The Johnian 2014-15

WESTHOUSEMASTERREPORTIt was a fantastic year for West House and I felt veryprivileged to be given the opportunity to lead such apositive, warm and positive community; I thoroughlyenjoyed my first year as Housemaster. The House welcomed16 new Fourth Form pupils, two Lower Sixth pupils andan exchange student in September. All were supported andsuccessfully guided through their transition into their newenvironment and almost immediately were immersed in theWest House spirit. The house singing event was a significanthighlight of the 2014/15 calendar; the House, led byAndrew Terrafranca, Harry Flynn and Alex Hondrogiannis,performed exceptionally well. An emotional and energeticrendition of Take That’s ‘Patience’ was followed by a quitebrilliant composition of ‘Stay with Me’ by Sam Smith.The senior debating team were also on fine form: mainspeakers Cameron Galloway and Matt Cappell werearticulate and precise, and there efforts coupled withsignificant support from the floor took West all the way tothe final of the competition. They were eventually defeatedby Gloucester in a tightly contested final debate.The boys also saw success in the house sporting events.The senior rugby and football teams lost in the final of bothhouse competitions in nail biting encounters, althoughhugely disappointed all those involved were very graciousin defeat. Ban Barnham and Tom Wall performed extremelywell in the house shooting event; both produced veryimpressive overall scores. The house cross country racewas a real highlight for the House. Some outstandingindividual performances, notably James Harvey takinghis fifth successive title and Ben Simpson’s triumph in thejunior race helped West to the overall title. Matt Cappelland Ben Geddes were on outstanding form in the houseHuw Jones 49THE JOHNIAN

chess competition; Ben’s undefeated run House Captain’sclinched the title. Report 2015Service lies as one of West House’score values and many of the boys Last year saw the arrival of a new Housemaster, Mr Jones, to West. At thevolunteered in the local community beginning of the year he presented us with four values West pupils shouldand raised money for a host of charities. strive for: honesty, resilience, house first, and courage. These four pillarsThe West House charity gala night was were the foundation of our success throughout the year.a huge success and thanks to generousdonations and auction bids the House House singing was the first major event we faced all together and it trulymanaged to raise just under £10,000 for demonstrated the unity of West House spirit. Led by Andrew Terrafranca,The Sunnybank Trust, an Epsom-based we blasted our way through to 2nd place, singing ‘Patience’ by Takecharity working with young people and That. Although not the most tuneful performance it was our passion andadults with learning difficulties. Once enthusiasm that won the judges over. House singing encapsulated the fouragain a significant number of the senior pillars set out by Mr Jones as everyone sang as loud as they could andpupils took on roles in the St John’s stayed resilient during rehearsals even though sometimes they had to giveSchool Community Holiday. up their free time in order to put the ‘house first’. The part-song once againLaurence Deakin, Anthony Kiely and was magnificent, organised by Harry Flynn and Andrew Terrafranca. TheirMax Simpson had main parts in Junior rendition of Sam Smith’s ‘Stay with Me’ was amazing; with the highlightSchool Play. All three boys shone in of the night being Richard Kenyon, who sang notes we didn’t even knowwhat was a detailed and complicated could be reached.production. The pupils created a myriadof backdrops and stage props using very A brisk afternoon in February saw the whole of West competing in thelimited amount of equipment and still legendary event of house cross country. James Harvey was going for themanaged to mesmerise the audience record of winning his fifth year in a row. After competing three warmthroughout the performance. up laps, he went on to race exceptionally, winning by over two minutes.I would like to thank pupils, staff and Credit must also go to Ben Simpson for winning the junior race. Everyparents for their support this year; Kerry member of West played their part, which was key in securing an overalland I were made to feel very welcome. victory. The resilience of the boys was brilliant as every single person ranThe School has an extremely strong their hearts out.sense of community and I am verymuch looking forward to my second As always, a highlight of the year was the West House Charity Night.year in West House. It was a magnificent evening, in which all the years put on outstanding entertainment for the parents. Special mention must go to the Lower50 THE JOHNIAN Sixth, who put on a spectacular dance act to the numa numa song, raising the crowd to their feet. Their performance encapsulated all the West values as they had the courage to dance in front of 100 with passion and enthusiasm. It was an incredible evening in which the generosity of the parents raised over £10,000 for The Sunnybank Trust, a remarkable achievement. The final event of the year was house athletics, which as always was as competitive and hard-fought. The Lower Sixth won every senior event, bar one, helping West house to the overall title. This was a performance that the boys should be especially proud of. The year finished well with Mr Jones setting solid foundations for future West pupils. The Upper Sixth pupils lead the House brilliantly, both in their presence in House and their commitment on the sports field. They made sure that everyone contributed and that the four pillars identified by Mr Jones were evident in every house event. Overall, it was another outstanding year for West which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and we hope that the foundations set this year will help to inspire West pupils in the future. James Long

“Introducinga newMaster ofthe House….”Mr Jones 51THE JOHNIAN

Daybreak When I do stare upon a statue so, lauded in leaves of tender green ivy, my mind holds me ransom and strips from me all manner of guilt and of shame. Let it be known through forests, clear with the thaw, as the first sprightly siskin deifies spring, that what arrests me leaves seldom a trace, so that when I wake so dissipates our kiss. Helios draws my revelry to a close, so thus the wick bows and takes its leave. Why must Cruel Aethon remove all trace of pleasure? No longer her chiselled features. Woe is me! My love is driven away, Now I beat my breast, at the break of day. By Tom Fleming U6, North52 THE JOHNIAN

This has been a big year for both performance drama and music - with an epicnumber of plays, performances and concerts, both in School and out. 53THE JOHNIAN

MUSIC AT ST JOHN’S CONTINUES, WITHOUT A DOUBT, TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. NOT A DAY GOES BY WITHOUT THE BOOMING OF THE ORGAN ECHOING ACROSS THE QUAD, A LINGERING MELODY OF A HYMN SUNG IN CONGREGATIONAL PRACTICE, OR THE STRAINED SOUND OF A SCHOLAR STRUGGLING WITH SCALES THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW OF A PRACTICE ROOM. AND WITH A WHOLE HOST OF NEW MUSIC SCHOLARS JOINING THE SCHOOL IN SEPTEMBER, SEVERAL NEW ENSEMBLES WERE FORMED, INCLUDING THE ST JOHN’S SINFONIA, STRING QUARTET, WIND QUINTET AND A GIRLS’ CHOIR.music The term started with a bang with the the standard of performances was higher house singing competition. Shrouded than ever before. Our congratulations go in secrecy and fiercely competitive, this to Richard Kenyon (4F, West) for winning competition is greatly anticipated by staff first place in the junior competition, and to and pupils alike. After an afternoon of Andrew Terrafranca (U6, West) who won passion, vigour and some stunning solo the senior competition. performances, Haslewood and Montgomery were crowned winners of the unison and This year we were delighted to welcome part-song competitions respectfully, with several high-profile musicians to the their renditions of ‘Somebody to Love’ and School. In the Michaelmas Term Sir Willard ‘I’m Yours’. We were grateful to Sian Ford White conducted a master class with three (Director of Music, Lanesborough School) St John’s singers. His own concert in the for coming to judge both competitions. evening was marvellous, with a blend of modern and classical music. In October, the The individual singing competition in the Škampa Quartet was welcomed back to St Lent Term was a highly anticipated event John’s for the second time and their flawless for all pupils taking singing lessons, and performance of the Dvorak Quartet in G, THE TERM STARTED WITH A BANG WITH THE HOUSE SINGING COMPETITION. SHROUDED IN SECRECY AND FIERCELY COMPETITIVE, THIS COMPETITION IS GREATLY ANTICIPATED BY STAFF AND PUPILS ALIKE. AFTER AN AFTERNOON OF PASSION, VIGOUR AND SOME STUNNING SOLO PERFORMANCES, HASLEWOOD AND MONTGOMERY WERE CROWNED WINNERS.54 THE JOHNIAN

Op. 107 proved an inspiration. The following day Anna Semple numbers and touched by the emotional duet ‘All the Wasted(U6, Gloucester) played alongside the Quartet in the Dvorak Time’ performed by Anna Semple and Andrew Terrafranca. TheQuintet Op. 97. A summer piano concert by Anna Tilbrook was performers tackled some extremely challenging music, and wealso thoroughly enjoyed. hope that the Musical Theatre Evening will make a comeback again this year.The School boasts a huge range of concerts in which pupilsperform all genres of music. The introduction of the Lunchtime Our music is of course not just confined to the environs ofRecital Series provided pupils with greater confidence to perform school, but stretches out to the community around St John’s.in front of audiences and a calm way in which to relax and enjoy The String Quartet were delighted to be asked to play for themusic amongst the busy week. This year also saw the return of visit of the Princess Alexandra at the Brigitte Trust’s Anniversarythe rock concerts and the new contemporary song recital. reception, hosted in the Old Chapel, and musicians performed during community outreach events such as the Cream Tea andThe Michaelmas Concert held stunning performances from Emily Christmas Lunch. We also welcomed over 100 prep schoolHart (L6, Gloucester) and Alex Semple (4F, Churchill) on the pupils in January for the annual Orchestral Play Day and weviolin and Joshua Geddes (U5, West) on the piano, as well as hope to see many of them welcomed as St John’s pupils in thea moving variety of ensemble pieces by members of the Schola coming years.Cantorum, Jazz Band, Big Band and String Quartet. AscensionDay saw members of the Schola Cantorum and St John’s Sinfonia Throughout the year, there were many individual musicalperform Bach’s Ascension Day Oratorio alongside Mozart’s achievements. Ellie Bokor-Ingram (U5, Gloucester) alongAdagio und Allegro in F Minor, KV594, by the Wind Quintet, with her sister Sophie wrote a song to raise awareness aboutmovements from Messiaen’s l’Ascension for organ by Yvette organ donation after their family friend Georgia Fieldsend diedMurphy (L5, Gloucester) and Anna Semple and many shorter aged just three years old after a brain aneurism. The song,choral works. Both concerts were performed to great acclaim and called ‘Georgia’s Song’, is available on iTunes. Alex Semple (4F,enjoyed by both those listening and performing. Churchill) was awarded a place in the prestigious National Children’s Orchestra.The Choral Society continues to attract new members fromboth inside and outside the School. The two performances this Anna Semple was the first recipient of School Colours for Music.year were sung with passion and purpose. Tackling works from She is fully deserving of such an award. Anna, like so many ofHandel’s Messiah to Karl Jenkins’ ‘The Armed Man,’ we cannot our Upper Sixth musicians, has gone on to continue her musicalwait to see what choral delights the Society will offer next year. studies at university. We are very proud of all the pupils gainingThe School year ended with a superb concert of musical choral scholarships this year, and we wish all the Upper Sixththeatre songs performed by a cast of all ages and abilities. musicians the very best of luck as they begin their lives outsideFrom the Fourth Form right up to the Upper Sixth, the songs of the PAC. We look forward to seeing what the future holds forwere performed with style and there were some unforgettable them, and for the thriving life of music at St John’s.moments. The audience were enlivened by the uplifting chorus THE JOHNIAN 55

