Author Archives: remco
County Representation
Despite the meteological challenges, there have been some cricketing successes to share already and it is safe to say that the abnormally wet weather thas not dampened cricket spirits at Scarborough College altogether.
Old Scardeburgians Cian Dickinson and Jack Carney represented Lancashire 2nd XI and Kent 2nd XI respectively while current Year 12 student Matty Firbank was called up to represent Yorkshire’s 2nd XI. Everyone at the College is extremely delighted with Matty’s call up, which is a huge privilege for someone of Matty’s age, though of course thoroughly deserved.
Continuing with call-ups, four students were called up to represent Yorkshire’s U18 Emerging Players’ Programme (EPP). Ben Squires, Ibrahim Ahmed, Joe Thompson and Matty Firbank will take on Worksop College next week.
College Successes
Our U17 Boys gave a very good account of themselves at a pre-season cricket festival wonderfully hosted by Bradfield College. In a field mainly made up of U18 sides, our U17s won three and lost three during their time in Berkshire.
The U15 boys managed a glorious victory by seven wickets over Durham County Champions Monkwearmouth Academy on Tuesday. This was the first round of the ESCA U15 One-Day National Cup. Mr Rinke would like to extend a huge thank you to Driffield Cricket Club who kindly hosted this fixture. You can find the scorecard by clicking on this link.
As a testament that the weather will not stop us, the U12 Boys played a trial game on the Astroturf earlier this week and enjoyed an early season win. And last but not least, our Senior Girls played an indoor fixture against York University with the spoils going to the Scarborough College girls.
Thank You!
Many congratulations to all players on their individual successes, all the teams and coaching staff. A huge thank you to our Grounds staff. This has been an extremely tough few weeks and we truly appreciate the incredibly hard work. We look forward to updating you on more cricket successes soon!
The South Africa Hockey Tour 2023 kicked off on the College car park with nervous laughter and tears. For some girls, the start of the tour was also the end of their time at Scarborough College and many had come to say goodbye.
Franschhoek and Cape Town
Day one was spent exploring both Franschhoek itself and the retail therapy opportunities. The first game, against Franschhoek Dragons was played under the lights and the girls ran out with a comfortable win.
Morning training at Rhenish Girls’ High School was followed by lunch at Stellenbosch airfield. The girls then enjoyed themselves with an afternoon of padel tennis and a transfer from Cape Town to Hermanus.
In Hermanus, the group enjoyed two days of adrenaline fuelled activities. The girls went quad biking, zip lining and even whale watching. Returning to Cape Town, the adventure continued with an unforgettable trip up to Table Mountain and a trek around the nature reserve.
There was still time for hockey with fixtures against Western Province and Milnerton High School. Along the way, tour comedians were appointed to keep spirits up. In addition, there were the appointments of tour guides, informing us of local culture, and tour musicians. The latter provided the entertainment with some sold bus karaoke.
Chapman’s Peak and Robben Island
The second part of the tour saw another impressive morning of hockey against Milnerton High School, followed by a spot of lunch on the beach at Table Bay. Not a bad spot for lunch with Table Mountain as the backdrop. There were more photo opportunities, as the drive took the group along famous Chapman’s Peak. At the end of this journey, the girls visited Boulder’s Beach and Simonstown. A great opportunity to see the penguins, their chicks and even some dassies. Dassies are also known as rock hyrax and though they are very small, they’re closest relatives are actually elephants.
Before venturing out to Robben Island, the girls enjoyed their first proper lie-in of the tour. The visit to Robben Island was poignany as an ex-political prisoner provided the group with valuable insights. He had spent five years on Robben Island and the visit left an impression on everyone.
The Big Five and More Goodbyes
The final days started with a game against Curro Durbanville in stunning surroundings. With multiple positional changes and a variety of tactics, our girls came away with another victory after a superb performance.
The group spent the evening at Camps Bay Beach, a game of beach cricket and a stunning sunset. Later, it was the staff’s turn to provide the karaoke. Up until that point, it had been primarily student led but Ms Brightlin, Mr Elliott and Mr Kench did not disappointment.
The penultimate day in South Africa started with a leisurely Morning at the ‘Old Biscuit Mill’ marketplace with some exceptional food and last chance souvenir shopping. The final and toughest games came in the afternoon in the form of Constantiaberg HC with back to back games against their U18 and 1st teams.
Although there were two wins, the victories were bittersweet as they marked the final game for some of the girls. For them, it wasn’t just the end of the South Africa Hockey Tour but also their final game for the College. The group celebrated the final games with a traditional South African Braai and penalty shuffles. The evening marked an energetic but, above all, emotional, awards’ evening where Ellie and Amber scooped the Tourists’ Awards.
On the very final day the Aquila Game Reserve did not disappoint. On arguably the best day of the hockey tour, the girls saw most of the Big Five up close and in their natural habitat.
All in all, an unforgettable South Africa Hockey Tour that no one will forget.
Tour Results
Game 1 vs Franschhoek Dragons 8-0 W
Game 2 vs Western Province 2nds 2-3 L
Game 3 vs Milnerton 12-0 W
Game 4 vs Milnerton 10-0 W
Game 5 vs Curro Durbanville 9-0 W
Game 6 vs Constantiaberg HC U18 4-0 W
Game 7 vs Constantiaberg HC 1st 6-0 W
School during the summer holidays can be a quiet place. Students who have completed their IB Diploma Programme are on a deserved break while others are taking a break from school so as to return with fresh vigour. In the first week, there might be the lone teacher tidying up a classroom but throughout, all is quiet.
A Noisy Summer
Not so at Scarborough College. With many building works to get on with, one might argue the summer break is the loudest. Builders have gutted the Sixth Form study centre, ready for an extension. Similarly, in the Sixth Form cafe and the library; where there is the constant racket of drilling and hammering. There is a makeover going on and just like last summer, students will return with excitement
A project that started some time is the WiFi overhaul and digital safety improvement work. This multi-year project will ensure faster WiFi, ease of use and a safer working environment. Eventually, the school will become ISO27001 certified. Earlier this year, Scarborough College became Cyber Essentials Certified. In addition to this project, the IT Department had to make a decision about the College’s IT waste. As a Google School, Scarborough College produces a lot of IT waste and it was vital that this disposed of safely and sustainably.
