From the Second Master
Supporting Ukraine
As part of marking the one year anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian department organised an evening of anti-war poetry readings. The pupils and dons listened to a selection of anti-war poems from Russian poets and their translators who are deeply saddened by what is being done in their name.
Weekend Arrangements for Boarders
Details for this weekend can be found here. Please access the Parent Portal via the link below to inform us of your child’s plans for this weekend by 2300 on Thursday 2 March. Log in, select 'Interactive Forms' and 'Weekend Sign-out' to complete the form.
Exeat Arrangements for Boarders (10-12 March)
In preparation for Exeat on Friday 10 March, all parents of boarders should complete the Exeat Arrangements form, which is also accessed via the same route on the Parent Portal; under ‘Exeat arrangements'. Please complete the form by 1300 on Friday 3 March.
Academic
Earth Prize Finalists
The Earth Prize is an annual, global competition, focused on environmental sustainability, which rewards the teams whose projects have the most potential to address environmental issues. Two teams of Winchester College pupils were selected as Earth Prize Scholars in the 2023 competition, placing them in the top 37 teams, out of 1290 entries worldwide.
The pupils, who are all members of the College's Sustainability Society, are:
Bactoplastics team (first photo): Maks F., Eren A., Bob G., and Alistair C.
Veggie for Schools team (second photo): Alexandra B-L., Jamie M., Jack P., Harry S., and Jimmy H.
Last night, the Finalists were announced with Bactoplastics making it through, alongside just nine other teams. The Earth Prize Winner, to be announced in April, will receive a prize of $100,000, to be split between the team members and their school. Three runner-up schools will also be awarded $25,000 each.
Universities
Exploring the US
Our North American exchange programme offers the opportunity to experience high school life and explore US universities to help pupils make choices about their next steps after Winchester.
Over Leave-out, four Sixth Form pupils joined Germantown Friends School, hosted by GFS families and fully immersed in American high school life. The trip also provided the opportunity to tour three very different American Colleges, each of which have been popular with graduating Winchester College pupils in recent years: UPenn, Princeton and Columbia.
Academic
Space Satellites
Winchester has entered two teams for the UK CanSat competitions, which is run by the European Space Agency, and aims to give students an opportunity to work on a project focused on space. Teams are tasked with designing a satellite that will be launched 400m into the air and can record and transmit physics data like atmospheric pressure and temperature: all to fit within the volume of a can.
The two teams of six Year 12 (VIBk2) pupils comprise:
Team 1: Zachary L., Tom de V., Louis F.-G., Jeff H., Victor E., Edri K.
Team 2: Michael Y., Freddie S., Zong Y., Alex P., Ricky Z., Arjun G.
On Friday 24 February, Team 2 conducted an experiment from the Chapel roof, successfully testing the quality of the parachute design, with the relatively soft landing of the quail egg secured inside.
(Click arrow to scroll through photos)
March
Events
We hope parents will join some of the events and talks taking place this coming month. No tickets are required for the events where pupils are performing. All other events can be booked via the link below.
- The City of London's Future in a Multi-Polar World – Talk by future Lord Mayor of London, Michael Mainelli, 2 March, School, 19:00
- Kenneth Clark Prize Final, 3 March, New Hall, 19:00
- Glee Club & Concerto Concert, 5 March, New Hall, 19:00-20:45
- Charles Garrett OBE – Talk by former British Ambassador to North Macedonia and Kyrgyzstan, 13 March, Chantry, 19:00
- The Winchester Martyrs – Talk by Dr. Lucy Wooding, 21 March, School, 19:00
- An evening with Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency, 22 March, New Hall, 19:00
- Sing a Song of Science III, 22 & 23 March, QEII, 19:00
Catalyst
New Foundations Course
Following the success of last year's programme, we are launching the CATALYST Foundations course: a unique, one week programme designed for curious, ambitious children, aged 10 – 13, from across the world.
The course will run 10-14 July 2023, with 25 students selected to work with Winchester College Dons to explore pressing topics that span technology and innovation, and the philosophy and ethics of modern society. Students can expect to be challenged and supported to develop key academic skills rooted in discourse, debate, and collaborative problem-solving.
The programme would particularly suit boys and girls looking to expand their horizons beyond their normal school curriculum, or wishing to experience the learning on offer at a highly selective senior school.
Community
Providing Expertise & Challenge
Biochemistry
A-level students from UTC Portsmouth joined us for an afternoon of biochemistry enrichment. They were guided through the process of synthesising and extracting oil of wintergreen by Winchester College students before attending a lecture by Professor Ivan Gout from UCL on his research career looking at the regulation of cell growth and the role of signalling enzymes. He also passed on some tips on exam technique and careers in science.
DT Competition
Five schools (Park Community School, Henry Beaufort, UTC Portsmouth, Hamble School and Winchester College) competed in our Design Technology Challenge to construct a chair using only cardboard with no glue or other fixings. The chairs were scored based on their design, market potential, comfort and durability.
Societies
Trading & Investment
This evening, Trader Soc is hosting a talk entitled 'Starting out in investing and trading', by the school's bursar, Paresh Thakrar.
Mr Thakrar’s investing experience began at Deutsche Bank, where he traded Eastern European, Middle Eastern and African Swaps, Bonds and FX out of the London office. He subsequently co-founded the Asset Management subsidiary at Hiscox, growing the business to $2bn assets under management of natural catastrophe risk. Mr Thakrar also served a range of global financial institutions and asset managers whilst at consultant McKinsey & Company.
The talk is open to all students and staff who are interested in learning more about finance and trading from a knowledge expert.
Houses
Science Quiz
Wilson Pot is the annual inter-house science quiz. The junior quiz was won by College, with Freddie’s second, Cook’s, Trant’s and Hopper’s joint-third.
The senior quiz, and Wilson Pot trophy, was won convincingly by Cook’s, with Hopper’s in second place and defending champions Furley’s coming third.
Partnerships
Crown and Manor Visit
As part of its long-standing partnership, the College welcomed seven boys and two members of staff from the Crown and Manor Club last week for a day of academic and sporting activity.
The day included football and cricket drills, tours of the Treasury and architecture of the school, art lessons, and lunch in College Hall.
Surmaster James Hodgins, who leads the project, talked to the boys about the historic connections between the Club and Winchester College, and explained what life at a boarding school is like. The group discussed the differences and similarities between the College and where they go to school.
Back to Previous Newsletters