vaux-Balbirnie
65 Creative Photo
Eleanor Duncan
Through the lens with Optic, the Photo Society Michael Slater
69 Trips
St Albans School at home and abroad
St Albans School
74 Houses
Abbey Gateway
The final standings St Albans AL3 4HB
76 CCF Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Camouflage, camps and courage
Publications email:
83 Sport
[email protected]
Pitch, track, pool and court-side reports School Website:
www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk
St Albans School is a company limited by guarantee.
Registered in England No. 4400125 Charity No. 1092932 Registered Office: Abbey Gateway, St Albans, Herts. AL3 4HB
Editorial
Phew. It feels as if the School is taking a bit of a breather. As the Head-
master likes to say, at one stage we were opening a new building every
month, but now that hectic pace has eased, the hard hats and hi-vis
jackets have been put away, the mud has been scraped off the steel-toe-
capped boots. Sports Centre, tick; Aquis Court, tick; Sixth Form Centre, T
h
tick; Visual Arts Department, tick; Refectory, tick; Languages Faculty, tick. e
A
And all the while, the normal life of the School has carried on, with the lb
a
same range of sports fixtures, dramatic productions, musical concerts, n
ia
lectures, CCF camps, Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, Partnership activi- n
2
ties, work in the community and not a little learning. Pupils continue 0
1
to lead very full lives but still find time for revision, leading to strong 3

performances in the exams and Sixth Formers leaving to take up their
chosen courses at university.
While the building has stopped, the planning has not, and the School’s
fundraising campaign, Unlocking Potential, is now well established. It 3
was launched with a witty film, shot and directed by Mike Newell OA.
If you haven’t seen it, you’ll find it at: http://www.st-albans.herts.sch.uk/
Campaign-Film. It is certainly worth watching.
E
The end of the last academic year saw the departure to retirement d
of a number of real stalwarts of the School staff, as well as that of Mr ito
r
Laithwaite, at St Albans for fewer years, but making no less an impact on ia
l
the School.
The following pages pay tribute to these people, as well as the vast array
of activities the School has seen over the course of the last year.
New Pupils
September 2013
First Form PHLORA, Isher RICHARDS, Robbie
RATTLE, William P SCOTT, Charles F
ADEGBEMILE, Oluwatobi RAYNER, Matthew T SHAH, Jaimin
AJAYI-KHIRAN, Jordan I RYAN, Stratford J THWAITES, Oliver C
AMOR, Rory J SHEPHERD, William J TRIMMER, Felix
ANDREW, James D SPYROU, Alexandros N UJEYAH, Nathan
AVENELL, Joshua J SWAN, Nicholas A VAN DER WELLE, James
BAMGBOYE, Mirai J TAMBE, Adnan WIGGETTS, Thomas W
BARLOW, Alexander S THEODOROU, Georgio WILCOX, Harry E
BARNARD, Noah S TUTUS, Alex
BAWA, Ibraheem WALLACE, Jeremiah Joshua
BEAL, Edward A WYNNE, Gethin L Sixth Form
BHANDAL, Jovan S YIP, Alex M
BOURN, Edward P ATTAR, Jemma
BRICE, Scott W BENNETT, Rosalind M
Third Form
BURRELL, Jack A BHIKHA, Dev-Kishan
CLARKE, George P BUZAR-JOMEHRI, Alexander A
ADAMJEE, Wahid
COOPER, Benjamin T CARASCO, Nadine
ANAND, Avtar S
COX, Charles J CLARKE, Olivia
ARBUTHNOTT, Robert W
CRAIB, Jared T CLARKE, Sarena S
ARKIN, Eran
CURTIS, Benjamin L COOP, Sarah M
BABWAH, Liam
ts DAHYA, Shivam J BEVAN, Jack A DEVLIN, Sophie C
u DEANE, Jamie DORLING, Magdalene E
O BINNINGTON, Alexander R
& DEB, Dylan S BULL, Oliver L EDWARDS, Poppy E
Ins DDEEEST, LRoOu,i sA Jlexander J CCOALLLLEINNGDWERO, HOeDn,r Jyo Jrdan J EENPSGTLEIISNH, ,M Pahriliispspaa A J
EWHARE, Ryan O EVAGORA, Raphaella
CORSO, Adam
FARHADI, Shahrouz EVANS, Charlotte
4 CRAIG, Benjamin
FARYAD, Arvin FERGUSON, Natasha A
DEAN, Adam W
FOSTER, Christopher J GARDNER, Megan B
DHAMI, Amar S
FRASCHETTI, Alexander T GIRDLESTONE, Hannah C
DOWDING, Edward C
FURLONG, Steven J GLASS-SLUCKIN, Rachel A
FLETCHER, Christopher R
HACKETT, Benjamin GOHIL, Riken
3 FRYER, Max D
1 HALSTEAD, Joshua A HALL, Abigail
0 GEORGE, Cameron D
2 HARRIS, Oliver J HOBSTER, Rosie E
nian HHEAARTRHIS, , HToabrryy W J GGOOOULDDW, TRhIoGmHaTs, EHarry F HHOOFFFFMMAANN,, CRaacmhiellla A G
ba GRAHAM, Jack M
Al HOLLIS, Toby B HARVIE, Cameron P HORTON, Elizabeth
e HOOLE, Matthew P HULSE, Matilda A