IT Waste
But why is it important to dispose of IT waste properly? Andy Holliday from Acorn Community Recycling, the College’s partner for IT waste disposal, tells us about its importance. Obviously, there is an environmental cost to IT waste. Raw materials such as zinc, copper, cobalt and gold can be valuable. More importantly, they can be hazardous to the environment. To a company like Scarborough College, there are more potential hazards. Any PC we get rid of can end up on Ebay – and so can the data it holds. This means there is the risk of a breach of data protection.
Andy’s company takes in, for instance, old PCs. The company wipes them and erases them before they are refurbished. Those of you who think wiping a disk is an easy job, think again. According to Andy, you can format a hard-drive 27 times and it can still contain data. Acorn uses Killdisk, which usually takes an entire working day to wipe a hard drive. Luckily, Andy built his own machine that can wipe a number of disks at one time. He announces proudly that once he is done with a hard drive, even the CIA could not get data off that drive.
The College’s IT Coordinator Mark Smith met Andy Holliday when faced with a similar problem while working for North Yorkshire County Council. Although Andy had always been into computers, he was actually a teacher of English by trade. While the two talked about safely disposing of IT waste, they were joined by Chris Holliday, Andy’s brother.
Chris had recently started a charity and Andy saw an opportunity to link the three together. As a council, North Yorkshire was keen about the idea of seeing IT waste go to charity. Andy saw a gap in the market, as there was no competent reputable charity that did this kind of work. The rest, as they say, is history. Before long, North Yorkshire council was linked to Acorn Community Care. When Mark moved across to Scarborough College, he took his connection to Andy and Chris’s charity along with him.
Acorn Community Care
Acorn Community Care is a charity that provides space to adults with learning disabilities and men in particular. The charity recognises that this can be a largely forgotten group that lacks parental and educational support. More than 90% of the charity’s users are men with disabilities that range from extreme autism to asperger’s.
Funded primarily by IT waste, The charity owns a farm and houses several workshops in buildings. In addition to a number of greenhouses, the workshops range from metal work, woodwork, horseshoe art and – of course – IT waste. In the farm, you can find alpacas, goats, horses and other animals. While some people live on the farm, many of the people visit on a daily basis and transport is provided by the charity. The eight-acre farm can be visited by appointment.
Andy says the standard of care currently exceeds the norm but he is keen to do more. He would like to see improvements to their homes and better adaption to physical disabilities, which includes more specialised transport. He would also like to explore the possibility of more workshops. Only 20% of the available spaces is currently used and the charity would love to be able to fund overseas trips.
If you are interested in finding out more about Acorn Community Care, please contact Andy at Acorn Community Care
Thank you to staff Departing
Thank you to Mrs Elliot and Dr Thomas, who joined us in January in the wake of the upset caused by Mr Wilson’s illness. In Business and Psychology, respectively, they have provided outstanding support to the classes they have taught.
Thank you to Miss Briggs who has worked at the College for two years now. She initially assisted in the Health Centre and then, this year, worked as a TA in Year 7. She has supported our pupils wonderfully and we look forward to seeing her thrive on her new course that she undertakes in September.
Thank you to Mr Galligan. may only have been here for one year but he has been an inspirational teacher to many of you and we wish him well at Stonyhurst College.
Thank you to Mrs Gething who has been Head of EAL for two years and with us for four years. Whether in MFL, English or EAL academic classes, she brings an amazing sense of calm and a huge degree of professionalism. She has been meticulous in her planning and commitment to Scarborough College and we wish her well as she journeys across the Pennines to spend the next phase of her life in Manchester.
Mr and Mrs Harvey step down from their house parenting roles next week after a combined total of over fifty years in boarding. For the last eight years, they have been the linchpin within the College’s boarding team as houseparents in Bankory and Weaponness, whilst Mr Harvey was also Head of Boarding for two years. The warmth of their care will have been experienced by many of you and was epitomised in the summer of 2020 when the first lockdown took place. They remained at their post with a small number of boarders who had been unable to get home and looked after the pupils as though they were members of their family. We wish them a restful retirement from boarding although they both will remain in school in the Science department.
Mr Fraser, aka the gaffer, has been a long standing and highly respected member of the staff and senior management team. His outstanding teaching and quiet authority have combined to serve countless pupils well, particularly in Biology but also on many sports fields, as a committed football and cricket coach particularly. Mr Fraser is what some might call a true ‘schoolmaster’ and our loss will certainly be Harrow in Shanghai’s gain. We wish him the very best of luck and look forward to his regular visits back to Scarborough in the years to come.
Lyke Wake Walk
Half-walk Winners
David Amram, Sibelle Baza, Elliot Burnley, Jázmin Fazekas, Emma Lawson, Sara Lützenkirchen, Eloise Muller, Holly Neuschäfer, Patricia Nistor, Luise Rudloff, Pun Veeraphan and Charlie Walker
Full-walk Winners
Lily Blythe, Olivia Clegg, Louie Freeman, Vincent Gotthelf, Fatoumatta Jabbie, Jalamba Jabbie, Tomos Jenkyn Jones, Anton Kaiser, Hana Khan, Jonah Kressin, Henri Lamboy, Paul Xaver Litzlbauer, Daniel Pinkney, Juliette Schulten, Maisy Smith, Jacob Taylor-Burks, Paeng Thongkue, Simon Zagorska, Lorenz Prinz zu Bentheim und Steinfurt
DofE
Bronze Award: Ashani Datt, Malachi Jenkinson and Guy Marshall
Silver Award: Hannah Smith
Headmaster’s Commendations
Paula Friemann and Sinah Fabig for excellent help throughout the year during the EP German for KS3 and KS4
Libby Ashurst, Alice Overfield, Connie Overfield and Olivia Smallwood for being kind and caring, supporting the younger pupils
Hayden Lawry for outstanding support of and exemplary buddying for new pupils
Academic Reports
Lower Sixth
Elliot Burnley, Maisy Smith, Juliette Schulten, David Amram and Johanna Benavides Sosa for consistent good attitude and hard work
Harry Cammish, Ingrid Yeung, Tamara Jacobs and Josie Sample for Consistent hard work in IB Literature
Vincent Gotthelf and Sibelle Baza for brilliant independent essay writing
Will Cooney for progress IB Lang and Lit
Year 10
All members of Yr 10 Set 1 English who produce consistently good work and are a pleasure to teach
Fran Hudson & Charlie Sutcliffe for Academic achievement
Amber Scott, Joe Swann, Timothy Yu and Josh Atkinson for ommitment to learning and effort
Kevin Cao for superb effort in English.