The Chapel has been an integral part We faced adversity in the Spring “WE ARE worship, attending Morning Prayer,of life at St John’s since its foundation Term with interregnum and no ASKED TO and talking to pupils about life as aand still plays an important daily pipe organ. The 2015 Great Annual WALK THAT member of a religious community.role in the lives of current pupils. Pancake Race was a lift to everyone’s VERY FINE He preached during Ash WednesdayWe always strive to protect and spirits. Mr Smith took on the LINE BETWEEN Eucharist at the beginning of Lent,build on the work of those who Chaplain’s role of blowing the whistle, SAYING which left us all to ponder our ownestablished our school, and as such, and despite fierce competition, and AND DOING obligation of service and devotion.the Chapel has undergone significant a number of disqualifications for not EXACTLY We were thrilled to welcome a newand exciting change throughout the flipping the pancake correctly, or at AS WE Chaplain to our community in thecourse of the year. the correct time, Surrey managed to PLEASE, AND Summer Term. Reverend Charlie secure the esteemed trophy, followed REMEMBERING Moloney, previously AssistantIn the days before October half term, by West and Monty in second and THAT OUR Chaplain at Tonbridge School, wasthe School received the first of its third respectively. WORDS AND licensed as Chaplain of St John’s onnewly edited set of hymnals. The act ACTIONS CAN Tuesday 21 April and brought withof congregational singing is deeply Over the course of the interregnum ONLY EVER BE him a fresh outlook on Chapel life,rooted in the heart of Chapel services we gratefully welcomed many visiting JUSTIFIED IF which has been readily adopted byand assemblies, and it is powerful to celebrants and preachers including THEY SERVE those around him. He led the School’ssee how singing as one body unites the Reverend Canon Christopher THE SINGLE annual confirmation service alongthe School together. There was much Stoltz from Westminster Abbey PURPOSE OF with Bishop Ian Brackley of Dorking.excitement to see which hymns had whose sermons at several services, LOVING OUR Five pupils from across the yearmade the cut for the new hymnal including the Solemn Eucharist for NEIGHBOUR.” groups were confirmed in a movingand, after practising how exactly Epiphany, were particular favourites service attended by fellow pupils andto put the hymnals away so as to with pupils, highlighting current members of their families.make the most (or the least) noise affairs such as the Charlie Hebdopossible, they are, by all accounts, a attack, and linking this to our lives At the close of the school year theresounding success. with Christ. He said, “We are asked Chapel became a place of fond to walk that very fine line between farewells for those leaving us. TheThe Michaelmas Term brought the saying and doing exactly as we please, service held at the end of Speech Dayannual Service of Remembrance. and remembering that our words was a tearful, yet hopeful occasion,A centenary since the outbreak of and actions can only ever be justified where those leaving could reminiscethe Great War, this year’s service if they serve the single purpose of on their time at St John’s and lookwas particularly poignant. We were loving our neighbour. Freedom can forward to continuing their journeydelighted to welcome the Venerable be deadly, just as it can be utterly outside of school. It was an emotionalAlan Jeans, Archdeacon of Sarum as life-giving.” end to what has been a great yeara visiting preacher. The congregation for the Chapel, we all look forwardlined the Quad and the Last Post Our Lent Visitor was Father John returning to a new organ and anothersounded, echoing through the Gribben, a monk in the Community equally successful year in September.cloisters, a stark reminder of the lives of the Resurrection, Mirfield, wholost both from the confines our own spent two days in school, leading Yvette Murphy (L5, Haslewood)community and those beyond.Sadly we had to say goodbye toReverend Sarah Wood-Roe at theend of the Michaelmas Term, butnot before the Advent Carol Service,and the Festival of Nine Lessonsand Carols. All Christmas carolservices were attended by bothpupils and staff alike, and the quiet,reflective candlelit atmosphereallowed a peaceful end to a busyterm. The choir had a broad andbrilliant repertoire consisting ofboth traditional anthems and morecontemporary carols.56 THE JOHNIAN

Chapel Choir/ Schola Cantorum ReviewTHIS YEAR, THE CHAPELCHOIR WAS AS STRONGBOTH IN VOICE AND BODYAS EVER, BOASTING OVER 70PUPILS. ALONGSIDE USUALFORTNIGHTLY SUNDAYSERVICES, THE CHOIR HEARDTHE MARVELLOUS VOICEOF SIR WILLARD WHITE INCONCERT. PRECEDING THIS,THE CHOIR ATTENDED AMASTER CLASS, IN WHICHTHREE PUPILS, ANDREWTERRAFRANCA (U6, WEST),WILL HEY (U6, EAST),AND ALICE BLOOMFIELD(L6, GLOUCESTER),PARTICIPATED.SIR WILLARD WHITE DISCUSSED It was followed by a socialINJECTING PASSION AND CONVEYING OJ event in the nearbyTHE REAL MEANING OF THE TEXT AND pub. Current pupils wereMUSIC IN PERFORMANCE. MANY PUPILS delighted to talk withREFLECTED THAT THEY WOULD TAKE OJs about the role of theNOTE AND HEED SIR WHITE’S ADVICE IN Chapel choir and theTHEIR OWN FUTURE PERFORMANCES. Music Department in the life of the School today.The Chapel choir was honoured to sing in the Memorial Servicefor Chris Tongue, a former headmaster of St John’s, who sadly The Schola Cantorum went on tour to Hereford Cathedral overpassed away on 22 September. The service, led by the Right the half term break for the first time, performing evensongReverend Ian Brackley, Bishop of Dorking, was an emotional and a concert for Ash Wednesday. Alongside this, the Scholaevent, but the atmosphere reflected the life of Chris Tongue, one travelled to Bloomsbury on Friday 6 March and performed aof support, friendship and hope. The Choir, alongside Chris’ concert at the beautiful baroque church, St George’s. The choirgoddaughter sang a movement of the Brahms Requiem and performed music by composers spanning the centuries, fromjoined with the congregation singing a few of Chris’ favourite Tallis to Morten Lauridsen, and premiered a new choral motethymns. by Music Fellow Mr Mortlock, a splendid setting of the text Ubi Caritas.The Christmas season was a traditional affair, the repertoirecontaining many old and well-loved favourites, alongside the We say farewell to a large number of fine singers this year, but14th Century Irish carol, Angelus ad Virginem, and the Schola look forward to welcoming new scholars and members andCantorum’s rendition of the hauntingly beautiful Lux Aurumque seeing the choir go from strength to strength, especially with theby Eric Whitacre. On 18 January the Chapel held its first service well-anticipated arrival of the marvellous new organ.of 2015, a Solemn Eucharist for Epiphany. The Chapel choirsang the anthem ‘From the rising of the sun’ by FGA Ouseley, Yvette Murphy (L5, Haslewood)alongside many traditional Epiphany hymns.The Choir’s annual trip was to Southwark Cathedral early inthe Spring Term, where the Chapel choir sang evensong. It wasdefinitely a fun and memorable experience for all involved.The choir sung Herbert Howells’ Collegium Regale, alongsidethe Rose responses, and Brahms’ challenging Geistliches lied. THE JOHNIAN 57

SENIOR SCHOOL PLAYGovernment InspectorOn Thursday 4 and Friday 5 December, Upper to pronounce the endless amount of RussianFifth and Sixth Form pupils performed David names, which was very funny. The whole castHarrower’s version of Government Inspector by were brilliant, particularly Matthew Chalmers,Nikolai Gogol, to packed audiences in the PAC. who played the role of Khlestakov, and Iain Alexander, who played the Mayor, both givingThe play centres on a government inspector’s absolutely hilarious performances.visit to a small Russian town, with a case ofmistaken identity exposing hypocrisy and Henry Lock and Kieran Tuffy, too, showed theircorruption. The townsfolk automatically comic talent in some amusing scenes that theassume that Khlestakov, a suspicious new man audience found especially entertaining. Annain town, is the dreaded inspector. After a series Semple should be commended for writingof hilarious events in an attempt to win ‘the and arranging an original score for the playinspector’ over, it’s revealed that Khlestakov was which accompanied the fantastically repulsivenot the inspector. The Mayor and his family had rat chorus made up of Jade Simpkin, Imogenbeen tricked and the real inspector had arrived Tonnesen, Harry Lonsdale and Charlotte Corbett.and demanded to see the Mayor straight away. Thanks to Mr Garbett and Josie Davies for doing the amazing job of directing the play.It was great to be a part of the production. Theplay itself was a huge success and rehearsing it Lauryn Cloughley (U5, Haslewood)was just as fun, especially with everyone trying58 THE JOHNIAN

