Week 7 - 22 to 28 February

Verse Speaking Competition

The Modern and Ancient Languages Verse Speaking Competition on Thursday 25 February was organised by Miss Emily Fox (teacher of French) with the help of other Charterhouse teachers who coached the competitors. The standard was very high, so particular congratulations go to the winners in each category:

Under School German

John Reeve (R)

Under School Latin

Frederick Foulston (R)

Under School Spanish

Jonathan Stocks (S)

Under School Chinese

Alexander Kiselev (g)

Under School French

Kush Kanji (G)         

Under School Greek

Louis Thomson (S)                           

Specialists German

Bill Freeman (S)

Specialists Latin

Celia Wells (G)

Specialists Italian (ab initio)

William Davies (B)

Specialists Spanish 

William Davies (B)

Specialists Chinese 

Giovanni Dos Reis Montefiori (B) 

Specialists French

Lina Jeffcock (G)

Specialists Greek

Charles Kershaw (R)

Music

Music

The concert at the Cardinal Clinic was on Monday 22 February in Windsor, featuring many of our top musicians. The musical groups included the String Quartet, String Septet, Violin Quartet and The Norfolk Ensemble. There was also music from the Brass Group, Wind Music Society, and The Saxophone Quartet who all performed pieces by composers which included Schubert, Rossini, Handel, Telemann as well as more contemporary composers such as John Ireland. The evening was rounded up by the Chamber Choir who sang the haunting Blue Moon by Rodgers and Hart and I Got Rhythm by George and Ira Gershwin.

On Sunday 28 February in Chapel the Choir performanced the Poulenc Anthem, in which Aimee de Havas’ solo was beautifully done. 

This Wednesday 2 March in Memorial Chapel, the Burczyk Singers (a group of elite singers at Charterhouse) will be performing as part of a Passiontide service of readings and music.

Among the items to be performed is a new work composed especially for the service by one of our Second Year Specialists (Year 13), Frederick Hervey-Bathurst (G). The piece to be performed is entitled ‘Dissolve my Heart’ and is a touching setting from the Lutheran translation of the New Testament. The work will be the last performed in a sequence of music, poetry and scripture with other motets by Thomas Tallis, Tomas Luis de Victoria and Phillip Moore. 

All are welcome to attend the service which begins at 8.00 pm.

The Classics Lecture, ‘Murder on the Appian Way: Clodius, Cicero and Roman Politics’ was given by Professor Catherine Steel (University of Glasgow), on Thursday 26 January. Review by William Freeman (Year 13):

These Romans are crazy. To start with they had one person in power and then his son, and then his son after him, but that didn’t turn out too well. Then they had two consuls in power, who were changed every year, as well as a senate of 300 people. After some time they had one person in power who was a dictator and after that they had three people in power and then a civil war. Then they had a dictator again, who was one of the three people in power before the civil war. He was killed, and then they had three people in power again, but they all split up. After that they had only one person in power again who also happened to be one of the second group of three people as well as being one of two consuls, so he should have stepped down after a year but instead kept being a consul as well as the emperor. And then his son was in power, and his son after him. But this time it was different. 

How was it that such a idiotic and messy system came to be one of the most influential political models? In other words, why should we be interested in the Roman Republic? This was the question posed on the 26 January by Professor Catherine Steel to the pupils of the Classics Society. She proceeded to answer that question by drawing on a wealth of information from the 5th Century BC, through the Renaissance and the 18th Century, right up to the modern day USA and UK. 

We heard how, during the Renaissance, when the classical world was given a second lease of life, the imperial period (with one person in power, unlike the system at the start) was used to justify the autocracy that characterised the powers dominating Europe at the time. When people decided they didn’t want kings anymore, just like back in ancient Rome, and things got a bit choppy on voyages across the Atlantic and at the guillotines of Paris, the Roman Republic came back into focus. 