h HEAP, Louis O
T ISNARDI, Hugh M JENNINGS, Tomas K
HINGORANI, Jamie C
JENNINGS, Alexander W KEENAN, Molly E
HOLLAND, James R
KAPUR, Ritvik LEITH, Claire S
HOUTEN, Aidan J
KRISHNAN, Madhav MAGGS, Caroline S
INO, Kazuki
LEE, Matthew J MARROQUIN, Nicole
IRANI, Jamie L
LINES, Alexander E MCDERMOTT, Jacques R
JOHNSON, Luke B
LITTLE, George B MCKAY, Ellie G
JUDE, Marcus
LIU, James MITCHELL, Kirsty M
KARIM, Akeel
LOTZOF, Joss A MUKHTAR, Aisha M
LAMBERT, Edward M
MACKENZIE, Max G NASH, Lauren M
LARSSON, Sebastian A
MALIK, Ibrahim OMOTOSO, Damilola S
LAWS-MATHER, Angus
MCCABE, Conor J PIERCY, Ellen F
MARAPAO, Matthew
MESTCHIAN, Cameron ROWE, Lauren E
MAWER, Hugh J
MOREY, Oscar H SHERRIFF, Matthew
MCLAUGHLIN, Ethan J
MOYE, Peter D SHREEVES, Eleanor L
MEHTA, Shay
MOYE, Robert D SINNOTT, Tara D
MORSIA, Massimiliano
MULHOLLAND, Rohan S SUMMERTON, Emma K
MOYE, Edward A
MURPHY, William T SUPERFINE, Lara J
NORMAN, Conor J
MUZAFAR, Samaad SWEENEY, Hannah L
NYGATE, Jacob A
ODUNAIYA, Ayomikun O TVEITO-DUNCAN, Kaya
ORROS, Christian H
O’FLYNN, Tadhg S WATKINS, Luke
PATTISON, Joe H
OGUIKE, Kemjika WILKINS, James D
POTTER, Angus R
PARIKH, Ronak S ZHU, Vivien H
PRESENCE, Alexander G
PARKER, Harry J
New Teachers
Elizabeth Aquilina
The first new teacher to join the Physics department this year, Elizabeth Aquilina, comes to
us after studying Maths and Physics at the University of Malta and a year of Petroleum Geo-
physics at Imperial. She enjoys teaching younger students and imparting her love of physics
to them. She’s particularly interested in physics as it gives her an opportunity think about
and analyse the world around her. Beyond physics, she describes herself as a fan of theatre
and enjoys dancing.
Craig Bradnam
Craig Bradnam is the first of two new Maths teach-
ers, who joins us from Rivers Academy, where he
taught Maths for two years. Mr Bradnam has a
degree in Computing, which he gained from Imperial
College London. He enjoys Maths because it allows
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him to explore new problems. He is inspired to h
e
teach people, and was attracted to St Albans School A
for its friendly staff, interested students and its great lb
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reputation. n
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3

Clare Byrne
5
Also joining the Physics department this year is Clare Byrne. An experienced physicist,
she previously worked as a researcher of engineering and medical physics before deciding
to become a teacher. She has previously taught at Verulam and Sherrardswood School in I
n
Welwyn. Having family connections with the school has meant that she knows it well and s
&
has been attracted by the friendly environment and excellent facilities. She has shown her O
passion for singing by joining the choir but is also interested in horse-riding outside school.
u
t
s
Greg Hacksley
Dr Greg Hacksley arrives at the School as Head
of Sixth Form, and to teach English, having previ-
ously taught at St Edmund’s College, and having
studied English Literature at Rhodes University. He
has found his start to St Albans life to be pleasant,
and is impressed by the friendliness of the school.
He enjoys the more human capacity of his subject
to ‘let us explore the lives of others vicariously’,
believing it to be important to our role as ‘storytell-
ing animals’. He hopes to bring his expertise in both
English and pastoral care to the department, helping
students to realise their university ambitions.
Away from the classroom, he enjoys both drama
and music, directing plays, and playing a variety of
instruments from violin to guitar. He is also an avid
armchair critic of both cricket and rugby.
James Hughes
James Hughes is our new Head of English, having read English Literature at Oxford, before
teaching at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle for six years and then at Sevenoaks
school for two years. Mr Hughes dived into the world of teaching after spending a little
more than a year as an accountant, which he ultimately found dull, and so chose to return
to his love of English. As the new Head of English, he hopes to raise the profile of English in
a school that leans towards STEM subjects.