JUNIOR SCHOOL PLAY The Grimm Tales“THE PUPILS Late spring at St John’s saw the Fourth Form Rhianna Hyde, Izzy Galloway and Carolina BondEXCELLED AND and Lower Fifth perform an original version of were convincing witches, cackling menacinglyALL WORKED the Brothers Grimm fairy tales, a collection of over their bubbling cauldron. Emilia Bindi andEXCEPTIONALLY children’s fantasy stories first published in 1812 by Olly Bell created the poor but plucky HanselHARD TO brothers Jacob and Wilhelm. The three main tales, and Gretel with absolute believability, and IzzyCREATE A told to packed audiences in the Old Chapel, were Hammersley’s shrills from the gruesome witchSTUNNING Hansel and Gretel, Ashputtel (Cinderella) and The who got cooked in her oven were both great andPRODUCTION Four Brothers. Promenade pieces, held around the ghastly. Libby Thornton was magnificent as theWHICH LEFT School site, were cautionary tales about naughty mistreated Ashputtel. She worked exceptionallySTAFF, PARENTS children who get cooked in a pot. This was a truly well alongside her dashing prince Max SimpsonAND PUPILS unique experience where the audience interacted and her vile and grotesquely comic Ugly SistersBUZZING.” with a host of crazy, cackling and madcap and Stepmother, played with skill and superb characters. The audience gathered outside in a comic timing by Stella Jones, Laurence Deakin fairground setting, featuring stalls, games, fortune and Hector Keighly Elstub. Harry Edwards led the telling and some impressive juggling from James ‘four brothers’ through a gripping tale of survival Gardner. They were then whisked through candle- and stunned the audience with an impressive lit corridors, barely escaping three hungry witches. demonstration of daring martial arts before Olly Gordon fearlessly slayed the dragon. A special It was an honour to be a part of such a unique mention also goes to Charlie Joyce and Lir Afiq for production. The rehearsals were extraordinarily their fantastic organisation and technical know- fun and enjoyable, as was the performance: they how. really allowed pupils to interact with other years and enabled them to get to know other people Miss Hurst, director extraordinaire, commented: within their own year groups, many of which we “The pupils excelled and all worked exceptionally may have never met otherwise! Along with trying hard to create a stunning production which left out the fun fair ourselves and adjusting costumes, staff, parents and pupils buzzing.” the ‘family’ that was created was amazing. Through hard work and determination, we were able to pull Rhianna Hyde (L5, South) off an amazing show. THE JOHNIAN 59

debating DEBATING AT ST JOHN’S OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS GONE FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH. THE YEAR GOT OFF TO A GREAT START WITH THE HOTLY CONTESTED HOUSE DEBATING COMPETITION. WITH THE RE-INTRODUCTION OF FOURTH FORM DEBATING, THE THREE WINNING HOUSES (IN ASCENDING AGE ORDER) WERE SURREY, CHURCHILL AND GLOUCESTER (THE FIRST EVER GIRLS’ HOUSE TO WIN THE SENIOR COMPETITION). Outside of the house competition, Will Genzel (U6, Churchill), Ben Whybrow (U6, Surrey) and Angus King (L6, Churchill) delivered some impressive speeches at the annual Rotary Public Speaking Competition, and were awarded places as runners-up in their group. Later in the year, the same group with the addition of Sam Thornton (L6, Churchill) took part in the Oxford Union Debating Competition with another impressive performance. Finally, after success in the first round, three teams consisting of Will Genzel and Angus King, Ben Whybrow and Sam Thornton, and Danni Boxall (U6, Gloucester) and Anna Semple (U6, Gloucester) competed in the regional final of the nationwide Debating Matters competition, arguing issues such as three parent IVF and absolute freedom of speech. After some eloquent speeches from St John’s and some (we think) controversial decisions from the jury, the teams didn’t quite make it to the final, but enjoyed watching and taking part in floor speeches on the final topic (whether space exploration is a waste of money). All in all, it’s been an exciting year of debating, with all years getting the chance to take part, whether from the floor, or as speakers. Many thanks go to Miss Glanfield and Mr Thomas for organising competitions and preparing participants this year. Anna Semple (U6, Gloucester) 60 THE JOHNIAN

2015Following on from last year’s success, St John’s once again flyering techniques drew a lot of attention on the Royal Mile andperformed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, debuting ensured a good audience for every show.an original piece of devised theatre entitled Skins for Sale.The play used physical theatre to explore the idea of desire; Response was unanimously positive, with audiences praising thefocussing on one man who sacrifices everything to unlock a piece’s creativity and “captivating movement.” Many commentedmysterious door. Preparations began back in October 2014 on the dark nature of the performance, highlighting its power inwith Alice Taylor-Peat (U6, Gloucester) coordinating the making the audience think deeply about the issues raised.bookings of the venue and the accommodation. Josie Davies(U6, Haslewood) directed the performance, assisted by Alongside performing, the cast attended a variety of world-classMr Garbett. performances from all over the globe, including the incredible Australian act, Circa, and the ever-popular improvised musicalThe cast met up again at the start of August for the final few team Baby Wants Candy. The performances are sure to inspiredays of rehearsal before travelling up to Edinburgh on the 6 the creativity of the cast in years to come.August, accompanied by Mr Mortell, Miss Jones, Mr Fowlerand Miss Waheed. Before the cast could perform their piece, Mr Mortellthey needed to attract an audience to perform for! Innovative 61THE JOHNIAN

Mr. Caterpillar That bright cocoon is where you will Cast off your heavy, broken shell,I met a caterpillar one day, Slough off your case of burdening hell,He was bloated, scarred, withered grey And out of ivory doors you’ll spill.Arthritically he crawled awayOn droopy leaves in sharp dismay. Aphids will rush to retire When they spy your twirling wings of fire.“Hold, Mr. Caterpillar,’ said I, Inside you, deep, you have the power“Why trudge on stalks when you can fly? To change from bud to golden flower.”Why grow fat from eating leavesWhen you can glide on gusts of breeze?” He said “Your rhetoric I admire, But these events will not transpire;A smirk and snort was his reply, I hope it won’t fill you with ire“The aphids told me of your lies. If I were to call you a liar.Just look at me, I’ll never fly,Let me eat leaves until I die.” Others before have sought your dream, And how do all their cold fates seem?I sighed, upset at his denial, Strewn on your road, like your cocoon so“The aphids, friend, are truly vile. still,They lead you to these leaves, so lean, But in close, dark air their lost ghosts mill.Whilst they feast on the purest green.” But if I could complete this dreamHis rage, it seemed, was now riled And leave behind the aphid reams“Don’t treat me like you would a child! And soar upon the summer breezeThe aphids simply don’t defile, I’d be oppressed by birds and bees.I know them, and at worst they’re mild.” Therefore I just cannot comply“You don’t know them, no you do not, As I don’t want death to draw so nigh,You hear their speeches, not their plots. I’d still be bullied, but in the sky,Mark my words, for they are true, So I’ll retreat now with a warm goodbye.”In winter they’ll abandon you. Oh Mr Caterpillar you’ll make me cry,In winter you’ll be left to rot, For you would suffer rather than try;Amongst dead leaves to form your cot. You don’t know the future, and neither do I,They’ll never let you have your lot, But better to be a butterfly.They’d rather see your innards clot. By Matthew ChalmersNow look up there and feel a thrill,That silken teardrop, poised and still, (U6, North)Is where your constricts all dissolve,It’s where your very soul evolves.62 THE JOHNIAN

To ski, or to safari?! school trips St John’s pupils get theopportunity to travel acrossthe world... and then get towrite about their escapades for the Johnian! 63THE JOHNIAN

MALAGA TRIP From behind the scars of absent planes, the sun The trip encompassed both educational aspects, was peeping through and the birds had begun with afternoon Spanish language lessons, and their harmonious annunciation of dawn. Forty more light-hearted activities such as kayaking, pupils, a mixture of the Lower Fifth and Fourth cooking paella, and day trips to Mijas and to the Form, stumbled, bleary eyed, into the terminal at centre of Malaga. Coincidentally (and somewhat Gatwick North. Although a rather subdued group ironically) we were also in Benalmádena at the at first, spirits were high and all were excited to be time of the holiday of San Juan (Saint John) and so bound for sunnier, sandier shores. many pupils were taken by families to the beach festivities in the evenings. Undoubtedly, there were Upon landing in Malaga it was clear, from the many trips to the beach and lot of ice cream was spotless blue skies and the ceaseless shining of the enjoyed by all! sun, that we were in for a marvellously hot and sunny week. After a ten-minute journey from the To stay with the host families was a wonderful airport, we were greeted by the welcoming waft of experience for everyone involved and really food, something every teenager is pining for after a enabled us to be fully immersed into the Spanish flight! Whilst dining at the language school where culture. As with staying anywhere abroad, there we were based, we were thrown immediately into were some new and strange experiences, such the Spanish language and culture. But one thing as ‘gazpacho’ for dinner (cold tomato soup) and lingered on our minds – what would our host becoming acquainted with the Spanish versions of families be like? ‘Pointless’ and ‘Eggheads’! One by one a cluster of Spanish ladies gathered However all the pupils took the cultural at the far end of the canteen, looking, in some differences in good spirits and we returned, a little respects, just as nervous as we were to meet them! browner and a little wiser, fully ready to dive head In pairs or threes, we were split up into families first into our GCSE year(s) knowing that we had who lived across the town of Benalmádena and behind us not only the luck of the Benalmádena met our hosts. After many ‘besos’ we were off to temple and the souls of several ants, but more meet the rest of our families and find out where we importantly greater confidence gained in all areas were staying. of the Spanish language. Meeting for some rest and relaxation time on the Our thanks go to all the staff who accompanied us, beach later in the afternoon, everyone was full of and also to those who organised the trip! excitement to see what was in store for the rest of the week, and any initial worry at the thought of Catherine Perkins (L5, Gloucester) staying with a host family was long gone! (Molly May (L5, Haslewood))64 THE JOHNIAN

ST JOHN’S SKI TRIP ON 21 MARCH, A GROUP OF PUPILS FROM ACROSS ALL YEARS TRAVELLED TO ALPE D’HUEZ, GRENOBLE FOR THE 2015 SKI TRIP. THE WEEK CONSISTED OF FIVE HOURS OF SKIING A DAY ON THE DYNAMIC RANGE OF SLOPES OFFERED AT THE RESORT, WITH EVERYONE CHALLENGING THEMSELVES AND IMPROVING AS THE WEEK WENT ON. Each day consisted of three hours of skiing in the morning and two hours again in the afternoon, following a long and well deserved lunch break. Lessons were intense, and the extensive knowledge the instructors had of the area meant we were lucky enough to be taken to a range of different slopes within the resort. Alpe d’Huez has a plentiful array of slopes, ranging from smooth beginner slopes, winding blue runs and the terrifying black run ‘the tunnel’ for the brave. After what seemed like a short flight to Grenoble, Some groups had the chance to take the famous the next step was a three-hour coach journey to the Alpauris, or ‘scare-chair’ to another set of slopes in picturesque town of Alpe d’Huez. The last section of Auris. The chair lift descends for 200 metres before the journey involved a precariously high ascent up to rising vertically to the other side of the valley, and the resort, famous for hosting the stage finish of the offers an amazing view of the surrounding mountains. Tour de France and consisting of 21 hairpin bends, During the week we also had the opportunity to go to each marked with a plaque commemorating former the notoriously stunning view point, Pic Blanc, which winners of the stage. is situated at 3330 metres above sea level. It offered a breathtaking panorama of the Alps, including Mont The next day the skiing began. Everyone was split up Blanc, Mont Cervin and La Meije. It is from this point into either beginner, intermediate or advanced groups, that the notorious black run, Sarenne, begins, which and accompanied by experienced and is the longest run in Europe at 18km. In addition to highly skilled instructors. skiing, we took part in a range of wintery activities in the evenings such as ice skating, ice laser quest and sledging which were usually followed by a visit to the crêperie. Everyone consistently challenged themselves, achieving both their own personal goals and the collective goals of their groups. All skiers improved considerably throughout the week, with more advanced pupils reaching top speeds down practically vertical slopes to beginners cruising down blue and red runs by the end. I would like to thank Mr Gregory, Miss Finnegan and Miss Dixon on behalf of all pupils for organising the trip. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, despite the various bruises, and I recommend it to anyone, whether you ski regularly or have never been before. Izzy Walker (U6, Gloucester) THE JOHNIAN 65