Year 9
Freya Burton, Ella Berkley, Kiara Heron, Hannah Kinsella, Max Stone, Flora Thornton Saunby and Cayton Deshayes-McCourt for effort and achievement
Kim Lau, Ivan Marushkin, Hattie Langley, Robert Forsyth and Bruce Russell for effort in English and for being the top 5 points earners in ReadTheory
Harry Amstell and Ida Merron for most improved in Mrs Gething’s class
Daisy Lindenberg and Josh Fraser for consistent excellent effort and attitude in English
Year 8
Jack Bettam for effort and progress
Maisie Thompson and Riley Rooney for being the most improved students
Zac Alessio and Barney O’Donnell for academic excellence
Gabi Cooke, Winnie Cade, Abi Boynton, Mike Mulryne, Henry Stafford-Lister and Monty Hill for Consistent excellent effort and attitude in English
Year 7
Annabel Almond, Will Atkinson, Skye Goldsmith-Thorpe, Blossom Harrison, Niamh Mulryne, Dexter Penny and Liv Smallwood for consistent excellent effort and attitude in English
Anna Goodall and Aryana Javaherian for academic excellence
Jasper Pattison and Peter Warcup for effort and commitment to learning
Seren Lewis for dedication to improvement in English, particularly in creative writing
MFL Pupils of the Year (consistent effort, positive attitude and progress throughout)
Year 7: Aryana Javaherian and Skye Goldsmith-Thorpe
Year 8: Mike Mulryne and Barney O’Donnell
Year 9: Max Stone, Flora Thornton-Saunby, Jack Milburn and Freya Burton
Year 10: Abigail Watt, Sarah King and Freya Clarkson-Hall
Year 12: Patricia Nistor, Josie Sample, Harry Cammish, Paula Freeman and Vincent Gotthelf
Global Politics
Essay writing competition winners: Josie Sample, Harry Cammish, Ingrid Yeung, Olivia Clegg, Hana Khan and Anton Kaiser
EAL
Most improved: Petch Puangmala
Consistent hard work: Kate Hychka, Yannes Leung, Tob Chinnawuth, Robin Scheffler
Consistent good work and attitude: Sinah Fabig, Paula Friemann & Paul Litzlbauer
Biology
Participation: Kateryna Hychka, Libby Robson, Jess Taylor-Burks and Timothy Yu
Commended: Hugo Butterfield, Malachi Jenkinson, Yannes Leung and Abigail Watt
Highly commended: Tom Hill and Livvy Miners
Congratulations to those receiving Silver Certificates: James Corrigan, Robin Scheffler, Rebecca Shacklock and Charlie Sutcliffe
Congratulations to those receiving Gold Certificates: Tob Chinnawuth, Olivia Dockerty, Ingrid Els, Ebin Kurian, Jack Mainprize and Charlie Winter
KS3 Biology student of the year – Alex Leung
KS4 Pupil of the year – Nicola Keulder
KS5 Student of the year – Ema Antovska
Junior Maths Challenge
Bronze Certificate; Skye Goldsmith-Thorpe, Isabella Jackson, Henry Lister-Stafford, Hadley McTurk, Dexter Penny, Barney O’Donnell and Maisie Thomson
Silver Certificate; Zac Alessio, Hayden Lawry, Alex Leung (who was also best in Year) and Mike Mulryne
Gold Certificate, Best in Year and Best in School, Aryana Javaherian
Performing Arts
LAMDA (see LAMDA results)
Music
Grade 1 Piano Practical Joseph Duffy
Grade 1 Piano Practical with merit Timothy Yu
RSL Level 3 Certificate in Grade 6 Drums, Tob Chinnawuth
University of West London Grade 7 Musical Theatre Ted Kellock
Sports
Senior School Sports Day
Junior Girls’ 200m; Sophie Dockerty (Cooper) 29.66
Junior Girls’ 300m; Ruby Smith (Cooper) 52.24
Junior Girls’ 800m; Cherry Bowling (Armstrong) 2.56
Junior Girls’ Long Jump; Pip Lucas (Armstrong) 4.12m
Intermediate Girls’ 300m; Abi Watt (Hornby) 49.55
Intermediate Girls’ 1500m; Amber Scott (Hornby) 5.40
Senior Girls 100m; Juliette Schulten (Armstrong) 14.51
Senior Girls’ 200m; Nicola Keulder (Cooper) 29.66
Senior Girls’ 300m; Lily Blythe (Hornby) 48.04
Senior Girls’ 800m; Olivia Clegg (Crews) 2.58
Senior Girls’ 1500m; Olivia Clegg (Crews) 6.16
Junior Boys’ 100m; Toby Ward (Hornby) 12.68
Junior Boys’ 200m; Toby Ward (Hornby) 26.63
Junior Boys’ 800m; Zac Alessio (Armstrong) 2.30.72
Junior Boys’ 1500m; Hugo Guthrie (Armstrong) 5.18.9
Junior Boys’ Long Jump; Jacob Satchel 4.63m
Intermediate Boys’ 200m; Diego Carvani (Armstrong) 25.48
Intermediate Boys’ 400m; Ben Crick (Armstrong) 59.49
Intermediate Boys’ High Jump; Moritz Goltermann 1.51m
Intermediate Boys’ Long Jump; Maxime Klein 5.43m
Senior Boys’ 400m; Romario Roach (Crews) 54.33
Senior Boys’ 800m; Lewis Porter (Hornby) 2.12.63
Senior Boys’ Shot; Lewis Porter (Hornby) 11.80m
Junior Girls’ Victrix Ludorum; Cherry Bowling (A) 23 points
Intermediate Girls’ Victrix Ludorum; Katie Williamson (H) 24 points
Senior Girls’ Victrix Ludorum; Nicola Keulder (Co) 22 points
Junior Boys’ Victor Ludorum; Henry Lister-Stafford (H) 22 points
Intermediate Boys’ Victor Ludorum; Will Harding (A) 22 points
Senior Boys’ Victor Ludorum; Joint winners – Lewis Porter (H) and Romario Roach (Cr) 16 points
Congratulations to Hornby House who won the Athletics Sports Day with Armstrong narrowly behind in second place. Crews were 3rd and Cooper 4th.
