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* This page contains summaries of the three terms of 1998. *
Autumn
Term 1998: A Summary of Events.
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Soccer:
This has been a very good season for our senior teams. The Ist XI
played some of their best soccer against some very STRONG opposition
and this is reflected in the unusually high number of colours awarded.
The Colts were not as successful, but not through want of effort!
Full results were:-
IST XI - Played 7, Won 4, Drawn 2, Lost 2.
2ND XI - Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2.
COLTS A - Played 7, Drawn 1, Lost 6.
COLTS B - Played 1, Lost 1.
UNDER10 - Played 4, Won 2, Lost 2.
In the Inter-House Soccer Tournament, the Junior winners were Nelson
with Drake as runners-up; the Senior winners were Drake with Wellington
as runners-up. The total points gave the overall winner's trophy to
Drake House.
Soccer Colours were awarded to:- Joe Garfath (Captain), Luke Benson, Shamal
Patel, Mark Holmshaw, Daniel Hyde, Daniel Whelan, Robert Taylor-Rose,
James Montague and Stuart Lawrence.
Swimming:
An exciting competition against Aldwickbury ended with York House as the
losers by 169 points to 158, a margin of only 11, with 12 points having
been lost through technical disqualification! Individual winners were
Hunter Whaley, Henry Jefferis, Richard Newman, James Shama, Janis Silins,
Thomas Kavanagh, Oliver Bloom and Christopher Gabbett.
We then had an impressive victory over Quainton Hall by 208 points to 123.
Individual winners were Hunter Whaley, Daniel Hyde, Henry Jefferis, Janis
Silins, Richard Newman, James Shama, David Wheeler, Ben Firminger, Oliver
Bloom and Thomas Kavanagh.
The Captain, Hunter Whaley, led the team by example and was
re-awarded his Swimming Colours, as was Henry Jefferis for his good
performances.
Staff:
It has been a great pleasure to welcome our three new members of staff this
term:- Miss McCracken - Junior I, Mr Telfer - Junior II, and Mr Lake - Head
of French. They have already made their mark, not only in their class rooms
but in many other ways too. It has also been a pleasure to see how very quickly
and happily they have settled into York House, while at the same time giving
the school the benefit of all that they have to offer.
Academic:
All the boys of Form VI have produced some encouraging results in their Mocks
in November and many of them excelled!. They have learned a great deal by doing
these examinations and going through them afterwards. They must continue with
their revision programme over the holidays and during next term
to build upon this learning process. Under the current Merchant Taylors' School
entrance arrangements, most of VIS are going to need to work hard with their
exams coming at the end of January!
EFFORT PRIZES (computed from the effort grades) were awarded this term to:
VIS - Jay Patel and Kunal Patel.
VIC - Henry Jefferis, Stephen Pearson and Daniel Whelan.
REMOVE - Arjun Ahluwalia and Babak Eslamian.
Form V - Richard Newman.
Form IV - Daniel Clarke, Adrian Shelley and Talib Visram.
IIIA - Ciaran Singh. IIIB - Oliver Laurenson-Gore.
IIP - Rishi Patel. IIT - Matthew Barnes.
IM - Nicholas Beaver. IC - Liam Singh.
Congratulations to them and also to many other boys who achieved very high
standards of effort in the monthly orders and came very close to a prize.
Parents' Association:
We all enjoyed another marvellous Fireworks Night which raised over £1000
despite the cost of the splendid display of fireworks so bravely sent into the
sky by that select band of fathers! We were amazingly lucky with the
weather, too!
Thank you to Mrs Gill Noach and all her committee who work so hard and
cheerfully, and to all who supported them this term. They are now
well advanced in planning for next term's Quiz Night and are already well
underway in planning the June Carnival. Please continue to give them the
full support that they deserve in their fund-raising efforts from which all
the children can benefit.
Visits & Outings:
This term, the Remove boys took part in the annual Maths Challenge at
Merchant Taylors' School.
The Roman Legion XIIII came to school and provided a stimulating and varied
look at Roman life, involving several boys in their demonstrations.
Forms V and VI went to the Wycombe Swan Theatre to see an educational musical
production, "Let The Force Be With You!" This traced the development of
scientific ideas about forces, the actors taking on roles of characters from
Archimedes to Einstein.