Reading UniversityEngagement DayA very early start to the day makes Soon after Reading University had At the final session of the day, all thedemands of any teenager and so at completed its introduction, the pupils pupils assembled in the Henley Business7.00am on 5 March the Lower Sixth set out on a mission to find information. School main lecture theatre for anarrived for registration. Concerns by Some of the lectures available were opportunity to ask undergraduateslateness and its knock-on effect on the Cybernetics, Sciences, Business, History, questions. I was impressed by the rangepupils schedule were unfounded. With Environmental Science, Maths and of questions and the frank and honestall present and correct we set off for the English Literature and many, many more responses from the undergraduatesUniversity of Reading. The purpose of the besides. Those attending the Criminal on topics about independent learning,day was to immerse the pupils in different Law lecture were highly entertained by meeting deadlines and attendance. Thereaspects of the academia and provide Dr Steve Banks on legal arguments that were several poignant Q and As on theopportunities for them to see other took us through cannibalism, murder value of careful and thorough preparationaspects of university life. With choices and consequences. At each lecture pupils in selecting the right course/university,from twenty-five sessions and a full were given clear advice about applying, using open days as valuable fact finingyear group taking part it was important preparation, background information missions, tip on cooking, eating,that the day was well organised and the on the subject, course content and accommodation, finance and friendshipuniversity had done its part too. employment prospects. while at university. The day was busy and with additional The Lower Sixth fully embraced the events available at lunchtime many enormous content of the day. Thanks pupils took the opportunity to visit the must go to Reading University (Amy Film and Theatre facility and the Finance Wigham), St John’s staff for their efforts and Investment Banking building. It and support and to the Lower Sixth for was wonderful to see how easily our engaging whole heartedly and being there pupils blended in and were unfazed by on time! the complexity of the day. There was a huge amount of information and it was Mr Mooney (trip organiser) important that the pupils played their part and asked questions when possible.UNIVERSITY OF Acoustic Anechoic room 1SOUTHAMPTON‘ENGINEERING Dr T Woolman - 3D Printing 1ACCESS DAY’ Wind Tunnel Testing Aerofoils 1Arriving at the newly built Bolderwood campus we were launched After a short lunch, we walked to the Highfield and were taken on a tourinto a detailed lecture on the different aspects of construction and civil to see a group of third year undergraduates printing 3D aviation andengineering disciplines by the Engineering and Environment Admissions engineering parts. Dr Tim Woolman brought the group through all thetutor Dr Tom Cherrett. Dr Cherrett went on to explain that engineering is main areas where the students develop their work with an interestingmultidisciplinary and that environmental engineering is a common aspect opportunity to talk with a student developing a rocket propelled surfaceof the student studies. There was a considerable in-depth conversation androids as part of a Google lunar surface challenge. Pupils were broughton how to select A levels and how to prepare for engineering course through the heart of the research and development section and then onapplication in addition to academic studies. to the flight simulator, the acoustics anechoic and reverb chambers and finally on to the RJ Mitchell wind tunnel where the GB cycling and GBWe were joined by a third year Aerospace Engineer undergraduate and sailing teams have used this facility to develop their equipment.he discussed his pathway over the past years and the type of projects heis involved with. He outlined the mode of learning and how he had to The pupils were outstanding and asked many excellent questions onadapt his way of working to driving himself more independently. We were the applications process, necessary subject pathways and were clearlytaken on a tour of the various test centres for Airbus Aviation and watched impressed by what they had seen. This wonderful opportunity was used tohow a wind tunnel is used to gather data on wing profiles; identifying the full. My thanks to Mark Simmons and his Undergraduate Admissionmaximum lift and stall at different tilt angles. team for helping to put this valuable day together.66 THE JOHNIAN

history poland trip The history trip to Poland was both amazing and the prisoners of the camps had managed to live in emotional, as pupils were able to experience both such harsh conditions. We were also horrified by the rich culture and the heart-breaking history the images of the victims of SS physician Mengele, behind the country. ‘The Angel of Death’, whose experiments on twins cost so many their lives. We began our first day in Poland by exploring the city of Krakow, walking through its timeless Following such a difficult day, it was refreshing streets and discussing the vast history which lies to return to the city for a delicious dinner and beneath its surface. Though the walk seemed long, enjoy the culinary delights that Krakow has to it was certainly worth it, as we were able to gain a offer. On our third and final day we delved further real appreciation for the city, visiting both Krakow into the outskirts of Krakow, walking from the Cathedral and a stunning little church in the city centre to the Jewish Quarter. While there, we heart of the city. Karen, the South House matron, visited Schindler’s Museum, which was incredibly struggled to keep up with the pace. However, her informative and gave us all a much better insight witty complaints directed at Mr Whitmore definitely into the lives of the Jews who lived in the ghettos made the day much more amusing! Due to Mr of Krakow during the period. We ended the day Whitmore’s linguistic skills, we were even able to walking through the stunning salt mines, where we pick up a little bit of Polish, and he determinedly encountered immense chambers filled with religious quizzed us as we approached different squares and statues and chandeliers, light displays depicting the roads in the city. That evening, we were set loose history of the mines, and creaking stairs that led us and enjoyed getting acquainted with the city. down below. To the amusement of our group, our guide repeatedly encouraged us to lick the walls, On our second day we visited the two Auschwitz which were all made of salt. Overall the trip, though camps, which we all found harrowing. The walls of harrowing at times, was an incredible experience, hair and prosthetic limbs were especially difficult to which we are all glad to have had. see, particularly since we knew that those who had owned the limbs had definitely been killed. Battling Danielle Boxall (U6, Gloucester) through the cold, we struggled to understand how 67THE JOHNIAN

Shamwari Trip68 THE JOHNIAN

CROUCHED LOW BEHIND A WELL- CAMOUFLAGED TARPAULIN WITHIN A MILITARY-STYLE CAPTURE SYSTEM, WITH THE RELENTLESS NOISE OF THE HELICOPTER JUST METRES AWAY, THE TENSION WAS BUILDING. WITH THE WORDS OF THE RANGER FRESH IN OUR EARS, WE WAITED.“DON’T MAKE A SOUND”His words were playing over and over in wildlife. Elephant, rhino, lion and buffalomy head. The previous thirty minutes had were all seen throughout our stay, whilstpassed so slowly, it seemed like hours, an incredibly rare sighting of the reserve’ssilently waiting as the dim humming of leopard on the penultimate day meantthe helicopter came closer. The next thirty that all of the ‘big five’ were seen at someseconds passed in an instant. A group of stage during the two weeks. A visit to theBlesbok came hurtling down past where on-site Born Free big cat sanctuary allowedwe sat, then came the signal. “Go, Go!” the us to come face to face with captive lionsranger shouted, and without a moment’s and leopards, whilst the night drive onhesitation we ran, pulling a long, stretched the reserve yielded rare sightings of aout canvas as we went to cut the animals hippo and an aardwolf. In addition to theoff and ensure they ran into the back of work within the reserve, we experiencedthe transportation vehicle. Into the back worthwhile and rewarding days in the localof the vehicle they went, the doors closed, community where we built and decoratedand they were ready to be transported to playground equipment in a school anda different part of the reserve. What an played a game of football with the localincredible experience! Game capture was, schoolchildren.for many, the highlight of the trip. The weekend saw a visit to a reptileThe Easter holidays saw 13 Lower Sixth sanctuary and a river safari in canoes.pupils and two members of staff embark Involvement in game capture in the finalon an unforgettable trip to the Shamwari few days was the perfect way to cap angame reserve, just over an hour from incredible two weeks. Undoubtedly one ofPort Elizabeth. Primarily a conservation the best experiences I’ve ever been involvedexperience, we assisted with the protection with, the trip will live long in the memoryof both animals and plants throughout the of those who went. Thanks must go toreserve. From clearing alien vegetation Mr Blatch and Mrs Parker whoto monitoring and identifying the ever- accompanied the trip and made it possible.endangered white rhino, there was a lot tohelp with, and a lot to learn. Daniel Alexander (L6, Surrey)Being located on the reserve meant thatwe were always in close proximity to the 69THE JOHNIAN

THE GREATST JOHN’SPANCAKERACEThe first recorded pancakerace in the Johnian was theprefects’ pancake race in 1973,with another the followingyear in 1974. The 1974 photomay indicate why it ceased tofeature in the Johnian or theSchool calendar after this!70 THE JOHNIAN

The Great St John’s Pancake scale to that of Lance The overall winner of the 2015 race wasRace as we know it was first introduced Armstrong. In the intermediates Surrey who received the battered trophy,in 2009, by Revd. Clive Case (St John’s and juniors we finished the followed in second and third place bySchool Chaplain from 2008-2011). In race positioned 3rd and 2nd West and Monty respectively.that first race, Churchill House emerged respectively BUT we werevictorious, wielding their frying pans, wrongly disqualified by the First, second and third place for eachhowever, the 2015 spectacle was a STASTPRA on grounds unknown race was awarded thus:different story indeed. and unjustifiable to anyone, and when the news was broken we SENIORThe official (and completely unbiased) flipped. There was more justification forreport comes from Sam Walton, Upper Putin to annex Crimea than to disqualify 1. MontySixth, Montgomery House: the valiant Monty boys! Even Stevie 2. Surrey Wonder could see we had the right 3. Gloucester“On the 22 of December 1987 Robert amount of pancake to legitimately qualify.Mugabe assumed office in Zimbabwe. Despite this it was not a performance for INTERMEDIATEHis level of corruption doesn’t even come the boys to be ashamed of. They all ranclose to that of the St John’s Annual with vigour and enthusiasm. 1. WestShrove Tuesday Pancake Race Association 2. East(STASTPRA). Next to them the Zimbabwe This year’s performance provides a 3. Northgovernment looks like Amnesty valuable insight into the team for nextInternational. year who with the right training and JUNIOR discipline can go on to achieve greatThis absurd corruption saw the noble things, I might even go as far to say 1. SurreyMonty boys disqualified from both the they are eyeing up the opportunity to 2. Churchillintermediate and junior races. Had this represent team GB at the Rio De Janeiro 3. Westnot been the case it is undoubted we Olympic Games in 2016 if only pancakewould have gone on to win the coveted racing was an internationally recognisedfrying pan. In the seniors we battered sport, which I am currentlythe opposition with captain Dimil Patel working very hard to win itsleading the way – supported by Boothby, recognition. As the great RomanGardner, and Boothby Jr. Finishing in pancake racer named Magnafirst place after West were rightfully Subcinericius Celes once saiddisqualified for cheating on a similar ‘anyone can start the race with a pancake and finish the race without one it takes a truly great pancake race to start the race without a pancake and finish the race with one.” Sam Walton (U6, Monty) 71THE JOHNIAN