Cricket
Most improved / Player of the Season (girls)
U12’s: Niamh Mulryne / Libby Ashurst
U13’s: Eliza Wood / Pip Lucas
U14’s: Lily Smith / Ginny Pattison
U15’s: Katie Williamson / Livvy Miners
Seniors/First XI: Olivia Clegg / Abi Boyes
Players’ Player
Seniors/First XI: Hana Khan
Most improved / Player of the Season (boys)
U12’s: Jacob Hesp / Dexter Penny
U13’s: Monty Hill / Mike Mulryne
U14’s: Frank Brewis / Ben Squires
U15’s: Oliver Drayton / Ruanit Singh
Seniors/Second XI: Ted Barker
Seniors/First XI: Lewis Porter
Players’ Player
U12’s: Alfred Denton
U13’s: Oliver Dean
U14’s: Ben Squires
U15’s: Ruanit Singh
Seniors/Second XI: Macaiah Simmons
Seniors/First XI: George Taylor
Tennis
Most improved / Player of the Season (girls)
U15’s: Erin Law / Ingrid Els
Seniors: Holly Neuschafer / Kim Egli
Most improved / Player of the Season (boys)
Seniors: Henri Lamboy / Pun Veeraphan
House events
Individual winners
Armstrong: Libby Ashurst (95), Zac Alessio (132), Hannah Kinsella (104)
Cooper: Mishka Patel (129), Ruby Smith (123), Izzy Hall (100)
Crews: Aryana Javaherian (192), Barney O’Donnell (134), Freya Burton (133)
Hornby: Lexi Watt (148), Lily Mae Hirst (97), Kiara Heron (93)
House Points
4th Hornby House 4326
3rd Cooper House 4874
2nd Crews House 5217
1st Armstrong House 5325
Another bumper result for Scarborough College LAMDA students!
In the most recent examinations, students from Year 1 to Year 13 took 85 examinations in Verse and Prose, Public Speaking, Acting and Musical Theatre, with two of our sixth form students taking their practical Recital exam for their PCertLAM. Once again there was a 100% achievement at Merit or above, with 56% at Distinction. Well done to all our students!
For those children in the Infants, this was their first ever examination and we hope they will have a long and successful LAMDA journey. Our Year 11 leavers completed their Medal journeys and all did themselves proud, we wish them well in their further studies. Special mentions should go to Sofia Baloch and Molly Hill in the Prep School for achieving the highest marks (92/100) in their respective exams; Harry Cammish in the Senior School for an incredible 97/100 for his Gold Medal Public Speaking exam, and Emily Hazledine and Elliot Burnley for Distinction marks in their PCertLAM Recital exam.
Congratulations to all our students and thank you to the incredible LAMDA team of Mrs Pears and Ms Galway.
LAMDA Results 2023 Prep School
Verse & Prose
Intro 2
Morgan Stevenson – Merit
Pandora Simpson – Merit
Cece Thomas-Hogarth – Merit
Intro 3
Raffety Wilkinson – Merit
Entry
Teddy Hogg – Distinction
Grade 1
Rupert Thomas-Hogarth – Merit
Grade 2
Seraphina Adams – Merit
Nathan Ndekwu – Merit
Jonathan Almond – Merit
Alyssa Yaxley – Merit
Isabel Palmer – Merit
Grade 3
Sofia Baloch – Distinction
Molly Hill – Distinction
Emily Volkova – Distinction
Cecily Taylor – Distinction
Maartje Weeda – Distinction
Keira Helm – Distinction
Noah Adams – Distinction
Martha Lindley – Merit
Hannah Santhosh – Merit
Alex Artley – Merit
Grade 4
Avi Szegedi – Merit
Abeer Datt – Merit
Public Speaking
Grade 3
Emily Volkova – Distinction
Avi Szegedi – Merit
Acting
Entry
Sofia Baloch – Distinction
Molly Hill – Distinction
Abeer Datt – Distinction
Alyssa Yaxley – Distinction
Isabel Palmer – Distinction
Grade 1
Hugo Goodall – Merit
LAMDA Results 2023 Senior School
Acting
Grade 1
Annabel Almond – Distinction
Matthew Smith – Distinction
Sam Palmer – Merit
Henry Simpson – Merit
Grade 2
Will Atkinson – Distinction
Grade 3
Kendall Burrows – Distinction
Eliza Wood – Distinction
Oliver Dean – Distinction
Romano Diaz – Distinction
Grade 4
Max Marshall – Distinction
Star Hall – Distinction
Darcy Truelove – Distinction
Lily Penn – Distinction
Kiara Heron – Merit
Grade 5
Atty D’Arcy – Distinction
Aishani Datt – Distinction
Freya Clarkson-Hall – Distinction
Yasmin Walker – Merit
Mackenzie Heaney – Merit
Isabelle Hall – Merit
Isabel Day – Merit
Bronze Medal
Hannah Smith – Merit
Gold Medal
Delilah D’Arcy – Distinction
Harris Atkinson – Distinction
Toby McTurk – Distinction
Bobby Watts – Distinction
Verse & Prose
Grade 3
Barny O’Donnell – Distinction
Matthew Smith – Distinction
Annabel Almond – Distinction
Milo Taylor – Merit
Grade 4
Darcy Truelove – Merit
Katie Williamson – Merit
Grade 5
Lily Penn – Distinction
Ben Guthrie – Distinction
Harry Robinson – Distinction
Max Marshall – Distinction
Bronze Medal
Aishani Datt – Merit
Freya Clarkson-Hall – Merit
Gold Medal
Kelsey Atkinson – Merit
Public Speaking
Grade 1
Vlad-Andrei Simionica – Distinction
Robin Scheffler – Distinction
Bronze Medal
Will Cooney – Distinction
Sophia Ibbott Cook – Distinction
Toby Borthwick – Merit
Gold Medal
Harry Cammish – Distinction
Musical Theatre
Entry
Mathilda Pye – Merit
Grade 1
Hayden Lawry – Merit
Tiffany Williamson – Merit
Grade 5
Joseph Swann – Distinction
Bronze Medal
Pearl Basson – Merit
PCertLAM
Unit 2 Recital
Elliot Burnley – Distinction
Emily Hazledine – Distinction
by Will Atkison, Year 7
In the thriving city of Ancient Rome, in one particular building, the gladiators rose up and out into the blazing heat of the sun, from the dark and damp room underneath the ground. Spectators took their seats on the stone benches that were placed all around the colosseum. The touch of the cold stone helped temper the heat of that day. The nauseating smell of blood dances around the building from the carcasses of the fallen gladiators.