On the 8th of December 46 boys from the 1st XV and Colts rugby squads went on
the annual trip to Twickenham to watch the Varsity match.
Music & Drama:
This term the English Shakespeare Company came to school to do an interactive
performance of "Twelfth Night" with Forms III, IV & V.
We all enjoyed very much indeed the two Christmas plays:-
First was Kindergarten's "The Poor Little Christmas Tree" - not only
was it great fun but it was also an amazing insight into the education
of our "tinies." Mrs Wilson's ability to get such young children to
remember all their words, as well as enter and exit at the right
time (nearly always!), is remarkable - many thanks to her and her Staff.
Two days later we were given another treat, with Pre-Prep's "Barny," the
story of "Silent Night." This too was great fun and remarkable performances
were given by several boys only five and six years old - Mrs Collins and
her staff deserve our thanks, as does Mrs Gamon for her musical involvement
in both plays.
Next term's main drama event is our production of "The Factory Children,"
which is being co-produced by Mrs Gamon and Mr Keal who would welcome
everyones help. The auditions and casting took place this term and
all the characters are busily learning their lines!
The School Orchestra has continued to grow during the term, and has
accompanied the hymn singing in many morning assemblies.
The instrumental group, "Travelling By Tuba" came to school to enrich our
musical experiences, demonstrating the development of musical instruments
through the ages.
On Open Day 14 boys were taking part in the Ernest Reed Choral Concert
at the Royal Festival Hall.
In December the Junior Choir sang to the 1967 Club, and The Kindergarten
children went to sing to the old people at Croxley House.
Also in December 45 boys from the Junior and Senior choirs took part in
the Hallelujah Christmas Concert at Wembley Arena.
As usual at the end of this term, we were treated to another excellent
Carol Service - well done Mrs Gamon, the Choirs, the Orchestra
and the Readers!
CHOIR COLOURS were awarded to:- James Montague, Phillip
Wallbridge and Henry Jefferis.
ORCHESTRA COLOURS were awarded to:- Phillip Wallbridge,
Charles Kavanagh Brown, Jonathan Marshall, Kevin Tsoi and Stephen Ho.
Other Events:
A very enjoyable and useful evening this term was the New Parents' Cocktail
Party in September. Also the Headmaster and his wife have very much enjoyed
meeting so many parents over coffee after they had seen their children's
teachers at the Kindergarten, Pre-Prep and Junior forms' Parents' Evenings.
The Form VI evening was not only most constructive but also enjoyable too.
Other forms have their evenings next term, once those who teach the boys
have had more time to get to know and assess the boys. We all look forward
to seeing you then.
Open Day took place on Saturday, l0th October and was the most successful
morning yet, with many new visitors to the school - some of whom
"signed up" on the day and many soon afterwards! Forms III and above
were in school, operating on a timetable designed to show PE, Swimming, ADT,
English, French, Latin, Science and History in action. Those members of Staff
not teaching, together with Prefects, Monitors and Sixth Formers, conducted
tours for new visitors and present parents.
Harvest Festival this year was again a great success in terms of both
Form IIT's Assembly and also the magnificent array of harvest gifts so many
parents generously sent in. It was greatly appreciated again this year by the
Watford New Hope Trust.
Remembrance Day was marked by a moving and informative Assembly presented by
Mrs Turnbull and senior boys.
Mufti Day this term was organised by Mr Mulrennan and planned to
coincide with "Jeans for Genes" Day. The excellent sum of over £530 was
raised.
All Sixth Form boys have been conscientious in the carrying out of their
responsibilities this term. Several have been promoted in the course of the
term - the Prefects are Rajiv Bakrania, Luke Benson, Joe Garfath, Kunal
Patel, Shamal Patel and Hunter Whaley. They deserve congratulations and thanks
for their positive attitude, example to others and cheerful helpfulness.
The Chairman of Governors and the Headmaster are delighted to report that
we are taking the very first steps of Phase Two of the York House Development
Plan, which involves the building of a new combined Kindergarten and Pre-Prep
classroom block.
Summer
Term 1998: A Summary of Events.