Simon Hughes
Dr Hughes is joining the Chemistry department this year. He is an experienced biochem-
ist, having spent four years in a research position at Cambridge looking at the structure
of drugs. He studied Molecular Biology and Genetics at Royal Holloway in London before
doing a PhD at UCL. He also taught at UCL for four years, and finding teaching more
interesting than research, decided to pursue it further. He found that the history of the
local area brings a strong community feeling to the School and hopes to bring his broad
knowledge of chemistry, biology and their applications in medicine. Outside the classroom,
Dr Hughes has already joined the cross country team and hopes to bring his passion for
swimming and sailing to the School.
Melanie Jardine
Melanie Jardine comes to the School from Bushey
Academy where she was head of her department,
having worked here on a supply basis last year. She
studied Spanish and French at the Polytechnic of
Central London, and went on from there to teach at
schools including Dr Challoner’s High School and a
post in the West Indies. She particularly enjoys what
she calls the ‘melodic’ aspect of the language, as well
s as the culture of Spain, and its appropriateness for
t
u beginner learners. She has found the School very
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& welcoming so far, and hopes to bring her enthusiasm
s and experience to the Spanish Department. Outside
In Spanish, she loves nature, describing bird watching as
a ‘passion’, and works on a variety of conservation
projects throughout the world.
6
Dhara Patel
Our second new Maths teacher joining us is Dhara Patel, who spent four years teaching at
3 Bishop’s Stortford High School. She arrives at St Albans School after having studied Psychol-
1
0 ogy at the University of Birmingham. She feels comfortable joining us as it has a similar
2
n atmosphere to her previous school, and she enjoys the culture and history of St Albans
nia School.
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Th Vicky Sandell
Our new head of Girls’ Games is Miss Vicky Sandell.
Having received her degree in Sports Science and
Management from Nottingham Trent University, she
spent nine years teaching sport locally before joining
our School. She has played hockey for St Albans and
Harpenden but her passion is for horse-riding, which
she is enjoying outside School. Living close to the
School has allowed her to fully investigate the facili-
ties which she says are a ‘pleasure to work in.’ As the
new head of Girls’ Games, Miss Sandell is keen to
raise the profile of girls’ sport in the School and try
to open options for all girls to enjoy sport.
Tom Young
Tom Young arrives at the School as Head of Music, from the Godolphin School in Surrey.
He is a Cambridge graduate, and believes music is both ‘the most interesting and exciting
art form’, relying on a number of different elements, therefore making it incredibly varied
to teach in the classroom. He hopes to add his strong interest in composition to the
School, and possibly even to increase the spotlight on ‘ignored pianists’. He enjoys making
films outside teaching.
Higher Education Destinations of Old Albanians 2013
Names Destination Subject
Charlotte Adkins University of Exeter Economics with Industrial Experience
Oliver Agsteribbe * University of Manchester Philosophy
Toby Amiel King’s College, London Politics of the International Economy
Emily Anderson University of Birmingham History, Ancient and Medieval
Jonathan Andrew * University of Portsmouth Sports Development - Deferred 2014
Matthew Armitage Trinity College, Dublin Culture and Philosophy
John Armstrong University of Southampton Physics
Zak Armstrong * University of Nottingham Mathematics
Charles Avent University of Plymouth History
Rajan Bains University of Warwick English and French (4 years)
Edward Baker University of Exeter Classics
Stephen Baldwin University of Leeds Economics
Laurence Barton University of Warwick Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Isabel Batchelor University of Newcastle English Literature
Charles Beaty University of Exeter Physics with Astrophysics
Joel Berger University of Bristol Economics
Christian Bevan The Queen’s College, Oxford Biological Sciences
Elizabeth Bird Princeton University, USA Liberal Arts
Oliver Bretnall University of Exeter Physics with North American Study
Amelia Brooks University of Newcastle History
Robert Brooks Royal Northern College of Music Music
Katherine Brown University of Leeds Mechanical Engineering
Robert Brown * University of Warwick Philosophy, Politics and Economics
Victoria Burden University of Southampton Modern Languages
Eleanor Butler University of Manchester Biology with Industrial/Professional Experience
Katherine Butler University of Durham Mathematics
Paddy Cavanagh University of St Andrews English
Vincent Chan University of Southampton Electronic Engineering
Rajandeep Chana University College, London Pharmacy
Shian Chen Queen Mary, University of London Biomedical Sciences
Angharad Cook Cardiff University Business Management
Alexander Curran Imperial College, London Medicine
Nishant Dahad University College, London Economics