Whilst the fighters arose, the crowd roared in excitement and all that could be heard was them, not even a volcano erupting would be as loud as this particular group of spectators. An eager fifteen year old boy was watching in awe to see who was fighting who that day, but then when he saw their faces, he was shocked into silence. His own two brothers were forced to fight each other.
Twenty minutes later a body was thrown onto the floor and from it a pool of dark red blood spewed from it. His oldest brother had died. The crowd cheered for his brother, but they had no idea that those two were related. Later that day, the fifteen year old boy, Zachary decided to leave and create a life of his own after seeing his very own brothers fight to the death.
After leaving Rome, he had a second thought, maybe he should stay, but he decided against it. He kept wandering around, and he eventually spent all night wandering! As soon as the sun emerged, his legs gave way and he instantly collapsed to the floor. About an hour later he heard two voices, though he was too tired to open his eyes he knew, whoever they are, he could trust them.
It felt like only four seconds of sleep but was probably about four hours. He awoke to an unfamiliar place, with two figures looming over him. One had an angelic voice and the other, a cheerful one.
When Zachary decided to stand up, the figures suddenly disappeared into a puff of smoke. He looked around to see a beautiful golden city sat upon a sea of clouds. A warm feeling spread out through his body and the heat of the day was just right, not too hot but also not too cold. The sound of a faint orchestra of harps could be heard. He took a step then another, and another, and some more and before he knew it he was at the shining golden gates at the foot of the city. Zachary felt like he had been there before, but he can’t have, he has no memory of the sorts of this place. He had a feeling that this place was his home.
He entered the city and was immediately hit with an overwhelming feeling in his head, everything went dark and it felt like he was travelling at five hundred miles an hour! And then, all of a sudden, the strange sensation stopped and his vision came back, and what he saw was a man, who looked very wise, powerful and strong, sitting upon a golden throne. He had white hair and was wearing a white and golden robe. He was also holding something that looked like a lightning bolt in his left hand, and a bunch of grapes in his left.
The man greeted Zachary and said that his name was Zeus, the King of the Gods. Zachary couldn’t speak out of sheer disbelief. Zeus understood and led him to a dark room which led to some stairs, at the bottom of the stairs there was another door, he opened it and pushed Zachary through. After two seconds Zeus followed, but when he followed Zeus had a strange red aura around him and after a flash of crimson red light, the strong zeus transformed into a shrivelled old man!
The man said that he tricked Zachary and his name was actually Hades the King of the underworld! The strange sensation that Zachary had had earlier happened again! But this time he was taken to the foot of a massive, towering volcano! Hades said that the volcano was called Mt. Rendrok and it had been dormant for three hundred years, so it couldn’t erupt. And with that Hades disappeared into a puff of red smoke.
A massive meteorite like rock flew suddenly out of the Volcano, smoke followed with an odour that could kill a vulture. More and more rocks flew out of Mt. Rendrok. Strangely, the rocks all suddenly stopped from spilling out, and a massive roar echoed out of the Volcano.
Boom! A colossal explosion came from the mouth of the Volcano and the meteorite-looking rocks flew out once again, but this time the rocks leaped out with a massive figure following. The thing jolted itself straight upwards to block the sun so all that could be seen was its silhouette. It slowly hovered itself down to stand on the Volcano. Now its features were visible. The thing was a chimaera.
The creature had a sort of giant rat body with multi-coloured fur, and big blood stains splattered on its body. A terrifying cockerel head was sitting on the thing’s neck, it had a golden beak that was as sharp as a samurai’s blade, with another smaller blood stain on the tip. As well as its flaring nostrils it also has hetrochromic goat eyes.
Suddenly two figures teleported in front of Zachary and they charged at the beast. One of the figures had a massive battleaxe, and the other had a crossbow that looked like it was made out of sapphires and diamonds. The one with the battleaxe ran up the volcano as quick as a flash and strook the beast right in the neck, the other one jumped in the air and shot fifty silver arrows in the space of two seconds. The beast fell back after those fatal blows and it fell right in the volcano!
After it submerged itself in the lava the two figures came back to Zachary and said to him three words: take us back. After he heard that, Zachary started to glow blue and gold and the sensation came back, but he was used to it by now. He opened his eyes, and he was back where he met Hades disguised as Zeus and saw Zeus on the throne. He was weary that it might be Hades, but when he spoke, Zachary immediately knew he was the real deal.
The real Zeus told Zarchary that he found out what Hades did, from the two figures that saved Zachary, and stripped Hades of his powers and banished him for all of eternity. He also said that Zachary was able to glow and take himself and the other two back because Zachary had been there before and that he was, in fact, a demi-god!
And so Zachary stayed in the land of the gods, the golden city, for the rest of his life.
Adorsseus and the Serpentonus
by Hadley McTurk, Year 7
In ancient Greek times, there was a young, brave prince named Adorsseus. Prince Adorsseus was the son of King Odinesseus IV and Queen Saradesseus II of Ador. And he had a long lost brother called Prince Radecusseus. Radecusseus was just four years old when the land of Paredus attacked the land of Ador. In the attack Radecusseus was kidnapped, never to be seen again.
The land of Paredus was home to a powerful but bizarre creature called the Serpentonus. This creature was the leaders of Paredus, King Paredesseus VII and Queen Caradosius III’s, bodyguard and most trusted soldier.
It was the day of the great fight between Ador and Paredus. Every year the monarchs of each land send fifty brave soldiers to battle. The battle takes place at a neutral ground called Bacardosis. And every year Paredus sends the Serpentonus to feast on its opponents. So like normal Ador sent fifty young warriors to fight the forty-nine Paredus soldiers and undoubtedly the mighty Serpentonus. However, Prince Adorsseus had had enough of Paredus dominating the fight between the lands. So, he nominated himself as one of the warriors. A few days later, Adorsseus and his fellow forty-nine warriors set sail to Bacardosis.