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Cricket:
This was a season of mixed fortunes for our cricketers. The Colts XI
started the season well - achieving a run of three victories - but
then they lost their momentum and failed to win any more of their
matches. The 2nd XI faired best - losing only one of their five
matches. The 1st XI players often displayed good individual and
tactical skills but regularly encountered very STRONG opponents and
they were beaten in four of their eight matches. The Cricket Captain,
Victor Le Vesconte, and Vivek Savani both received their Cricket
Colours..
In the Inter-House cricket competition, Drake were the winners of the
Juniors' matches and Marlborough, with a very STRONG team, won the
Senior trophy.
Traditionally, the final match of the season is a pleasant and
friendly social occasion on which the Old Yorkists (a team composed
of last year's leavers) played the 1st XI. This year, the Old
Yorkists fielded a STRONG team and won the 30-over match by 27 runs.
As usual, the parents prepared a wonderful supper for all the players
and spectators - thank you.
Athletics:
Our athletes were magnificent this season. Personal bests were
exceeded and school records equalled or broken in nearly every match.
Against Davenies, Durston House and London Oratory School we were
placed second, only 3 points behind Durston House. Against Northwood,
Orley Farm, St Martins and St Johns we were also placed second.
Against The Beacon, Davenies, Gayhurst and Thorpe House we were
first, 40 points ahead of second placed Davenies.
In the London Area Athletics Championships, 16 of our best athletes
took part and performed extremely well. As a result, three of them -
Joe Garfath, Mark Holmshaw and James Ryman - went on to represent the
London Area in the National Championships. These boys, together with
Jeremy Neale (Athletics Captain), Michael Newman, and Victor Le
Vesconte were awarded Athletics Colours.
The parents had the opportunity to see their sons' sporting talents
on the Sports Days held this term. Good crowds cheered on the
Kindergarten and Pre-Prep boys on their afternoon. However, because
of the unkind weather, the Junior & Senior Sports Day had to be
postponed from Saturday to Tuesday so, although the athletics was
exciting, it was not quite the same social occasion that Sports Day
usually becomes - the Drake House boys were the overall winners with
their strength in depth.
Swimming:
Our swimmers also had an excellent season. In the matches this term,
we lost to Aldwickbury, but won against Quainton Hall and Davenies.
In the Thorpe House Gala against The Beacon, Davenies and Thorpe
House, our swimmers were first in seven of the individual events and
our teams also won four of the relays - York House winning 11 of the
26 events.
In the IAPS National Championships our Senior Medley Relay Team -
Hunter Whaley, Henry Jefferis, Daniel Hyde and Daniel Whelan - were
placed fifth, a tremendous achievement in the
National
finals. These boys, together with Victor Le Vesconte (Swimming
Captain) and Tom Blake-Wilson, were awarded Swimming Colours.
The final sporting occasion of the year was the Inter-House Swimming
Sports. The usual heat, humidity and noisy enthusiasm of the
spectators created the competetive atmosphere in the pool - Drake
also took this House Trophy.
Academic & Staff News:
The 32 boys of Form IV have achieved very good results in the
National Curriculum Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) in English,
Mathematics and Science. The national average is level 4 - of the 96
results 51 were at level 5 and only 3 at Level 3.
The Boys of Form VI produced an outstanding set of Common Entrance
Examination grades this term. Of the 104 papers sat, 101 were passed
and over 75% of the grades were A*, A or B. Congratulations to all
the boys but, particularly, to Simon Fitzpatrick with six A* grades.
We wish them, and also the leavers from other form groups, continued
success and happiness at their new schools.
Two members of staff are moving on to new posts next term - Mr Prowse
has been Junior Class Teacher and Sports Master; Miss Evans has been
Head of the French Department. We thank them for their many and
varied contributions to life at York House School and wish them much
happiness and success in their future posts.
Trips & Outings:
During the Easter holiday over 40 boys and several members of staff
enjoyed a wonderful skiing trip to Montgenevre (though one poor lad
did return in plaster!); this trip was organised by Mr Prowse.
During this term the boys of Forms III and IV enjoyed a very pleasant
Saturday trip to Boulogne on Le Shuttle, organised by Miss Evans.
On Outings Day the school was empty as everyone went on a day
trip:-
Forms V and VI visited Ely Cathedral and Duxford Aircraft Museum;
Form IV took part in a Tudor re-enactment day in full Tudor costume
at Kentwell Manor; Form III had a London walk and visited the Cabinet
War Rooms; Forms I and II visited the RAF Museum at Hendon; the
Pre-Prep Forms spent the day at Thorpe Park; the Kindergarten visited
a working farm. Thank you to all the staff who organised these trips,
and to all staff and parents who helped to supervise the boys.