CELEBRATING 25 YEARSOF GIRLS AT ST JOHN’SEarlier this year, St John’s marked a momentous occasion officially fully co-edas it celebrated 25 years of girls at the School. As a female as girls made uppupil myself, I find it hard to imagine St John’s without us: every single year group.we now play as integral a part in the St John’s community Now, girls are starting to makeand several of its departments as anyone, whether it be up a higher proportion of the School with 38% of the pupilsthrough academic prowess inside the classroom – or sport being female, a figure that I hope will reach 50% in the nearand extra activities outside of it. future.Girls were first admitted into the School at Sixth Form in Last year’s event was an occasion of great celebration. It1990. At that time there was only one girls’ house, Hallaton. allowed both current girls at the School as well as formerHouses like East had both girls and boys and, despite the female pupils to congregate together and reminisce overSchool’s best efforts, girls were very much made to feel of how St John’s has shaped our lives during our school yearssmall significance in what was still mainly a boys’ school. and, for many OJs, beyond our time here. Before havingThen, in 2010, the School started its journey to becoming lunch, the Old Johnians were given tours around the School,fully co-educational as girls were admitted for the first allowing them to see how St John’s has changed structurally.time into the Fourth Form. Finally, in 2012 the School was For example, the Henry Dawes Centre now holds many72 THE JOHNIAN

of the School’s lessons: the humanities, art and English. They werealso given the opportunity to see the progress being made on ournew Science Centre, presently nearing the end of its construction.It also gave all involved the opportunity to see how some of StJohn’s traditions have changed over the last quarter of a century. Forinstance, I very much doubt that the gardening staff would now allowthe Head Boy (or, indeed, Head Girl) to keep sheep on the Quadwhilst smoking a pipe! One of the highlights of the event came when former pupil, Emilia McAllister-Jepps of South House, spoke about her experiences whilst representing the Great British rowing team. She had, after attending St John’s, been a student at Durham University whereupon she took up the sport. Though she did not start rowing whilst she was at St John’s, her impressive sporting achievements serve to highlight the ever increasing power and success of women outside of the school gates – as well as within them. I am certain that Emilia’s story inspired the girls helping out at the event and will encourage the entire female community at the School to pursue their passion for sport, something which is already evident through the triumph of the girls on the sports field, from hockey to sailing. However, despite this event emphasising how much St John’s has evolved over the course of the last 25 years, the celebration also underlined how a lot of the Schoolhas still stayed the same. There continues to be a great relationshipbetween the teachers and the pupils, something which is reflected inthe strong examination results. The School also remains very well-rounded, balancing the academic life with co-curricular activitiessuch as the community service unit and combined cadet force. Moreinterestingly, one of the Old Johnians at the event pointed out how,even a quarter of a century onwards, the typical St John’s boy’s haircutremains unchanged!Overall, the celebration of 25 years of girls at St John’s was aphenomenal event to have been a part of and I have no doubt that theSchool can look forward to even more of these momentous occasionswith regards to girls in 25 years’ time, 50 years’ time and so on. Onbehalf of all of the female pupils at the School now, I feel like I shouldtake this opportunity to thank the girls who joined St John’s 25 years ago. Though it was daunting at the time, the integrity of these girls has allowed the School to develop into a fully coeducational institution, allowing many more girls to follow in their footsteps and experience all that St John’s has to offer. Sophie Evans (L6, South) 73THE JOHNIAN

74 THE JOHNIAN Olivia Pollock U6, Haslewood

Our pupils work hard to excel outside the VOCATIONALclassroom. Getting lost in the Lake Districtand sleeping out on the Quad are optional, but advised. 75THE JOHNIAN

DUKE OF EDINBURGH GOLD an exposed wild campsite coupled with storm level gusts resulted inAWARDS - GOLD AND SILVER In the penultimate week of the a long, restless night for some as summer holidays, thirty Upper Sixth collapsed tents and snapped poles pupils headed to the Lake District forced multiple re-pitching of tents. for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh This pushed the groups to their assessed expedition. Confident psychological limits and meant following a successful practice in that come the following afternoon June, the routes walked covered a when the final destination had been vast array of terrain: from the flat reached there was a great sense of wooded river valleys to the exposed achievement for all those involved. barrenness of the hills. The following five days and four nights consisted of Despite the challenges of the walking from campsite to campsite, expedition and the commitment pitching tents and cooking meals required to meet the criteria of to fuel the exertion. Physically, the volunteering and dedication to a week was demanding for all involved physical activity the Gold Duke of as routes often included climbing Edinburgh award was thoroughly punishing hills and covering long worth doing and undoubtedly distances. Rydal Fell, Grasmere developed the character of the Common and the peak of Cat Bells participants. were but three of the physical challenges which confronted the Daniel Alexander (L6, Surrey) groups throughout the expedition. Heavy rainfall and battering winds made the week even more challenging and forced a show of perseverance and teamwork from all. The height of this difficulty was undoubtedly the final night when76 THE JOHNIAN

SILVERIn the week before the end of the all day, and eating their delicious apart from the start and the end,Summer Term most of the Upper hot dinner which tasted better allowing us to see some amazingFifth went by coach up to the Lake than ever before. By the end of the views of the stunning scenery.District and got a taste of what was three days everybody was tired but Everyone found it difficult but theyto come courtesy of a rain storm still managed to find the energy to also found out a lot more abouteven before getting on the bus. sprint onto the bus as the heavens themselves and formed strongerWhen we finally got up to the Lake opened once more! friendships along the way.District it was night and everybodyscrambled to put up their tents in Overall we were very lucky with the Oliver Hunt (U5, North)the dark after emptying their bag weather as the rain stayed away,to find torches! That was also thefirst time that we encountered themidges which would plague all ofus. It seemed when the midgesarrived in swarms at about 9.30pmeveryone disappeared off to theirtents.The three days for some are scarredby the pain of blisters with mostpeople finding out that going upthe hills such as Cat Bells wasn’t halfas painful as going back down, buttrue camaraderie and perseverancewere shown by everyone tocontinue. For most the highlight waswhen they got back in camp, aftersurviving on water and cereal bars 77THE JOHNIAN

RAF REVIEW AS ANOTHER ENJOYABLE YEAR WITH THE CCF RAF SECTION DRAWS TO A CLOSE, IT HAS BEEN A PLEASURE TO BE THE HEAD OF THE SECTION, AND I’D LIKE TO BEGIN WITH A FEW WORDS OF THANKS. FIRST OF ALL, I’D LIKE TO THANK WING COMMANDER ROBERT GOULD AND SQUADRON LEADER NEVILLE JONES FOR LEADING US, AND MAKING EACH SESSION ENJOYABLE AND WORTHWHILE. Furthermore, I’d like extend this placed 2nd. The Annual CCF Dinner followed, thanks to the team of staff NCOS where two members received awards; the who dedicate their time to the RAF Section Bader Award was given to Sophie section, and also continue to make Alexander OJ, and the RAF Section Commanding every session enjoyable. Last but Officer’s Award was given to Flt Sgt William Hey. certainly not least, I’d like to thank my strong cohort of fellow NCOS, Approximately one week later was the CCF who have led the junior cadets Field Day, of which flying was the highlight. through the year. Members of the RAF in the Lower and Upper Sixth had the opportunity to go flying in a Grob The first major event for the RAF section was Tutor at RAF Benson. These are considered the the Annual Inspection on the 10 October, most exciting field days, because the cadets where the inspecting officer was Major General are able to experience flying the aircraft and D Shouesmith. Flt Sgt William Hey, Flt Sgt aerobatics. Beforehand, the cadets were given a Marcus Discombe, Sgt Henry Lock, Sgt Robin tour around the station, and had the opportunity Preston, Sgt Alex Chan, Cdt Thomas Adey and to see the Merlin helicopters, used by 28 (AC) Cdt Jonathan Cole were all present within the Squadron and 846 Naval Air Squadron. Although Guard of Honour to begin proceedings. After the weather was not perfect in the afternoon, the inspection, the highly competitive annual each cadet was able to have the privilege of a Gun Run was enjoyed by all, where the Royal 40-minute flight. The Upper Fifth had their Air Force team, captained by Cpl Guy Beresford, opportunity to go flying on the February field day.78 THE JOHNIAN

The infamous Inter-Flight Quiz ended the AutumnTerm, a highly competitive competition containingquestions about Principles of Flight and generalknowledge. The winner was B-flight, after a close runin with A-flight.In the Spring Term, we welcomed Wing CommanderRobert Gould to the section. The cadets used thisterm to improve upon their drill discipline, as wehope to enter a drill competition in the near future.At the end of the term, we bid farewell to Sdn LdrNeville Jones, to who we wish all the very best for thefuture.Other highlights from the year included all the juniorcadets passing their preliminary tests, as well as CdtHarry Butler visiting RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, on theEaster 2015 camp; a camp which Harry said he’drecommend to anyone. Overall, it is clear that thissection continues to go from strength to strength.William Hey (U6, East) 79THE JOHNIAN

NAVY REVIEW THIS YEAR HAS SEEN THE NAVY SECTION DO A MULTITUDE OF ACTIVITIES. FROM GOING ON A BRIDGE SIMULATOR TO THAT OF TEAM BUILDING EXERCISES INVOLVING RAFT BUILDING AND OTHER ACTIVITIES, IT HAS BEEN AN EXTREMELY BUSY ACADEMIC YEAR. 2014-15 STARTED WITH THE NAVY SECTION RECEIVING 45 NEW MEMBERS IN THE LOWER FIFTH, WHILST RETAINING THE MAJORITY OF THE UPPER FIFTH CADETS. The Navy section is now the strongest that it This year has also seen the creation of a new has ever been. During the summer of 2015 section within the Royal Navy section to aid in some of the members of the Royal Navy section the training of NCOs for the cadets’ Upper Sixth went on a number of camps ranging from year. This has been immensely popular with the senior leadership courses to that of the HMS cadets and the Navy currently has ten pupils in Bristol summer camp. In the Spring Term, the this section. During this year there was also a Lower Fifth went on an overnight trip to HMS chance to go aboard a HMS Daring whilst it was Excellent in Portsmouth, where they stayed in port, in order to get a first-hand look at the on board the cadet training ship HMS Bristol. equipment that is used aboard the Capital ships The following day involved a packed day with of the Royal Navy. groups doing firefighting, damage control, power boating, actions stations and some did a Callum Van Beveren (L6, East) tour of the Royal Navy Museum in Portsmouth.80 THE JOHNIAN