After a week of long and tiring sailing, the Ador army arrived on Bacardosis. Prince Adorsseus and his comrades were absolutely ready for the long-awaited battle. But something didn’t quite add up. The Paredus army always seemed to beat the Ador army to Bacardosis, but they were nowhere to be seen. Until, out of nowhere, the ground started to shake, the animals fell to the ground and leaked their blood and…
BOOM! The Serpentonus and its fellow soldiers emerged from the hole as dark as the night sky.
The Serpentonus’s teeth were daggers, cutting any threat to its survival. Its green and gold striped scaly skin was incredibly rough and its ruby, raging, red eyes were like pools of blood. Also its lizard-like tail was as smooth as the skin of a plum and its lion-like claws were razors.
The Serpentonus let out an almighty ‘HISS’ and ran right towards the Ador army. Fourteen soldiers were unexpectedly gobbled up in one go by the enormous creature. Then another fourteen. Then another. Then finally the rest of the Ador army were eaten. But behind the creature’s back, the last remaining Ador soldier, Prince Adorsseus, was killing the whole of the Paredus army. Until there was just him and the Serpentonus left. After a long battle, Prince Adorsseus thrashed his fully gold sword down the creature’s throat. The Serpentonus had finally been defeated. Ador had finally won the battle.
When Adorsseus got back to Ador, he was greeted with huge crowds but not his family. King Odinesseus IV and Queen Saradesseus II, Prince Adorsseus’s mother and father had died. The crowds weren’t just cheering and clapping because of the battle, they were cheering and clapping because Adorsseus was their new King. He wasn’t Prince Adorsseus anymore, he was King Adorsseus XI. And he was a very successful king not only because he ruled for seventy-four years but because Ador won the battle versus Paredus every year during his reign.
By Mr Richardson
Thursday 9 March
Well, we could tell it was the time of the year for Eskdale Festival of the Arts to start once again….as it was snowing! As usual, the weather was less than ideal for our first jaunt across the North Yorkshire Moors to attend the Festival at the Spa Pavilion Complex on Whitby’s West Cliff. However, we duly set off bright and early and managed to arrive in plenty of time for the 9:30 start.
Aryana starts the gold rush
Aryana Javaherian (Year 7) was our first performer in the Piano Solo Class for students in Year 7 and under. She gave a sparkling performance of Paul R Harvey’s Rumba Toccata and secured first place for our opening ‘Gold’. Aryana went on to secure her second ‘1st place’ in the Piano Sonata Class for students in Year 9 and under, entertaining the audience with an intelligent rendition of the first movement of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in F minor. Her performance was so well received that Aryana was immediately asked to play in the Gala Concert at the end of the Eskdale Festival of the Arts
Senior pianists and vocal
Our winning streak of 1st places continued with Sarah King (Year 10) in the Piano Solo Class for students in Year 11 and under. Sarah delivered a charming rendition of Debussy’s Prelude from Suite Bergamasque. This was closely followed by Sibelle Baza (Year 12), performing a lively opening movement from Freidrich Kuhlau’s Sonatina in A. All of our senior pianists were commended on their technical ability, attention to detail, connection with the music and overall musicianship.
The afternoon saw further successes with Blossom Harrison singing Shallow (Lady Gaga) in a closely contested Vocal Solo Class, against students two years her senior. This was a difficult round to judge, featuring several different song styles (from classical repertoire to Beatles, pop and rock as well as film music). Blossom should be extremely proud achieving 2nd place in this hard fought competition. Heidi Maxwell (Year 13) wowed an attentive audience with her beautiful vocal recital, featuring an aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni, a French song by Gabriel Fauré and a plaintive Song to the Seals by Granville Bantock. Libby Robson (Year 10) rounded off our successes in the Vocal Solo and ‘Songs from the Shows’ classes for Year 11 and under. Kurt Weill’s My Ship earning her a well deserved 1st and a 2nd place for Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Unexpected Song.
Overall, a fantastic opening day for the Scarborough College team!
Friday 10 March
An overnight flurry of snow resulted in a kind of ‘winter wonderland’ scene as we drove across the moors for day two. At least the sun was shining… Today saw five more ‘1sts’ for our senior music performers.
More success for College students
Sarah King opened the show in the Instrumental Recital class. She presented two beautifully contrasting pieces for violin, Johan Svendsen’s Romance, followed by Hungarian Dance No. 5 by August Nölck. Sibelle Baza also gained further success in the Piano Recital class with a romantic Mazurka in F minor by Anatoly Lyadov and the jazzy New Kid by Christopher Norton. Hannah Kinsella (Year 9) showed great technical skill in the Instrumental Solo Class for Year 11 and under, playing the challenging Cantilena from Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano. Evie McKechnie (Year 10) and Sienna Watts (Year 12) also gained first place in their respective Strings classes with the traditional folk song Portsmouth and the Intermezzo from Hary Janos Suite respectively.
At the end of day two, Sarah King was also asked to play at the Gala Concert to close the Festival. A real honour…!
Monday 13 March
A rather wet and windy start to the day. Fortunately, the rain abated for the journey to Whitby, though the wind was still fairly lively on West Cliff upon our arrival. Emily Volkova (Year 5) featured in two piano classes today. A well deserved first place in the Piano Recital Class for students in Year 6 and under, featuring contrasting pieces from Vitalij Neugasimov (Moody Gigue), Ailbhe McDonagh (Anastasia) and Alexander Grechaninov (Riding the Hobby-Horse). The afternoon saw a creditable second place in the Piano Solo – Year 5 and under class. This was a well fought battle between a total of 15 young pianists. Emily did herself, and the school, proud. Another successful day.
Tuesday 14 March
A bright and sunny morning greeted us for the appearance of our junior string and percussion players onto the Eskdale platform. Kezia Jacobs (Year 6) featured in the final class of the morning – Strings Solo, Year 6 and under, playing Bamboo In The Breeze and attaining 1st place.
Young drumming talents lead the way
The afternoon session started with eight drummers, all Year 6 age and under. In fact, our two Scarborough College girls, Aurelia Ibbott-Cook and Nancy Buxton-Tilley, are currently in Year 4, therefore competing against players two years their senior. Both girls impressed the adjudicator, who awarded them 1st and 3rd places respectively.
