From the Second Master
Following Morning Hills on Friday morning, we look forward to parents joining us to support the charity fun run whilst enjoying the Winchester College cake sale.
Exeat begins at 1305 on Friday 29 September and ends at 2115 on Sunday 1 October. Boarders may return to boarding houses from 1800 on Sunday. Day pupils will return to school on Monday 2 October.
Exeat form for boarders
Thank you to all those parents who have already completed the Exeat arrangements form. If you still need to complete the form, please log into the parent portal; select ‘Interactive Forms’ and then ‘Exeat Arrangements’.
The College is delighted to introduce this film on our Health and Wellbeing Centre.
As parents will know, this term began with a new School Doctor – Dr Laura Francis – from St Paul’s medical practice. In the video, parents can learn more about Dr Francis as well as the other key members of the Health and Wellbeing team. It also explains the mental health provision for pupils, including our new Lead Counsellor, Sara Holland.
We hope that parents find this informative and please feel able to contact the Health and Wellbeing Centre directly through the Lead Nurse Karlene Cullen if you have any queries.
Academic
Danckwerts Prize
Recently, Sam (X) received the school’s Danckwerts Chemistry Prize for his record-breaking performance in a national chemistry test.
At the end of Cloister Time, Sam, then in Vth Book, took the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge for Lower Sixth paper, a national test sat by over ten thousand sixth formers. Despite being a year young for the test, Sam came top in the UK with a perfect 100% score.
He received a Roentgenium award, which is superior to the Gold award. (Roentgenium is the element that follows silver and gold, descending Group 11 in the Periodic Table.) He was among the elite few who were invited to a chemistry camp at the University of Cambridge in August.
The Danckwerts Prize is awarded in honour of Peter Danckwerts, a former pupil and FRS scientist who was a leading chemical engineer and a WW2 hero, being the only FRS scientist ever to be awarded the George Cross.
The prize is a copy of the biography on Danckwerts, which was awarded by his nephew.
Music
House Singing Competition
The annual House Singing competition will take place next Sunday, 8 October, with the Houses competing for the three cups:
- The Robertson Cup (Bobber Pot) for the best performance of a unison song
- The Schuster Cup (Schuster Pot) for the best performance of an unaccompanied song in harmony
- The Julian Smith Cup for the best performance of a classical song
The competition is open to parents and other family members, and free tickets are available from TicketSource via the link below.
Given the high demand for seats at this popular event, we have limited the tickets to a maximum of three people per booking.
This year’s adjudicator is Stephen Parham-Connolly, a former chorister at the Leeds Parish Church, as well as the bass player in The King's Singers, who whom he played at concerts all over the world.
Academic
Trip to Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
On September 21, seven College pupils, accompanied by Mr Fraser, attended the Engineering your Future conference at the Rutherford Appleton Labratory in Oxfordshire.
A conference aimed at students considering a career in engineering, the day comprised of hands-on workshops, conversations with representatives from engineering companies, and an exclusive tour of the Diamond Light synchrotron.
You can read more on the trip below.
Sport
Sport Report
This week's Sport Report features the 1st XI football team taking on RGS Guildford, with a hat trick from Timothy (I) sealing the victory.
The badminton team met Harrow School in a close 16 game match, eventually falling 9 games to 7, but with some good performances from debutants Bryan (D) and Josiah (F), as well as JohnPaul (E) and Ayson (C).
For the full sport report, click the link below.
Trips
Climbing Returns to the Adventure Education Programme
Climbing returned to the Adventure Education programme last week, after a five-year absence.
This offers pupils a chance to develop skills and leadership working towards a progressive National Indoor Climbing Award Scheme award. They will be attending weekly sessions at Parthian Climbing Centre in Southampton.
The course is comprised of over 120 top rope and lead routes, 25 auto belays and bouldering that includes traversing the official Tokyo 2021 Olympic wall.
Charities
Fun Run and Bake Sale
This Friday, after Morning Hills, pupils across the school will take part in a fun run covering distances from 5km to a half marathon. The event is being run by the Charities Committee and will be raising funds for Young Lives vs Cancer.
This charity works to support young people who suffer from cancer, with 3800 young people diagnosed each year. The goal is to raise £5000, the amount that would cover just 7 months of the extra costs associated with having a child with cancer.
Parents are warmly invited to join the festivities at the finish line, where tea and coffee will be available, as well as a bake sale. Any donations for the charity or the bake sale would be much appreciated, and you can find out more via the links below.
Makyth Ventures Guest Speaker Series
Throughout autumn this year, the College's entrepreneurship and innovation hub, Makyth Ventures, will be running a Guest Speaker Series for pupils in all years.
Whether led by experienced start-up founders, investors or recent graduates just starting out in the space, these sessions are designed to be highly conversational, allowing both the speakers and the audience to delve deeply into specific topics around their experiences, passions and areas of expertise.
MV Ignite
Building on last year’s success, Makyth Venture’s inter-school pitching competition, MV Ignite, is back for a second year. This year we are working with FUEL10K to challenge students from more than ten schools to come up with innovative ideas to transform the way we produce, consume and think about food.
The UK breakfast brand, founded by a pair of Old Wykehamists, has asked teams of students to imagine they are leading product designers in the year 2043 to propose new ideas, processes or packaging formats that align with established future trends and contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
We are looking forward to things kicking off at the start of the term before culminating in an in-person finale with a panel of “dragons” in New Hall.
Community
Volunteering Award
As part of the College’s CS programme, senior pupils at Winchester College have been volunteering at The Winchester Beacon for the past 20 years.
Founded in 1988, The Winchester Beacon gives essential and life-changing support to people experiencing homelessness in Hampshire, providing a safe and secure base for those in need.
Last Thursday evening, our senior pupils were recipients of a Volunteering Award, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. The Award acknowledged the long and committed service by Winchester College.
In 2023-2024 our top years continue to make a small, but significant, daily contribution to the life of The Winchester Beacon and the overall wellbeing of its residents. Evening washing up duties are part of their weekly routine, and they enjoy chatting alongside the cooks and getting to know the regulars.
Jamie (I), Caden (D), Ritwik (X), Bill (D), Bob (K), Fausto (K) and Matias (B) have volunteered with unstinting enthusiasm and commitment at The Winchester Beacon and the Volunteering Award is a tribute to their service.
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