Although Rome mainly functioned as emotional and behavioural inspiration for the newly instituted French Republic, for John Adams and the USA, it was to be the model for their state. But why choose Rome over Athens? As an imperial state, the former, although not altogether perfect, was far more successful than the latter. In addition, total democracy was viewed as problematic - a form of mob rule which needed to be tempered by a higher authority. The republic represented a successful state without a king, whose mixed constitution maintained the balance between autocracy and democracy. This is the key to its' enduring success.

Professor Steel spoke with great authority on her chosen subject, expertly drawing together strands from diverse time periods to create an argument that was as cohesive as it was convincing. She dealt with questions directly and in a considered manner, always going deeper than the question demanded and her conclusions were highly interesting as well as provocative. Who knew that in the USA, that lamp of liberty for today’s world, the citizens have less power than the citizens of ancient Rome?

Athletics

Obi Onyejekwe recently came 3rd at the England Indoor Championships registering a PB of 8.16 seconds in the 60m Hurdles. He also competed in the Surrey Championships and picked up Gold in both the 60m flat and 60m Hurdles. 

Basketball

The U18s won versus Hurtwood House 68 - 27 on Tuesday 23 February and the U16s versus Bradfield 43 - 15 on the Thursday. 

Cheerleading

The Infinity Cheerleading squad performed at the Super Regional Cheer and Dance Championship held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Saturday, deservedly winning first place in their last competition of this year. 

Fencing

Charterhouse defeated Worth.

Fives

Also on the Thursday, the girls' Fives team drew against Berkhamsted.

Golf

The team defeated the OCs 3.5 - 1.5 on Sunday 28 February.

Hockey

On Thursday 25 February the U14As defeated Kingston Grammar School, 2-1 and in matches versus Tonbridge on the Saturday 27February, there were wins for the U16Bs, 3 - 2, U16Cs, 4 - 0 and U15Ds, 4 - 3 with a further 3 draws. 

Lacrosse

The Lacrosse team competed well at the National School Lacrosse Championships, losing in the last 16 of the B Division Championship.

Raquets

On Thursday at Harrow the 1st Pair played hard saving 5 match points, but eventually went on to lose an intense match. However, the Colts and Yearlings pairs both won riveting matches 3 - 2.

Squash

The Squash U15s bowed out of the National Cup at the last 16 stage. 

Swimming

There were wins for the Senior Boys and Girls versus Reed's.

The Eley Cadet Forces .22 Competition (formerly The Country Life Competition) was held at the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) range at Charterhouse on Thursday 26 February. 

The Charterhouse CCF Shooting Team beat Bradfield in Series 1, 2, and 3 (Grouping, Rapid and Snap) with a score of 651 to 644, the Teams then shot series 4 (The Landscape) where Bradfield claimed victory scoring 200 to Charterhouse 177.

The Team:

The Beveridge Lecture, ‘When China Rules the World?’ was given by Mr Martin Jacques (Former Editor of ‘Marxism Today’ and Visiting Fellow LSE), on Thursday 26 January. Review by Justin Heng (Year 13): 

On 25 February we welcomed Mr Martin Jacques to talk to us about the future of China and how to understand China as a country. Mr Jacques is a journalist and academic whose book, ‘When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order’, looks at Asian modernity and the rise of China. He has travelled the world to share his research, and was also featured on the online conferencing network, TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design). We were extremely lucky to be able to welcome Mr Jacques to Charterhouse. 

Mr Jacques began the lecture by outlining the staggering growth of China in recent years; it predicted that over the next 50 years Western countries will slowly decline, while China and India will dominate the economy. He believes that in order for us to truly appreciate China, we must understand how this country is different from Western countries. Mr Jacques then explained that most Western economic powers are nation states but China is fundamentally a civilisation state. While Western powers take pride in their national identity, the Chinese take pride in their culture and traditions. He further explained that China, as a civilisation state has two main characteristics. Firstly, there is its exceptional longevity, dating back to even before the break-up of the Roman Empire. Secondly, the sheer scale of China, both geographic and demographic, which means it embraces a huge diversity. We were shown a graph demonstrating the satisfaction rate of governments as seen by the people of various countries over the world; we observed that the satisfaction rate in China comes out as significantly higher. Through the use of this satisfaction rate, Mr Jacques illustrated the fundamental difference between the values of Western civilisation and China, that to China, the government stability is most important; while to the West, a good government is determined by whether they can improve people’s living standards. 