Upon our return to school, the snow started to fall once again. It seems we might actually experience all four seasons in one week! Tomorrow will see everyone in Years 1 to 6 make their way to Whitby to compete on the final day in choral and solo singing classes. We hope to finish our Eskdale successes with another round of top three placings.
Wednesday 15 March
Choir success
The final day dawned with huge expectations on our junior performers. The Infant Choir, featuring all children in Years 1 and 2 were up first, entertaining a packed Northern Lights Suite with Dance With Your Fingers and A Young Austrian. They duly received very positive feedback from the adjudicator on their singing and actions. The Prep School Choir (everyone in years 3 to 6) kicked off our competitive choral classes for the day with their choral recital – two contrasting songs – California Dreamin’, made famous in the 1960s by The Mamas and the Papas. This was followed by a dip into the world of musical theatre with I Won’t Grow Up from Peter Pan. Comments were made on our ability to sing in two part harmony (one of only two groups to even attempt harmony singing at a young age). Our first ‘1st’ of the day. The Chamber Choir showcased their skills in the Folk Song and Sacred Music categories, with Bwana Awabariki/Kumbaya (African folk song) and When I Sing respectively. Once again, we were commended on our proficient harmony singing and awarded a further two ‘1st’s.
The soloists share in the spoils
The final afternoon session of the Festival saw several of our junior singers featuring in a solo capacity. Nancy Buxton-Tilley (Year 4), Toby Hutchinson (Year 5), Molly Hill and Betsy Brewis (both Year 6) performed admirably in both Vocal Solo classes relative to their year groups as well as one combined “Songs from the Shows” class for all students in Year 6 and below. All four singers should be extremely proud of their performances in what was an emotionally charged finale to the Festival. We managed to rack up another 1st (Betsy in the Vocal Solo – Year 6 and under class) with her rendition of Naughty from Matilda (one of four versions across the two classes!), two ‘2nd’s for Molly Hill (Alone In The Universe [from Seussical the musical] in the Vocal Solo class and When I Grow Up [from Matilda] in “Songs from the Shows”) and a final ‘3rd’ for Nancy with her beautifully staged version of Naughty.
A great final day of competitive performance with five of our Scarborough College students being invited back by the Festival organisers to sing in the Gala Concert on Friday evening. Scarborough College can be justifiably proud of their efforts and achievements in the Arts. This is borne out in our award tally over the past week; of 24 classes entered, we came away with 19 1sts, 5 2nds and 2 3rds.
Closing awards
The following pupils were asked to return and perform at the closing Gala Concert: Nancy Buxton-Tilley (Year 4), Emily Volkova (Year 5), Toby Hutchinson (Year 5), Aryana Javaherian (Year 7) and Sarah King (Year 10).
The Whitby Rotary Club will sponsor the following students with bursaries: Young Pianist – Aryana Javaherian and Young Instrumentalist – Sarah King.
The Frances Quantrill Cup for Commitment went to Nancy Buxton-Tilley
The Solo Young Musician of the Year went to Emily Volkova
In addition, there is a large piece of glassware that is awarded for “Young Musician of the Year”. The committee felt that this year the standard of choral singing from the primary schools was so high, they wanted to share the prize. The vase is to be shared between Castleton School Choir Oakridge Primary School, Fyling Hall School and Scarborough College Prep School. This will be ‘owned’ for several months in alphabetical order, so it has been agreed we will receive the vase some time around November.
A huge “BRAVO” to all!
A Day in the Life of a Boarder
‘A day in the life of a Bramcote boarder begins and ends in bed,’ according to the Evening News article of 21 May 1992. Ask any of the boarding pupils at Scarborough College now and they will tell you that nothing has changed in that regard. Ask their houseparents and they will tell you they hope this is still the case. But is this where the similarities end? What has changed in the lives of our boarders? Has anything remained the same?
We have asked our Heads of House, Lucia and Riley to help us understand a day in the life of a boarder nowadays and compare it to an article about boarding written more than three decades ago. Julian Summerfield and Richard Williamson, both twelve in 1992, boarded at Bramcote Prep School. Today’s boarders, Lucia and Riley, are both Heads of House. Lucia is from a small town near Barcelona while Riley would probably call Scarborough his home. Starting boarding in Year 6, Riley is now finishing Upper Sixth. Just over a year ago, Lucia started boarding in Willersley. Riley moved from Crews, the Junior Boys House, and both now live in Weaponness. With a decade’s worth of experience between them, they know boarding like the back of their hand. The perfect couple to ask about today’s average day in a boarder’s life.
Early Morning Starts and Off Grub
Ask either Lu or Riley and they won’t know what a waker-upper is. Back in the 90’s, the waker-upper was the boy assigned to do wake-up duties at seven. We’ve been informed that boarders now do this themselves. Boarder today would argue this is one of the reasons they really must keep their phones in their rooms. For the alarm clock. However, every good houseparent knows that wake-up duty is still of crucial importance. That is, if you actually want all the children to be present at breakfast. Breakfast in 1992 was distinctly English with porridge once a week. Nowadays, porridge is a staple item and pancakes are the welcome exception. There is no waker-upper anymore and the Masters do not have their own table anymore. Gone are the days of the Master having the better bacon.
Whereas boarders today have tutor time to start with, 1992’s Bramcotians started with prayers and notices. ‘Punishment for wrong-doers can include detention, copying work and running round the school fields.’ In those days, the worst punishment of all was either ‘off film’ or ‘off grub’. Each boy had 35p to spend in the grub cupboard on a Sunday evening but if you were ‘off grub’, you got nothing. ‘Off film’ meant you couldn’t watch the Saturday evening video. Today’s boarders might wish to have the word ‘video’ explained. Even the DVD’s, so lovingly kept safe by the houseparents, are ignored. Save for the odd Harry Potter-a-thon, they collect dust and it’s Disney and Netflix instead.