Matthew Davey University of Warwick Economics
Ben Dawson University of Exeter Flexible Combined Honours
Thomas De Sousa Jesus College, Oxford Engineering
Alice Devlin University of Nottingham History
Harry Di-Lieto University of Birmingham History
Helen Dorman * Royal Holloway, Univ. of London Biomedical Sciences
Benjamin Driscoll University of Bristol English
Thomas Ellis University of Birmingham Mechanical Engineering
Alexandra English Girton College, Cambridge Modern and Medieval Languages
Fraser Ewart-Davidson University of Leeds Physics
Daniel Fellowes University of Newcastle Ancient History and Archaeology
Charlotte Fraser University of Nottingham History
Timothy Furlong University of Southampton Electronic Engineering
Thomas Girdlestone * University of Newcastle Medicine
Chirag Gohil King’s College, London Dentistry
Thomas Govey University of Durham General Engineering
Louis Grant * University of Bath Social Sciences
Zach Guerrier University of Leeds Aeronautical and Aerospace Engineering
Harry Hamer Pembroke College, Oxford History and Economics
Matthew Hampstead University of Leeds Physics
Mark Hardwick University of Leicester Software and Electronic Engineering
Benjamin Harrison University of Bristol Philosophy
Matthew Harrison St Catherine’s College, Oxford French and Spanish
Thomas Harrison * University of Newcastle Philosophical Studies: Knowledge and Human Ints
Adeiza Haruna University of Nottingham Computer Science
Hugo Henson Brasenose College, Oxford Economics and Management
Daniel Heydecker Queens’ College, Cambridge Mathematics
Alison Hickey University of Nottingham Philosophy
Names Destination Subject
Amy Hobbs University of Leeds English Literature
Thomas Hughes University of York Philosophy/Sociology
Matthew Inglis University of Birmingham Hispanic Studies and History
Roseanna Johnstone University of York History
Alexander Kearney University of Sheffield Economics
Niall Kearney University of Bristol Classics
Anish Khiroya University of Warwick Politics
Gohar Khodadoost § Bio-Medical Sciences Kings College University of London
Helen King University of Bath Architecture
Beth Kirby University of Nottingham Mathematics (International Study)
Thomas Latham University of Nottingham Physics
Edward Lewis Lincoln College, Oxford English Language and Literature
Thomas Ling University of Birmingham History and Political Science
Sam Lister University of Bristol History
Alessandro Lombardelli Universityof Nottingham Philosophy
Isobel Maclean Universityof Birmingham Medical Science
Juliette Mann * Unversity of Birmingham English
Nicholas Marnoch University of Leeds Biochemistry
Ashok Mathur University of Newcastle Architecture
s Callum McClafferty University of York Economics
t
u David McConnell University of Bristol French and Italian
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& Charlotte Meredith § Political Science and Philosophy University of Birmingham
s Hannah Moran University College, London Modern Languages
In Matthew Morris University of Bath Mathematics
Benjamin Mort University of Edinburgh Geography and Economics
Harriet Murphy University of Newcastle English Literature
8
Paramesh Natarajan Imperial College, London Mechanical Engineering
Michael Neale Imperial College, London Medicine
Roseanna Nicholls * University of Durham Natural Sciences
Chris Nott University of Warwick Economics
Christopher Oates University of York Law
3
1 Anna Onochie-Williams University of Birmingham Medical Science
0
2 Nial Parkash University of Newcastle Architecture - Deferred 2014
an Lucy Parker University of Warwick Philosophy with Psychology
ni Robyn Parker University of Sheffield Geography
a
b
Al Caleb Patel University of Leicester Management Studies and Economics
e James Pavey London School of Economics Geography with Economics
h
T Haralambos Petrou University College, London Law
Kypros Petrou University of Nottingham Politics
Alexander Phillips University of Warwick History
Jonathan Phillips St Catharine’s College, Cambridge Natural Sciences
Daniel Pittal University of Nottingham Civil Engineering
George Prew Oriel College, Oxford Classical Archaeology and Ancient History
Christopher Putman St Hugh’s College, Oxford Archaeology and Anthropology
Hani Quadiri University of Manchester Electronic Engineering
James Quigley University of Essex International Relations
Usmaan Qureshi Imperial College, London Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Aarom Rafi University of Manchester Law
Daniel Rajan University of West London Practical Film Making
Ganesh Rajaratnam University of Birmingham Medicine
Tanveer Ranshi University of Nottingham Art History
Ben Reed University of Bristol Politics and International Relations Deferred 2014
Frances Roche University of York History
Charlie Rounds University of Leeds Aviation Technology with Pilot Studies
Emma Russell Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Mathematics
George Rutledge University of Sussex Anthropology
Mark Sadler University of Warwick Economics
Nima Salehi * University of Birmingham International Relations with Economics
Kamal Samsudeen University of Manchester Engineering
Amar Sejpal Imperial College, London Chemistry
Shaahin Shabbak University of Nottingham Law