ARMY REVIEW The Army section has enjoyed another action many areas of the cadets. The key event of the packed year at St John’s, filled with training, field camp was a full scale ambush conducted by days and competitions - there has never been the Army section on the brave but ultimately a dull moment. The start of a new year saw the outmatched members of the Royal Navy and RAF induction of many new Lower Fifth cadets into sections. The performance of all the cadets was the Army section, along with the return of many exemplary, with many cadets being singled out for familiar faces. A fast pace was soon set as the new awards or promotions. and old cadets started their preparation for the Will Genzel (U6, Churchill) upcoming field day, with drill, weapons handling and military skills taking pride of place. NIGHT TIME PATROLS, SENTRY The intense training and hard work of the cadets was soon rewarded with a field day to practice DUTY, MILITARY much of what had been learnt in training. Field RATIONS AND days are a chance for cadets to get hands on MANOEUVRES experience and become fully enveloped within a military exercise. The training staff and senior make this a trip that will be NCOs were very pleased with the success of the remembered by all for field day and noted the exceptional efforts of the years to come. cadets involved. 81THE JOHNIAN Following the success of the inspection, spirits were high for the Summer Term field day. The most challenging yet, cadets are able to experience what life is like when out on military operations. Consisting of a night and day spent out in the field, cadets are challenged in new ways. Night time patrols, sentry duty, military rations and manoeuvres make this a trip that will be remembered by all for years to come. As the academic year drew to a close the CCF geared up for the last and longest trip of the year. Many cadets volunteered for the annual camp. Combining military skills with teambuilding, leadership and adventure tasks the camp tested

CHARITY ANDCharity St John’s has always been a of Nepal, raising £1,120 for the to St John’s I came away with a school that prides itself on victims of the earthquake through completely different attitude, and its charitable nature. Having a mufti day. We have continued was very impressed.” previously been a school for to host a number of lunches for sons of clergy, kindness and the local elderly and disabled, GIVING Overall, St Johns’ focus on charity generosity have always been key thus giving people who don’t PEOPLE WHO is a credit to the School. St John’s characteristics which underpin often get the opportunity to go DON’T OFTEN recognises that empathy and the foundations of the School. out a chance to socialise, while GET THE generosity are key characteristics, It is a true testament to both the also ensuring strong connections OPPORTUNITY as seen through the events that pupils and of St John’s as a whole between St John’s and the TO GO OUT A St John’s hosts for those from that these characteristics have local community. In the 2014 CHANCE TO the local community. It can also not been lost over time. Indeed, Autumn Term, pupils hosted a SOCIALISE, be seen by the annual St John’s while the School has changed a Christmas lunch for local elderly WHILE ALSO School Community Holiday, great deal over the last five years, and community groups (with ENSURING where the School hosts a number and continues to change even the help of St John’s wonderful STRONG of local children with special now, the compassionate nature catering staff). In the Summer CONNECTIONS needs for a week in the summer of the School remains as strong Term, locals were invited to a BETWEEN ST in the hope of giving them a as ever. This can be seen through sumptuous afternoon of cream JOHN’S AND wonderful holiday. I have found the many events held by houses teas, souvenirs and musical THE LOCAL it a privilege to co-head CSU to raise money for the School delights. Much to the enjoyment COMMUNITY. this year, and to take part in the charity, including barbecues, of the guests, entertainment was various charity events over the dinners, and dances. Pupils have provided by the School’s talented last five years - including the also raised money through mufti singers and musicians. This 2014 Community Holiday. I am days, cake sales, a sponsored year’s cream tea was a wonderful so grateful for opportunities that swim, where the 23-man team success, performances ranged the School has provided and truly swam a distance of 124 miles, from flute duets to covers of recommend other pupils to take and the Sleep Out on the Quad. Foster the People’s ‘Pumped Up advantage of them also. St John’s All these events raised remarkable Kicks’. All of our guests had a focus on charity comes from its sums for the St John’s School lovely time, with many contacting religious origins and I can only Community Holiday, especially the School to thank the pupils hope that it will continue long the sponsored swim which raised for a wonderful day. One visitor into the future. £1,970 and the Sleep Out on the even commented: “Up until now Quad, which raised over £6,000. I had the impression that some Rebecca Barnes St John’s has also devoted its time private schools foster elitism (U6, Haslewood) to raising money for the people and arrogance, but after my trip 82 THE JOHNIAN

CSUCSU Over the past year I have taken part in CSU in a variety of ways; I have volunteered at Beeches care THE COMMUNITY SERVICE UNIT home where I spoke to the older generation about their IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF childhood, their life experiences etc. I also helped with activities in the care home such as bingo, gardening THE LIFE AT ST JOHN’S. DURING and art classes; this was an uplifting experience as the THE WEEK, SIXTH FORM PUPILS residents of the home were all very cheerful and kind. I also had the pleasure of volunteering at Woodlands VOLUNTEER AT VARIOUS School for disabled children. This was an extremely LOCATIONS IN LEATHERHEAD TO humbling experience as the children have to deal with great challenges in everyday life as they find it HELP THE WIDER COMMUNITY. harder to learn and carry out tasks. The children were CSU OFFERS A VERY WIDE RANGE amazing to work with and were all so joyful and full of life. As a member of CSU said, OF VOLUNTEERING SUCH AS VOLUNTEERING AT SCHOOLS, “CSU has given me a valuable experience and has CARE HOMES, DELIVERING FOOD developed many life skills such as being in a role of TO THE HOMELESS AT LUNCHTIMES responsibility, self-confidence and leadership skills. AND WORKING WITH ANIMALS. Doing CSU gives you a sense of reward.” IT ALSO ALLOWS PUPILS TO PUT OTHERS BEFORE THEIR OWN Many CSU events take part at St John’s during the NEEDS AND TO STEP OUTSIDE year such as the community lunch and the community tea party where old people from local areas and local THEIR COMFORT ZONES. care homes come to socialise over a meal or a cup of tea. These events allow the older generation to associate with others and to enjoy themselves outside of their everyday life. This also gives the pupils a chance to mingle with the wider community and share experiences. CSU provides pupils with many experiences and broadens your view on life. You gain confidence, social and communication skills, initiative and you gain a wide range of knowledge. I would highly recommend taking part in CSU in the Sixth Form as it is an invaluable experience and provides many internal rewards, whilst being an enjoyable way to spend you free time at school and give something back to the community. Molly Kavanagh (L6, Haslewood) 83THE JOHNIAN

84 THE JOHNIAN Anya Hubbard U6, South

SPORTS Meeting England rugby heroes andrepresenting the country at countless sports. A solid year of sporting successes. 85THE JOHNIAN

RUGBY 1st XV together and can be proud of the spirit inSeason reports the camp. Mr Platt There was also the ‘Mastercard’ moment, The results from the season will indicate with Martin Johnson and Chris Robshaw. that this was not a vintage campaign; For evermore the reaction of James Long however that is not to take away from the can be viewed again, and again, and again! application and hard work of the players All the moans about an early start were involved. In addition, there were a number soon forgotten as the England captains of stand-out performances. Will Mead’s past and present entered the pod on the last gasp try against Hurst brought a big London Eye. So, maybe not the results the crowd to their feet as did the epic defensive boys wanted on the pitch, but a memorable display against KCS Wimbledon, which season nonetheless. saw the team to a famous victory. The win in the last game against 2nd XV Eastbourne (including four tries for Ed Haynes and two for Ed Stait) allowed the Tom Gardner (L6, Monty) season to end on a high. There were also some narrow losses, with Pangbourne and This year saw another extremely enjoyable Brighton springing to mind (the bounce and fruitful season for the St John’s 2nd of the ball in the last play against Brighton XV, as the team managed another winning proved the difference). And who can forget season; winning 7 of the 11 matches. the first half against Epsom… Whilst the side enjoyed a winning season, it had to deal with a plethora of personnel The team was well led by Tom Gyngell, changes as the calls from the 1st XV came who kept spirits high despite the various thick and fast. This was highlighted by losses, ably assisted by Will Mead. The the fact that of the 11 matches there was forwards on their day were a match for a different starting line-up each time. The anyone and the backs showed glimpses core of the team remained strong and every of true class, but the consistency needed player played with the ethos and style that to succeed at first team level sometimes the team established. eluded them. But, as a team they stuck86 THE JOHNIAN

There were many highlights from the undefeated at home and so fulfil one of in one match. Harry Lonsdale was aseason, including two early convincing the goals they set as a side at the start of persistent force in every game and Dimilwins against Pangbourne and Seaford, the term. Patel kicked well all season as well as76-0 and 56-0 respectively. The team bagging some tries himself. In truth,played with great heart throughout In a team game and with so many players there were fine performances from all theparticularly in the wins against Reed’s and representing the side it is invidious to players and most pleasingly they seemedKCS to clinch the matches. This trait was pull out a few names whose talent shone to work extremely well together. Thereto characterise our defeats too, with the through, but there were many notable were many moments of magic throughoutspirit evident against Epsom, Brighton individual performances. Tom Yorke, the season that showed what we wereand RGS Guildford. The highlight for before his call up to the 1st XV, was capable of as team when it all camethe team was undoubtedly to remain prolific on the wing, scoring four tries together. The captain, Tom Gardner, led the team well from the back line and enjoyed some strong performances. Henry Lock and Jed Johnson were ever present in the boiler room securing good lineout balls all season and Tom King developed as a rampaging ball carrier but all played their part in producing some excellent rugby. All in all, another successful season under the guidance of the omniscient Mr Noble and the specialist backs coach, Mr Smith. With a youthful side this year, I am sure the 2nd XV will enjoy similar success in the next season. THE JOHNIAN 87