Parents' Association:
This was the term of the spectacular Summer Ball. A happy crowd of
parents and staff enjoyed the good food, music and dancing, and the
fun casino, all wonderfully organised by Gill Noach and the
Committee. Thanks to all involved in making this evening such a
success - raising over £1000 for the school.
Other Events:
This term we were treated to two Arts Festivals - Junior and Senior.
These events allowed the boys to display their creative talents in
their art and technology work, and in their music and drama
presentations. There were many outstanding individual contributions,
producing two sessions of enthralling entertainment to audiences of
delighted parents.
The whole school was once again fascinated by another wonderful talk
by Terry Mills. This term the friends he brought with him were a
collared dove, a scorpion, a rabbit and a lizard. As well as telling
us all about them, he also allowed many of the boys to handle the
animals, thereby further developing their respect and care for
wild-life.
Following their examinations, the Sixth Formers participated in a
special varied programme of visits, talks and activities, organised
by the Director of Studies, Mr Keal. This was much enjoyed and
appreciated by the boys.
Term ended on Saturday 4th July with our Speech Day - the first one
in the new Archdale Hall. Following a short service led by the
Headmaster and the senior boys, the Chairman of Governors gave the
introduction to the Headmaster's summary of the year. This was
followed by a talk from our guest speaker, Mr S A Westley, Master of
Haileybury College, who then presented the prizes and trophies to the
boys.
Spring
Term 1998: A Summary of Events.
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School Production (March 20th and 21st):
As a result of the hard work of many boys, parents and staff, our
musical version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (C.S.Lewis)
was a tremendous success under the direction of Mrs Mary Gamon, Head
of Music. For their excellent performances, Tristan ArmSTRONG, Luke
Benson, James Montague and Andrew Townend were awarded Drama Colours.
The superb set, lighting and costumes, and the fine acting and
singing of the boys in the cast, made this a most enjoyable
spectacle. The audiences also contributed to the success of the two
evenings, donating a total of £558 for our main school charity -
the South West Herts Hospice Appeal, making the amount raised well
over £3000.
Academic News:
This year all our Sixth Formers intend to transfer to either Merchant
Taylors School or Berkhamsted Collegiate School. It is a great
pleasure to report that all have been successful in the Entrance
Examinations to those schools. We now look forward to the June Common
Entrance Examinations and to the achievement of a set of good grades
by each candidate - keep up the effort and the high standards!
Rugby :
This was a season of mixed fortunes but both teams produced some
memorable performances and many individual players improved their
skills tremendously. We seem to suffer from the problem of size, or
rather lack of it, most of our opponents being able to field teams of
generally bigger boys. The 1st XV played 7, won 2, lost 4 and drew 1;
Rugby Colours were awarded to Tristan ArmSTRONG (Captain), Victor Le
Vesconte and Shamal Patel. The Colts XII played 7, won 3 and lost 4.
Cross Country :
This has been another excellent season for our runners, usually
competing in each race against at least 10 other schools. The Senior
Team gained a 6th place, a 4th place and a 3rd place, with James
Ryman achieving individual 4th, 3rd and 2nd places; Cross Country
Colours were awarded to Nick Jefferys (Captain), Michael Newman and
James Ryman. The Junior Team achieved two 5th places and a 3rd place.
Our most notable result was the 1st place achieved against 16 schools
by our Under 9 Team at the Keble Meeting, with Aaron Dombey achieving
1st place and Sam Thurgood 3rd place.
IAPS Quiz Final:
The York House Team won through to the area final of this General
Knowledge Quiz for the first time for many years. Our team - Charles
Kavanagh Brown, Arjun Ahluwalia, Jonathan Marshall and Adrian Shelley
- achieved a commendable third place.
Parents' Association:
The recent Quiz Supper was the most successful ever - 230 people had
a most enjoyable evening of food, fun and forgetfulness! The event
raised over £2500 and our thanks must go to all those who helped
to make the evening such a great success, particularly the
Quizmasters, the Chefs and the P.A.Committee.
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