From the Second Master
Press Reports
The Bursar wrote to parents this week, in response to press articles about a possible strike at the School. Parents may be reassured that discussions are continuing in order to seek to avoid such an eventuality.
Special Evensong
As the Cathedral is being used for filming, their Evensong will take place in College Chapel tomorrow, Wednesday 25 January at 17:30. This is probably the first time that a Cathedral Service will have happened an the College; and extremely rare for the Cathedral Girls’ Choir to sing here. The Choir was founded in 1999 by Ms Baldock, now serendipitously our own Director of Music, and we look forward to hearing them. Parents and members of the public are welcome.
May Exeat
Coronation of King Charles III
To mark the occasion of the Coronation of King Charles III, we have moved the May exeat weekend to enable families to celebrate together. Therefore the exeat will begin at 16:00 on Friday 5 May. Boarders may return from 18:00 on Monday 8 May, and no later than 21:15, with a normal timetable resuming on Tuesday 9 May.
Please note that this replaces the exeat previously scheduled for 29 April – 1 May.
While coordinating our plans for this celebratory weekend, we looked back through our archives and found this note on the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, from the Housemaster of Bramston’s. His foresight indeed proved invaluable in informing our own plans for this 'once in a lifetime' event.
Partnerships
AstroSoc
Students from UTC Portsmouth, one of our partner secondary schools, joined members of AstroSoc for an evening of astrophysics last week. They viewed Mars and Jupiter through the telescope in the observatory and did some virtual stargazing, identifying planets, satellites and constellations using Stellarium online planetarium.
This was followed by a talk on Gravitational Waves and Gamma Rays from Dr Martin Pohl, Head of Theoretical Physics at DESY, the fundamental physics research centre.
Academic
Debating
Four pairs of JP and MP pupils took part in the Oxford Regional Qualifying Round for the International Competition for Young Debaters at the Oxford Union on Saturday.
Out of thirty-two pairs competing, two Winchester pairs made it through to the international final, which takes place in Cambridge in April, with Johan T. (MP, College) and Robert C. (MP, Trant's) finishing second, and Xander S. (JP, College) and Adrian C. (JP, Cooks) finishing third. Congratulations to all the pupils on an impressive performance at this highly competitive global competition.
Sport
Rowing
The Boat Club had a productive Saturday morning in Southampton. The opportunity to race against local competition from Itchen Imperial Rowing Club and Southampton University Boat Club provided useful training for our athletes, and spirits were high after strong performances across the board.
Music
Winchester Cathedral Recital Series
Valentine’s Day sees the start of this year’s weekly lunchtime recital series in Winchester Cathedral.
Run by Dr Nicholas Salwey, our Head of Piano, the thirty concerts give performance opportunities to talented young musicians. They include students from Peter Symonds College, Barton Peveril, King’s School, St Swithun’s, Bedales and Winchester College.
Dr Salwey provides rehearsal time and piano accompaniment, on the Cathedral's new grand piano, across a wide range of repertoire for performers from across the county. The concerts attract an appreciative local audience and everyone is welcome.
Holocaust Memorial Day
In tutor hour on Wednesday, pupils in JP, MP and VBk will have a talk to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) from Dr Alasdair Richardson, Reader in Education and an expert in the teaching of the Holocaust from Winchester University.
Sustainability
This term we have established a Pupils' Sustainability Council that will link to the Environment & Sustainability Advisory Group to the Governing Body. The Council will have a house-based structure with one pupil per year from each house. It aims to give pupils greater agency and improve engagement in our sustainability initiatives, and sits alongside existing pupil-led groups, such as Sustainability Society and Natural History Society.
At the end of the month, there will be a pupil training session by PlanetMark, the College’s external carbon audit and accreditation provider, which will culminate with pupils establishing house-focused targets.
Events
Studium II
Join us for a fascinating afternoon of lectures (16:00-18:00) on Wednesday 1 March. Attendees will receive the programme before the event so they can choose which to attend. This term's speakers include the author and journalist Harry Mount; the Chief Commercial Officer for the Financial Times, Jon Slade; the soldier, journalist and broadcaster Major General Alastair Bruce; and the international set and costume designer Nicky Shaw.
Returning from the front line in Ukraine, David Fox-Pitt (pictured) will explain what has driven him and his team of volunteers to serve over 500,000 pizzas to those living in the shadow of the Russian invasion.
Back to Previous Newsletters