3rd XV the finest day of them all was against a key away fixture against Reed’s. This Brighton. We were 17-0 down against was a winnable game, but the speed ofTom Glasscock (L6, North) tricky opponents. With 15 minutes to go, two or three backs again won the match. the mood of the game suddenly changed The final three games were lost to KCSThe 3rd team had a good term of rugby and we ended up winning 19-17. It was Wimbledon, Epsom and Eastbourne. Itending with a solid winning season, the best day of my life – and that includes proved a difficult season but with muchwinning seven out of the ten games my wedding day! Huge thanks to the endeavour.played. However, this accomplishment excellent captain, Jack Musk, and to awould not have been achieved without team that really stuck together. Unbeaten, U14AMr Ashton, as his coaching gave the amazing, epic!team drive and motivation for the Mr Leonardsport. Highlights include beating KCS, U15CWimbledon 36-35 in a tense game The U14A team enjoyed a verywhich required the team’s full effort, and Mr Whitmore successful 2014 season. Narrow defeatswinning the final game after a heavy loss to Cranleigh, Brighton and Hurst earlyto the main rivals, Epsom. It was a great The season opened with a convincing on threatened to derail the campaign,way to finish a well-captained season by away win at Pangbourne, although though a corner was dramatically turnedAlex Hondrogiannis and Sam Holwell, injury to captain Ben Howe marred the with an emphatic 26-0 victory overleaving as better players. victory. A difficult visit to Cranleigh was RGS Guildford. After that, there was no memorable for a clever try from Lucas looking back and the team saw out theU15A Allison; home victory against Seaford second half of the season undefeated. followed, albeit both teams playing The highlights of the season were a 47-3Mrs Platt with 12 men. Away to Brighton, the away thumping of a much-fancied KCS forwards picked and drove in style but Wimbledon side and a 26-12 win overThe U15As had an extraordinary season. the opposition’s fast backs cut through arch rivals Epsom. Congratulations toUnbeaten through all the matches we too often. Victory against Hurstpierpoint all involved in the season, all eyes areplayed, the team gelled together as one and a loss to RGS Guildford ended the looking forward to a successful 2015almost from the first minute of the first first half of term. A comfortable win at follow-up.game. I was proud to coach such an home to Haileybury was followed byoutstanding group of individuals. Perhaps88 THE JOHNIAN

U14BMr KingThe Under 14Bs made an impressivestart to their St John’s rugby careers,winning eight out of their eleven fixturesand playing some powerful and excitingrugby in the process. Although thesecond half of the season saw importantplayers moving up to the A team, theboys finished the term impressivelywith a dominant performance againstEastbourne. Earlier highlights includedan exciting 7-0 win against Brightonand a wonderful flowing backs move toclinch the match at Hurstpierpoint, aftera series of rucks from the forwards droveus up field from our own 22. In its ownway, the 21-24 defeat at KCS Wimbledonspoke volumes for the team’s refusal togive in, and such matches bode well forthe future. THE JOHNIAN 89

football 1st XI Despite this setback all was not lost in theSeason reports league. Mathematically with four games Daniel Alexander (L6, Surrey) still to play the league title could still be won. Three wins on the bounce set up an After the league success of the previous anxious final day match up with St Paul’s. season the 1st XI’s main aim was to retain Firstly, a 2-1 victory against Haileybury the league title. A 4-0 friendly win against with Kimball Klintworth and Adam King’s Canterbury was a confidence- Holley on the scoresheet was secured by boosting match, with fantastic goals from an impressive display by Lower Fifth Jack Ed Stait and Freddie Feltham showing Musk in goal on debut. Next up a trip there was no shortage of attacking threat in to Radley where the performance started the squad. slowly but ended with St John’s clicking through the gears and securing a 3-0 win A narrow 1-0 midweek defeat to a strong kept the title hopes alive. It was all in for Wilson’s side forced a regrouping before the squad now, knowing that victories in the league kicked off three days later, but each of the remaining two fixtures would confidence remained high. The league be required to retain the league title. defence started with a home match against Harrow and a 2-1 victory. First half goals An impressive 2-0 win away at Wellington from Macfarlane and Stait gave St John’s was secured thanks to a Will Mead header a platform to build on but the game and a spectacular free kick from Dimil will be remembered more for the brave Patel. One final match, at home against and dogged display shown defensively St Paul’s, was a bridge too far for the in the second half. The backline of Dan team. St Paul’s were clearly the strongest Alexander, Will Mead, captain Archie side faced all season and this showed in Breakspear and Michael James were both the performance and the result. A supported by the tireless running of Matt 5-0 defeat was an anticlimactic way to Monk and Matt Cappell, breaking up the end a memorable season, but the quality play and putting their bodies on the line. of opposition showed and St Paul’s were When Harrow did breach the St John’s crowned league champions, with St John’s backline they found an inspired Adam finishing 3rd. Holley who made save after save, keeping St John’s ahead. Arguably the highlight of The squad was captained by Archie the season, the match against Harrow was Breakspear. Notable mentions should go to a whole team effort where no player left the Upper Sixth’s Matt Cappell, Matt Monk, anything on the pitch and which caused Dimil Patel and Ross Macfarlane who all jubilant scenes at the full-time whistle. had fantastic seasons and contributed to much of the squad’s success. A frustrating 3-3 draw against a physical Oratory team and a 2-1 defeat to St Paul’s in the cup left much work to be done. A potentially title-deciding fixture away at Tonbridge on an immaculately maintained pitch followed. St John’s raced into an early lead through a Dimil Patel lob, before making good use of the width to carve out numerous opportunities. With Tonbridge resilient and fired up, the match soon turned. Two quick fire goals for Tonbridge ensued and the game drifted away from St John’s, finishing in a 2-1 defeat.90 THE JOHNIAN

2nd XI Our defence was always a daunting area as well as impressive results on the road for our opposition to approach; it was over Radley (3-1) and a very powerfulAidan De Forest-Brown kept in line by Ross Lynch who showed Tonbridge side (2-1).(L6, West) great strength throughout the season. Ed Grove stepped up to be our man in the Skipper Tudor marshalled his troopsFrom the very start of the season, the goal. He did an awesome job of it, using well and Aldo claimed the golden bootsecond team were a strong side this year. his presence to put off the opposition award. The other highlight of the seasonFrom the first whistle to the final blow strikers, making them shoot wide. All in was a rare chance to play in the snowof the season, we lost only a few games. all we had an excellent season of football - orange ball and all! Well done to allLosing one game at home to Harrow is with only a few slip ups. We were carried who represented the team and made thestill a questionable subject. forward knowing that we had the ability season such a success. to beat any side that we came up against.We played well in all areas of the game 4th XIwith our captain James Bannister putting 3rd XIhis ability to slot a middle right penalty The 4th XI enjoyed a successful season,consistently to good use through the Dr Leonard ending the term with the best winseason. Our midfield was held strong by ratio in the School. Spurred on byJames Bell and Sam Vickery, who would The 3rd XI enjoyed a successful season uncharacteristically clement weather, thenever shy away from a challenge. Our winning five matches and losing three. final line-up combined the silky passingopposition found this out very quickly. Draws were deemed too boring to be skills of Tom Adey and Henry EmpsonJames and Sam got stuck in straight away bothered with! The highlights of the with the fire of Matthew Fidler in the– and for the entirety of all the games we season were fantastic home wins over centre of midfield, while Max Macdonald,played. Haileybury (5-0) and St Paul’s (4-2), THE JOHNIAN 91

James Cook and Jonny Coekin were Adeboya. Defeats to KCS Wimbledon were to face during the season. Instead,quick to add width to the strike power of and Tonbridge ended the first half of our first match was against HarrowAngus King. A solid back four of Captain term. The second half saw the team lose where we went out all guns blazing.Murray Hampshire, Alex Webb, Harry narrowly to Haileybury, but scoring Unfortunately, tiredness got the better ofWitt and Lewis French provided a secure two goals boosted confidence. Another us in the second half and we ended upshield for goalie Jacob Tresidder. We loss, this time to Radley, was followed losing fairly heavily 6-1.were also fortunate in the quality of the by a tight match against Wellington,extra players ready to step into the team in which the team recorded their Our next match was against The Oratorywhen needed, ensuring that victories over second win (1-0 at home, thanks to a School in Reading, with the final scoreHarrow and Wellington, in particular, will speculative shot by Neale). The final 1-1. Tonbridge was our next match wherelong remain in the memory. match witnessed an away loss to St Paul’s. once again we failed to capitalise after The team’s performance and skill level scoring two goals and losing closely in5th XI began to improve, but the quality and the final ten minutes of the match by determination was not consistent enough one goal. Our biggest defeat took placeMarcus Discombe (U6, Churchill) to challenge throughout the season. a week later where a few injuries higher up in the School A and B sides took awayThe 5th XI, under the legendary U16C some of our most valuable players. Wemanagerial duo of Gappie Josh and Mr lost to a better side but did not deservePlatt, were determined to improve on Mr Barber the 9-0 scoreline that the final resultlast year’s campaign and write their name suggested. However, following a fewin 5th XI folklore. We started at Harrow Treacherous weather conditions stopped disappointing defeats, the boys lifted theirlosing the game 4-1, but the team’s spirit us playing the first match against King’s heads up high, trained hard and workedwasn’t tainted after a much-improved Canterbury, who by all accounts, were laboriously in training to maintainsecond half performance. The Oratory one of the weaker opponents that we possession and conserve energy levels.School was our next opponent, this timeon home turf. St John’s ran riot, playingbeautiful and intricate football, scoringeight times and conceding nothing. Thiswas a momentous occasion and we wereliving the dream.However, reality hit the 5th XI on ournext outing, losing 4-0 to an impressiveTonbridge side. A weaker team may havecrumbled from this setback but not the5th XI. We found form again at Radleyplaying our renowned passing game, andwere unlucky only to get a draw out ofthe game, with St John’s dominating mostof the match only to concede in the dyingminutes of the game. St Paul’s beckonedand even though we went on to lose thegame, the team can be very proud of theirspirited performances throughout theseason.U16AMr WhitmoreThe U16A team had a difficult season,despite starting strongly with a 6-0 winagainst King’s Canterbury. The team wasbased upon the central defence pairing ofHenry Stevens and Kimball Klintworthand, and with them at the helm, theteam only lost narrowly to both Harrowand Oratory. Klintworth then departedfor the 1st XI and both Stevens and TomNeale came to the fore, ably supportedby the talent and industry of Tommy92 THE JOHNIAN