The lecture was very interesting and insightful, allowing us to truly understand the economic superpower that is China.  

Last weekend Tom Walton (V) and Raphael Boulanger (P) competed in the England Hockey Regional Play-Offs for Guildford Hockey Club. They earned a place in the Under 16 National Championships which take place in London on 2 and 3 April.

The Championships, also known as the National Cup competition, started in October 2015 with more than 80 teams from across the country taking part. Guildford won all four of their first round matches on full points and with a goal difference of 19. In the next round, they needed to come first in a pool of four teams, which they did in Bournemouth last weekend against the hosts, Ashmoor and Cheltenham.

The competition in the National Finals will be very tough with the remaining 8 teams all coming from clubs with strong pedigrees. Raphael and Tom will be playing with Guildford’s top Under 16 Boys team at the Lee Valley National Hockey and Tennis Centre which is part of the London 2012 Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park over two days in April. This is the pitch used by the England and GB teams and where they host international events. We wish them the best of luck.

The Charterhouse Library continues to raise money for charity from fines. Over the last two terms £129.40 has been donated to the charity ‘Shooting Star Chase’.

'Shooting Star Chase' is a children’s hospice charity caring for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions. They also offer bereavement care, a range of therapies and support groups for the whole family.

As part of Long Quarter Activities Weekend, a number of cadets from the Charterhouse Combined Cadet Force (Royal Air Force) section visited RAF Halton. The cadets were hosted at the Trenchard Museum and the James McCudden Heritage Centre by Mr Bill McGrath, who is an expert in the renovation of Link Trainers (flight simulators that were constructed between the 1930s and 1950s). The afternoon was spent enjoying a visit to the newly re-dug trenches at RAF Halton which was accompanied by a fascinating presentation on the challenges of life on the front line. 

In the photograph below, you can see the cadets in front of a Link Trainer that had previously been owned by Charterhouse and was then sold on before arriving at RAF Halton for renovation: it is now fully functional. Charterhouse still has a Link Trainer that will shortly be repaired and it is hoped that this will provide flight training opportunities for cadets in the future. If anyone has any information about either of the Link Trainers that have been owned by Charterhouse, then please do make contact with OC RAF Section: 
Flt Lt JH Kazi (jhk@charterhouse.org.uk).

The Specialist Geography pupils attended a lecture at RGS Guildford entitled 'Geographical Perspectives on Development after the MDGs' given by Katie Willis (Head Geography, Royal Holloway University) on Monday 7 March. Review by Izzy Allchurch (Year 12):

The lecture explored the aims of the previous Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which concluded in 2015 and how the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) differ from these. Professor Willis provided us with an insightful and enriching look into this area of Geography bringing the topic to life and illustrating to us the importance these Goals will play in future global development. The eight MDGs had aimed to reduce poverty and hunger; achieve universal education; promote gender equality; reduce child and maternal deaths; combat HIV, malaria and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop global partnerships. The MDGs did not consider the root causes of poverty and overlooked gender inequality as well as the nature of development. The goals also failed on human rights and economic development. The new SDGs were drafted by an open working group, with representatives from 70 countries. The draft was then presented to the UN general assembly in September last year. Member state negotiations followed, and the final wording of the goals and targets were agreed in August 2015. Conversely, every country will be expected to work towards achieving the SDGs.

The lecture questioned our views on the aforementioned goals and encouraged us to ask geographically analytical questions regarding how they will impact development in terms of scale and sustainability. Professor Willis' lecture was truly inspiring, challenging our opinions and stimulating a more critical approach to this topic and Geography as a whole. 

