From the Second Master
Leave-out Arrangements for Boarders: reminder
If you haven’t completed the Leave-out Arrangements form, please do so at your earliest convenience. The form is accessed via the Parent Portal where you will need to select Interactive Forms, and then Leave-out (Half Term) Arrangements.
Events
It has been good to welcome so many of you to talks, performances, and matches over the past month, including XVs. Thank you for your support. You can read this week's sport report at the link below.
Academic
Chemistry
On Saturday, Dr Jamie McManus took four top year Chemists to the University of Cambridge for the Cambridge Chemistry Race. This is an annual competition but the first time that Winchester has entered a team, so it was very much an experiment on our part.
Winchester was one of 58 schools from across England taking part. The format involved having to answer 60 questions in two hours, each team only being allowed to attempt six questions at any one time and being given a new question whenever the team arrived at a correct answer. Each new question was harder than the one before, and the excitement was ramped up with the presence of a large, almost-live, scoreboard dominating the auditorium.
The Winchester team was Paul Apostolides (College), Christopher Leung (College), and Vinson Pang (College), who reported back that: "The time pressure made it much harder than the Chemistry Olympiad,” and it was “The most fun I have had in ages.”
The Wykehamists finished second with a score of 186 out of 240. A fantastic effort from some prodigious talents who will continue to enjoy Chemistry for some time to come: Paul has just won an offer to read Chemistry at Oxford University, while Christopher and Vinson have offers to read Natural Sciences at Cambridge.
Academic
Essay Prize
Michelle Meitiner (Trant's, VIBk2) has won the Edward Thomas Fellowship Close Reading Competition. This is a national competition that encourages students to submit essays on topics beyond the curriculum.
The competition judge, Professor Lucy Newlyn, commented that Michelle's winning essay "is steadily observant and perceptive, as well as clearly written with no pretentious flourishes".
Ivo Sawbridge (Beloe's, VIBk2) and Fran Wyse (Trant's, VIBk2) were also shortlisted.
Music
Concerto Competition
Adjudicator Christopher Seaman described Sunday’s concerto final as a thoroughly enjoyable concert in which the hard work of the pupils and expert teaching shone through.
The finalists were Victor Sim (Turner's, VBk) playing Haydn's 'Violin Concerto in C', Michael Wimbush (Toye's, VIBk2), Mozart's 'Concerto in A for Basset Clarinet', Brian Chan (Cook's, VIBk2), Bruch's 'Violin Concerto in G minor' – and congratulations to winner Alex Winnifrith (Hopper's, VBk) on his outstanding performance of the Arutunian Trumpet concerto, which showed dazzling technical virtuosity alongside soulful melodic playing.
The evening was enjoyed by a large and appreciative audience in Music School Hall.
Sustainability
Pupil-led Change: Food
Following last Tuesday's pupil training session with Planet Mark, pupils took responsibility for establishing house-focused targets. Seb Fennell, representative for Hoppers, explains why he's trying vegetarian food:
"Over the last few years, the Winchester community has become increasingly climate-concious. We’ve hosted sustainability conferences, organised petitions, and planted trees in effort to reduce emissions and raise awareness.
Last week, 24 Hopperites opted for vegetarian lunches as part of another initiative that is bringing WinColl towards net-zero. Many, like me, hadn’t committed to meatless diets before. Nevertheless we enjoyed everything from penne pesto to vegetable stir-fry, and are hugely grateful to Hopper’s chefs for a fantastic menu. An MP pupil declared Tuesday’s spinach lasagne to be the best meal he’d had this year!
There was no expectation for everyone to totally commit to vegetarianism. Hopefully last week’s lunches demonstrated that climate-friendly diets needn’t be painful, and sparked more conversations about tackling the climate emergency."
Walking up to books on the morning of XVs is one of the more exciting walks to class that a Wykehamist undertakes, and this year was no exception. Flint Court was festooned in red, brown and white, further building the atmosphere for the game. On the dot of 14:30, the Chapel Bells rang out and the two teams walked from War Cloister, behind Pearl Pot (the trophy to be won), and onto the Canvas. OTH won the toss, somewhat surprisingly won the first hot, and took the first point of the game.
Commoners quickly replied with a goal (3 points). However, with sustained and excellent kicking from the OTH Kicks of Caspar Hall (Toye's), Freddie van Every and Will Whitehead (both Furley's), it quickly became a one-sided affair. The final score was 65-37 to OTH. It is tempting to give all the glory to the Kicks, but this impressive result would not have happened without all the superb ropes-play and chasing from the OTH Ups and Hotwatches.