By our final match against St Paul’s U15A U14ASchool, we were a different teamall together and ready to match our The season started off well in friendly Ben Bayley (4F, East)opponents head to head. We went a goal where we won easily with Ben Tudorahead, but the opponents scored one playing very well. Although the U15As The U14A team had an excellent seasonback before half time. However, pure had a season full of draws, the matches with just two losses to the extremelygrit and determination saw us go ahead were definitely not boring. This year strong Harrow and St Paul’s teams. Weto score a second goal in the second half we were entered into a league and the looked to improve each game, and wereand to finish off by winning our first and matches became more competitive - the aided by the arrival of Titus Tresidderonly match of the season. pick of the draws being Harrow away. who joined St John’s half way through The match was tight and Harrow were the term, strengthening the midfield. TopU16D clearly the stronger team, but we still goal scorer was Owen Rowland, with a created many chances, if only they could total of seven goals, and my player of theMiss Ball have been converted. The match finished season was Ben Bound, who had good 1-1 after a penalty from St John’s and a ability on the left. The squad missed aThe 16Ds always guaranteed a lively screamer for Harrow – nothing keeper strong Stuart Shannon from injury. Thetraining session to say the least. With Jack Musk could do. best games were against King’s (4-0) andmerely one fixture to play away against We finished the season with a hard Haileybury (7-2).The next few seasons ofHarrow, the boys’ high spirits and fought draw against St Paul’s, this meant football at school look bright for the sidecontinued efforts were impressive, that the U15As had finished yet another - well done team.despite a 5-0 defeat. I hope that the boys season unbeaten, so far the team havehad an enjoyable season, Mr Mortlock never lost a game of football at St John’s. U14Cand I certainly had fun! Frank Dwan (4F, West) The U14C team had a very solid and enjoyable season, achieving some big wins such as a rather impressive 9-1 win over The Oratory School. We showed to our coach that we were capable of good performances after drawing to Harrow 1-1 in the first game of the season. There were a few losses along the way, including a harsh loss to KCS at 5-1 (even though we were playing very well on the day). We were able to enjoy a productive and solid season, with every player showing their full potential. Special mention must go to Mr Cross, who helped us enjoy our season and coach us to reach a very strong level of football. THE JOHNIAN 93

Season reports 1st XI victory, whilst performing admirably against some of the largest and most Matthew Boothby (U6, Monty) competitive hockey schools in the country. Indeed, the season highlight for most of the The 1st team have enjoyed a wonderful boys came at the conclusion of the season’s season of hockey this year, capitalising fixture list against Reigate Grammar, a on a strong Upper Sixth contingent along closely contested and competitive fixture with a new coach determined to transform over the years. St John’s demonstrated a hockey at St John’s. The team focus, season of development and determination perhaps different from in previous years, in a convincing 5-2 victory to round off a was determined progression, and this led very successful season. As the hockey club to a team spirit and coherence that stands looks to the future, a number of players as a testament to what St John’s hockey can leave whilst considerable talent continues aspire to in the future. to join and develop, and with the help of a fantastic coaching team, the future looks The team recorded a winning season, very bright indeed. beating a number of local rivals including Epsom College in an exhilarating 7-094 THE JOHNIAN

2nd XI goal and preventing even greater losses. As the season wore on, lots of players Overall the team worked extremely well took the opportunity to represent theGuy Beresford (L6, Monty) throughout the season and should be team and showed a positive attitude and proud of what they achieved. willingness to improve on our mistakes,The 2nd team had a tough season this leading to several players pushing onyear with few wins; however under our JUNIOR B to the Junior A team. A very productivecaptain, Will Genzel, we were able to season, with much promise for next year.persevere. This commitment led to two Mr Kiddconvincing wins over Lord Wandsworth, U15Bwhich was definitely the highlight of The Junior B hockey team was athe season for the team. The forwards, developing one this year, with large Miss Jonesmade up of Sophie Evans, Cameron Carr numbers of players keen to pick up aand Ben Cursley, were often dangerous stick and get stuck in. The win-loss ratio The U15B team had a sterling season,with the ball and created some strong was therefore a little on the disappointing perhaps even a rags-to-riches fairy-tale.attacking play, ably supported by the side, but doesn’t take away from some The girls were rusty after a summer spentmidfield which consisted of Ben Sanders, great passages of play, and the all-round sunbathing, but they were ready to kickGuy Beresford and Josh Smart. Our ability on show. back into gear once training started.defence was equally strong despite thescores not reflecting this, David Li, Luke William Merry, Joshua Boulton and Isabelle Hammersley captained theFrost, James Blatcher and Tarun Perry Martin Vogel led the way amongst our team to a variety of fantastic victories,consistently worked hard and showed goal scorers, with at least one of the three close draws, and nail-biting losses.great integrity despite the strength of our usually on the score sheet each week. The We managed to convince a kind Hopeopposition. The goalkeepers Sam Askew goal difference was also kept down by a MacMillan to try out as goalkeeper, andand Matt Hindmarch provided the final strong defence, led by keeper Ellie Holley before she had even tried on her pads shedefence against attacking opponents and and strong defending from Laurence was whisked away by the A team! Despitemade some strong saves protecting the Deakin and Joshua Williams. this setback, the girls fought valiantly THE JOHNIAN 95

against each opposition, through every of intense training in warm conditions, 2nd XIrainy Saturday morning, and every improving our skills as well as oursurprising injury. ‘hockey brains’ from which we highly Hannah Potter (U5, Gloucester) benefitted on returning to school.The season ended on an exciting outing Being a newly-formed team it took theto Cleaver, where many ribs were There were undoubtedly two main beginning few weeks for the girls to gel,consumed and memories shared and highlights of the season. The first one but once we did the play was superb.cemented. I am certain that the U15B came when the team reached the Surrey The match against Reigate demonstratedteam will not forget their season in a county finals. It was the first time that our team and individual talent and wehurry, and will soon look back fondly on the St John’s 1st XI had got to this stage won 2-0 with goals from Olivia Stockthe good old days. The girls have gone of the competition, having worked hard and Hannah Potter, set up through well-on to represent the School in a range to secure a place after battling with earned short corners.of teams, some even reaching the dizzy Epsom College and Cranleigh in theheights of the 3rd team squad in their heats. The second was definitely drawing In training with Mr Hughes’ support andfirst year as senior players. 1-1 against Reed’s, who are strongly encouragement set pieces were formed renowned for their performance on the playing to the strengths of players such1st XI hockey pitch. It was the first time that as Mimi Rothwell, who played a high we had played this side and it was a very striker and were skilfully executed onSophie Evans (L6, South) closely contested match. This can be put several occasions, resulting in a quick down to the energy and commitment of succession of goals in matches. WithTo say that the 1st XI had a great season the St John’s defence and forwards alike,last year would be an understatement. working cohesively to produce such aWith an influx of new players into the fantastic result.team, both through those who hadjust joined the School and those who We said goodbye to Cassie Hughes, Hollyhad moved up from the juniors to the Lafferty, Mimi Adeboya, Olivia Pollockseniors, we were shaping up to be a side and Rhianna Miller at the end of theto be reckoned with. season. All of these girls helped to lay the foundations for girls’ hockey at St John’sThe season started with a tour over the and, whilst we are losing these excellentsummer to Cologne in Germany. Not players, we can only look forward to theonly did this allow the team to bond, but 1st XI’s next season. With some talentedit also gave us match experience against players coming up through the Schoolstrong opposition as we played two and tougher fixtures ahead, it is safe tointense matches during the course of the say that girl’s hockey at St John’s is veryfive days. The other days involved hours much on the rise.96 THE JOHNIAN

Jemima Vincent’s speed down thewing, supported by Rene Spreeth andthe midfield, our attack was strongthroughout the season.When put on the defensive the defendersstepped up, always putting in vitaltackles and running out bravely on shortcorners. They were solid, coordinationbetween Natasha Davison, Maya Gothand Anna Mead was important but whenthere was a glitch there was Kate Paton ingoal who made several remarkable saves.Overall the pinnacle of the season waswhen we won 7-0. Everyone performedcohesively showcasing our teams talentto its full potential.3rd XI However, we struggled in our next few U14A matches, resulting in a few draws, andAnnie Grant (U5, South) three losses. This may have been down to Sanne Senior (4F, Gloucester) a lot of change amongst the team, leavingOverall it was a very successful season the entire team feeling a bit uneasy. Last year, the U14A hockey team had afor the thirds, and we won half of the Despite this, we were not disheartened. very successful year. To start we weren’tmatches that we played. Although it took When facing a strong Hurstpierpoint used to playing together, so the first fewus a while to get to know each other as side we managed to remain determined games we didn’t do as well as we couldplayers, we ended up really getting to and worked hard throughout the match, of. However, as the season progressedknow each other and working as a team. resulting in a win of 4-3. This was on we got better and better, and we allAfter a difficult first game, we came to continued on to our last match of the got much closer as a team. We beganthe second match again Pangbourne season against Churcher’s College, which to achieve more and more victoriesfeeling a bit uneasy. However we need we won 3-0 - an amazing way to end and then ended up as regional finalists.not worry, after a smashing game from the season. Overall the 3rd XI had an Unfortunately, we were knocked outour forwards we came out with a win of extremely successful season, winning of the competition by Cranleigh. I’m6-0! Obviously we were very happy with many matches and remaining determined really proud of our team and I know thisourselves, and we managed to continue as a team throughout the year. season will be much better than last.this winning streak, with winningagainst Reigate Grammar with anotheroutstanding win of 6-1. It was clear ourforwards were on for a successful season. THE JOHNIAN 97

netball COUNTY for goal, and unfortunately with umpireSeason reports CHAMPIONS 2015 decisions not going for St John’s right at the last whistle a loss was inflicted. The only What a fantastic day of netball. way that St John’s could proceed was with a win against Caterham – and what a win The School’s first match to be played was it was. Interceptions at the defensive end, against Alleyn’s, who inflicted a very heavy fluidity in the centre court and outstanding defeat against St John’s last year. There was shooting resulted in a 9 – 4 win and a a little bit of trepidation as the girls went semi-final place secured against the other on court and Macy was immediately called group winners Guildford High. upon as Kirstin had not managed to cut her nails short enough. Not renowned for Katie was left to give the team talk and a good starts, the first quarter was a nervous very evenly contested game so Guildford encounter and the half-time score-line read High leading at half-time 6 – 4 and 4 – 3. Mrs Parker had to leave the touch probably an assumption by all that the line to move a badly-parked minibus and finals were there for the taking. However, in her absence the team played their best the girls dug deep and the defence did netball of the season thus far. On Mrs not give an inch and at the death it was St Parker’s return, Alleyn’s had not scored a John’s who ensured that the game would single goal and St John’s had registered an go to overtime as the score read 9-9. 11 – 3 win. Experience did not tell and St John’s were the team to make correct decisions and Gordon’s School followed and although remain calm – with the exception of their the performance was not as slick another coach. On the final hooter St John’s had good win was secured with a score-line of won 14 – 13 and would play St Catherine’s 10 – 3. St Catherine’s was to be the first again in the final. Although the game was of the ranked teams that St John’s would tight St John’s always looked in control and have to play against. For the most part the well deserved 8 – 6 win afforded them the match went goal for goal but at the death title of Surrey U15 County Champions. both had the opportunity to score for a win so a draw was a fair result. Wimbledon Mrs Parker High was to be a crucial game – again goal98 THE JOHNIAN