The lecture ended with some highly thought-provoking questions from one of our Geography teachers, Mr Woolley, leaving the audience questioning the success these Goals will have on increasing the positive impact of development within our world in the future.

It was a cold and foggy early morning setting off from Charterhouse but well worth it when we reached the bright sleek lines of the Olympic Pool at Queen Elizabeth Park; arguably the best swimming pool in the world.  This year Charterhouse were represented by both a Ladies and Men’s team at the Bath cup free relay and Otter Medley relay competitions, the premier National Independent’s Schools event on Friday 11 March.  

Our girls were first to break this hallowed water, raced in by the best in the world, with their 40x50 freestyle relay. Daisy Tremlett (g) blasted off in 30.83, with Rebecca Maruzzi (D) returning in 34.84. Next was Raemen Sahney (F) who hit the wall at the far end so hard she sprained her thumb in handing over to Toni Menke (g) who brought the team home in a fabulous 30.55 (2’10.79) coming fourth in the heat placing themselves well up the leader board. 

The boys followed in the 4x100 free relay led off by Piers Bowden (S) in a blistering 57.29. Our new member James Cole (G) swam a very fast first length and dug in for the second handing to Kieran Nash (F) in 65.22. Keiran, a seasoned competitor but new to the Olympic pool, swan a 62.22 personal best handing over to team captain Alex McIntyre (R) who brought the team home in style 58.21. The time of 4:02.97 beat the team's target by a couple of seconds, but not quite enough to secure a finals place.

In afternoon the teams competed in the Otter Medley. Raemen led off with backstroke in 41.11 showing no effects of a very sore thumb. Toni swum a powerful 40.74 breaststoke followed by Daisy ('fly) who did not breathe till well into the second half (34.48). Rebecca came home like a train in 35.11 beating her morning time in the free. The men’s heat was reswum following a false start. Piers secured 30.97 in the back, Kieran 35.43 (a LC pb) in the breast, Alex a very fast 27.15 in the ‘fly and James bought the team back with 27.87 in the free (2’01.02).

The teams showed fantastic team spirit with impressive swims that did justice to the occasion and were extremely good company. Thanks to Ellery McGowan for preparing the teams and organising, to Mr and Mrs Nash (Teacher of Economics) for help on the day and to the parents for their support.

Charterhouse was privileged to have the eminent curator and art historian, Giles Waterfield (Courtauld Institute of Art) who delivered a stimulating Watts Lecture, ‘The Artist’s Studio’ on Wednesday 24 February.

This was a timely lecture as the Watts Gallery has just opened GF Watt’s house and studio, the beautifully restored, Grade II-listed Limnerslease. Currently, Giles Waterfield is Senior Research Fellow at the Watts Gallery working on the ‘Artist Studio Museum Network’. The project aims to connect the public to some extraordinary artist spaces around Europe. Combining his experience as former director of Dulwich Picture Gallery and working with artists and their Studios within a historical context, contributed to an entertaining and insightful lecture. Giles Waterfield gave us a glimpse into artists’ spaceswhere the illusive creative process takes place.  A world where Charterhouse pupils, working towards their Art GCSEs and Pre-Us, are only too familiar with.

“The artist's studio is, and always has been, both a functional space and an emotionally-charged one, both a work area and an extension of the artist's persona. The character of the studio has been altered through the centuries, but certain archetypes recur. Always crossing the border between private and public domain, the studio has remained a place for artists to reveal or to conceal themselves.For the viewer it can offer an unparalleled opportunity to glimpse the creative processes behind the work of art, potentially exposing the moment of alchemy and the expression of creative genius."   Giles Waterfield  

The Sanger Society Lecture was by Professor Christopher Dobson (St John’s College, Cambridge). Review by Kaylie Zhu (Year 13):

Professor Christopher Dobson came to Charterhouse to talk about ‘Protein Folding and Diseases’, with a particular emphasis on Alzheimer’s Disease.