Lunch and ADP
At lunch, the 1990’s waker-upper has one more job. Saying grace, in Latin, before and after the meal. One master sits at each table, while the prefects, as well as any guests, join the Head at the head table. The masters serve lunch, which we’re sure all of today’s pupils would be in favour of making a comeback. ‘The boys say that everyone complains about food but it is in fact better than they have tasted in many other schools.’ Although seating arrangements of Masters and pupils may have changed since then, attitudes towards food have largely remained the same. It’s difficult to please well over 500 people, though we fail to see how livers would have pleased anybody. Even in the 90’s! Fish and chip Friday anyone?
At Bramcote, lunch would be followed by ADP – After Dinner Prep. The boys would do their prep in so-called blinkers. Partitioned work areas where the books were kept. Much like at Scarborough College, Games are an important part of the afternoon. Bramcote played rugby, football and cricket. Scarborough College added hockey for the boys.
Evenings, Toads and Seniors
In the 90’s the boys did prep until approximately 7.15pm. Today’s boarders will eat a little later and spend more time on Prep, though it’s worth bearing in mind that Bramcote was a Prep School. Curfews definitely put that in perspective. The youngest boarders at Scarborough College go to bed at 9.30pm. The youngest of the boys, called Toads, had to be in their dorms for 7pm. Lights out half an hour later. A shower or bath is compulsory once a week. We’re not sure how our current boarders feel about showering only once every seven days.
The Seniors at Bramcote had to be in their dorms at 8.50. There was special dispensation for the boys who wanted to watch the 9 O’clock News but it was lights out at 9.30pm. A Master would go around and tell boys to ‘Shut up!’ about half an hour later. Lucia and Riley’s lights out is 11pm. A little later and a whole lot different than thirty years ago. Or is it?
Around 11.15pm, you may still find the odd Master or Mistress telling the children to be quiet. A little more politely and a little less brusque, perhaps. But with similar urgency, for sure.
Climate Change and Energy
Pupils in Year 6 have been learning about Climate Change and Energy this term. Within the context of this project, Mrs Emmett thought that a visit to Drax Power Station would be an exciting opportunity. Drax Power Station is the UK’s largest renewable power station with an output of some 14 terawatt-hours of renewable power, which is enough electricity to power five million homes.
Biomass Pellets
On their tour, the pupils were in awe of the size of the operation. They saw first-hand the process of electricity production, right from the production of the biomass pellets on freight trains to the storage of the pellets and through to the pulverising machines. The pellets are transported on conveyors belts that transport them between the different stages of production. The pupils also saw the steam turbines and the generators that are connected to the national grid and which distribute the electricity produced at the plant. At full capacity, up to twenty freight trains arrive daily with each up to 25 carriages and each carriage carrying enough biomass pellers to fuel one million homes for a few minutes.
William said, “We arrived at the Skylark Centre and Drax staff, Natalie and Vicky, introduced themselves. They explained how the power station worked at Drax and how it is supplied with Biomass pellets using models, an interactive presentation and some fun actions! In the afternoon, we began our adventure inside the power plant. First we got ready in our PPE and split into two groups. Our group went inside the power station first and saw the pulverising machines, huge fans, turbines and generators in action. Then we had a look around the outside of the power plant and saw the biomass domes, cooling towers, conveyor belts, trains and even some coal that had just arrived at Drax under government orders to get the UK through winter (shhhh…. don’t tell anyone)!”
Excellent Questions
The staff at the Drax power plant staff were extremely complimentary about the pupils and said their questions were outstanding. The pupils were a real credit to the school and their behaviour was exemplary. We would like to thank Mr Robson for accompanying the children and Mrs Emmett for organising the visit. The field trip ties in wonderfully with Mr Robson’s science topic on electricity after Christmas as well.
Preparing for a Friday’s For You
Our Friday’s For You open afternoons are a true hybrid. A mix of an open day and a bespoke visit. The hustle and bustle of an open day and the personal attention of a bespoke visit. This makes F4U a great opportunity if it is your first visit or if you are still a little unsure about your next steps but would like a little more time to talk to us about your child.
The F4U open Fridays combine the open day feel but allow for more time to speak to teachers, students, Heads of Tier and so on. At the end of a F4U, you have the opportunity to speak to staff that might be relevant to your son’s or your daughter’s education. Further down this blog post, we will explain how to prepare for this.
Step one – Be quick
Friday’s For Yous run on limited numbers. Unlike traditional open days, we can only accept a small number of families on a given Friday. In addition, there are only so many Fridays available and therefore F4U’s are often booked up very quickly.
The dates of the next F4U’s are published on our Admissions Page. We will try to keep the information on this page up-to-date, so that you know what dates are still available. If you would like to book a Friday’s For You, just complete the online booking form, call the College or email our Registrar. It’s as simple as that.
Step two – Decide what you would like to focus on
Once your date has been booked, we will confirm your time slot approximately 1-2 weeks before the event. In the meantime, do get together as a family and talk about what you would like to see. You may also wish to have certain questions answered. Although it is sometimes difficult to see exactly what it is you would like to see during an open day, F4U is slightly more bespoke and interactive.
It is also important to bear in mind that F4U takes place on a normal school day. You get to see Scarborough College the way it really is! We will open some of the classrooms doors so you can sneak a peek inside. We aim to give you a sample of everything that is going on on that particular Friday. So what exactly would you like to see?
Step three – Is there anyone in particular you would like to speak to?
At the end of your tour, you have the opportunity to speak to members of staff. Normally, we will try to allocate certain members of staff that are relevant to your son’s or your daughter’s year group. This way, you can discuss any questions or concerns while enjoying a cup of tea (a proper brew, of course).
If there is someone specific you would like to speak to, please just let us know, either in advance or on the day. This could be the IB-Coordinator, the SENCo or even the Head of Catering. If it is important for you to talk to someone specific, we will try to make this arrangement. It may not work out – after all, F4U takes place on a normal school day and people might be teaching – but we will try our best.
Step four – Next steps
You might want to discuss next steps after your F4U visit but we thought we should add a little note about next steps. As discussed, Friday’s For You is a great starting point for your enquiry to Scarborough College. If you enjoy the tour and Friday afternoon off, then you might wish to follow up with a chat with our Headmaster.
As per the Admissions Procedure, we invite all candidates to have an interview with the Headmaster. In anticipation of this interview, we look forward to receiving school reports and a Registration Form. If you would like to find out what the exact next steps are, please contact our Registrar or speak to the Registrar on your F4U.
We look forward to seeing on our next F4U!