Pearl Pot and glory, then, returned to OTH for this year, but Commoners will already have their eyes on getting it back next time!
Learning
LGBTQ+ History Month
In tutor hour, pupils – led by the History Society - are exploring, through a historical lens, how different societies and cultures have understood human sexuality across time and place. They will also consider how the rights of LGBTQ+ people have changed over time, by studying eras and cultures from the Athenians to the Wiemar Republic, via Imperial China and Native American peoples.
The displays in MobLib, and available reading list, support pupils' understanding of the topic, highlighting classics such as Woolf’s Orlando and Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room, as well as contemporary writing from poets and authors, including Ocean Vuong and Alan Hollinghurst, as well as non-fiction writing.
Academic
Poetry Competition
In January, the English department ran a competition for all pupils to submit poems inspired by a piece of music or music generally. The winner is Lloyd Dore-Green (College, VIBk1), whose carefully constructed poem is inspired by Liszt’s piece for solo piano ‘Vallée d'Obermann’ from the first year of his Années de pèlerinage. The vallée (a depression in both meanings of the word) represents, for Liszt and Étienne Pivert de Senancour (on whose novel of the same title Liszt based his piece), something which is both undefinable and unescapable, leaving man utterly alone.
Honourable mentions go to Kilian King (Freddie’s, VIBk1) inspired by Simon and Garfunkel, and Austin Lam (Phil’s, MP), responding to Camille Saint-Saëns’ ‘Carnival of the Animals’.
Sustainability
Rewilding: The King and The Maverick
Last Tuesday we welcomed two of the most significant and influential figures involved in nature recovery in the UK to talk to an audience of pupils and parents. Sir Charles Burrell, (alongside his wife, author Isabella Tree) created Knepp Wildland, a 1,400 hectare estate in Sussex that is synonymous with rewilding and regenerative farming.
Derek Gow is an ecologist, reintroduction specialist, farmer, and author. Mr Gow has reintroduced 25,000 water voles and dozens of beavers to British waterways. They gave a fascinating presentation about their vision for a wilder Britain and the potential for Winchester College's own estate.
Outreach
Ecology and Science
On 31 January, STEM Ambassadors from Park Community School joined us for a series of science activities. Students learnt about evolution and adaptation, as well as a practical on algae analysis.
This is part of our Partnerships programme, with the sessions taught by our Duncan Louis Stewart Fellow of Natural History, Eve Cavey.
Talks
A Legal Debate
Last Tuesday, two KCs spoke to a packed audience in School on the theme "What is the point of war crimes trials?' Sir Geoffrey Nice KC was the lead prosecutor in the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milošević; his cross examiner, Nicolas Davidson KC (OW) has been a leading barrister for many years. The tone of the evening was set by Nicholas's first question to Geoffrey: "What is it like to face a man in a court whom you believe was responsible for the death of 8,000 people?"
Parents are welcome at all talks. In the coming weeks you can hear from Cllr Danny Chambers, Lib Dem candidate for Winchester and Chandler's Ford, Alan Lovell (OW), recently appointed Chair of the Environment Agency, and Professor Ivan Gout, Professor of Cancer Biochemistry at UCL.
Catalyst
Experience a 21st Century Div Lesson
Winchester College Society is hosting an online Div lesson with CATALYST on Saturday 4 March at 11:00. Justin Pinnells, CATALYST’s academic director, will give a whistle-stop tour of the programme that draws on Winchester’s unique expertise and resources. This is your chance to experience an integral part of how Winchester College is continuing to lead in education.
You can hear the Headmaster explaining more about the focus of CATALYST, and what prospective students can expect from a course, in a short film, via the link below.
Social
Parent Quiz
On Friday 3 February, 11 teams of parents took part in the Parents Quiz. Created and hosted brilliantly by Yuriy Evdokimov, parents answered questions ranging from Arts and Literature, to Sports and Music.
Congratulations go to Sarah Margolin’s team for winning for the second year running. Thank you to all parents who took part, and especially to those on the Parents Events Committee for their help with organising.
Social
Hong Kong Gala Dinner
The Hong Kong Friends of Winchester College and the OW HK Guild will be holding a Gala Dinner at the Hong Kong Country Club on Tuesday 25 April. The Headmaster Tim Hands and his wife, Jane Hands, will be attending.
This is an opportunity for future, current and past parents, alongside OWs, to gather together, and to meet the Headmaster. Please save the date and look out for further information about the event. If you have any questions, please contact Winchester College Society via the link below.
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