Professor Dobson received his doctorate from the University of Oxford, having worked extensively on the structure and dynamics of biological molecules, such as proteins. He was the elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) before being awarded the Royal Medal by the Royal Society “for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of protein folding and misfolding, and the implications for disease”. Professor Dobson is Master at St John's College, Cambridge as well as a John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Chemical and Structural Biology. His work is recognized internationally with accolades including, the Heineken Prize for Biochemistry and Biophysics and the Feltrinelli International Prize for Medicine.

Harking back to biblical and ancient records of well-known plagues, Professor Dobson started the lecture with modern interpretations and analysis of such epidemics. He then discussed the triumph of modern medicine, as is evidenced by the decline of infectious diseases that have plagued mankind for centuries. However, he pointed out that this is accompanied with a dramatic rise in non-infectious diseases, especially dementia and more specifically Alzheimers. 

After a brief introduction about the disease, it’s high costs of care and current prevalence, his focus was in exploring it’s molecular origins. The talk was very accessible as he used a perfect blend between more fundamental scientific knowledge about the function, structure and synthesis of proteins and more advanced, captivating information about its misfolding and aggregation leading to deposition of intractable amyloid, giving rise to different types of disorders. He then pointed out that despite the variety of protein deposition disorders, they have the same thread-like fibril structure with a 10 mm diameter and a common richness in β-sheet structure. 

Professor Dobson also explained how amyloid is in fact a generic alternative state of proteins, which despite its tendency for disease and cell toxicity, actually has a higher inherent stability than normal functioning states of proteins. This has the alarming implication that normal proteins are intrinsically inclined towards converting into the non-functional, disease-causing, amyloid states. Assuring us that we have a ‘house-keeping’ quality control mechanism to prevent aggregation and to neutralize it’s deadly effects, he revealed that contrary to popular belief, it is when the natural defense mechanism fails that diseases occur. 

The lecture ended with insightful conclusions drawn from research on drosophila and C elegan models of Alzheimer’s Disease. Professor Dodson described how small genetic mutations decreasing the aggregation propensity of misfolded proteins can largely stave off disease, and how some molecules, used to treat cancer, exhibited substantial effects on inhibiting molecular processes leading to Alzheimers. His exquisitely-delivered and well-crafted lecture helped us gain a much better understanding of the chemical and biological basis of Alzheimers and gave us hope for what the future holds for further research into this illness and a possible cure.

The Winter Swimming World Championships were held in Tyumen, Russia on 8 to 12 March 2016. There were 1276 swimmers competing and with 3 Gold Medals in 25/50/100m Freestyle and a Bronze in 25m Breaststroke, Ellery McGowen (Swimming Teacher at Charterhouse) was 11th in the final table, with times that would have won medals in at least two younger age groups. 

This is one of the World's Top 100 Open Water Swims with a water temperature of - 0.2C. The pool was hacked out of the frozen River Tura and the air temperature started at about -11C and rose under sunny blue skies each day to a peak of around -1C. The effect was to cause the water to try to freeze as they swam and Ellery sustained cuts to her wrists and arms from the ice crystals.

Ellery has surpassed her fantastic achievements by taking three more World Winter Swimming Championships.

For more information please follow this link.

The Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival finals took place in Sevenoaks on Sunday 13 March. Charterhouse School U14 Violin Quartet were awarded ‘Chamber Champions’. They are one of just six groups from across the UK who have been awarded this prestigious prize. 

Pro Corda provide an opportunity for chamber groups of all instruments throughout the country to take part in this annual celebratory festival of talent and music.

Week 9 - 7 to 13 March

Music

Many congratulations to Owen Chan, Bradley Yih, Henry Le Feber Robertson and Dmitry Chizhov (playing Telemann’s Concerto for Four Violins in D major) who made it through to the Final of the 'Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival' at Sevenoaks on Sunday 13 March. 

On Sunday 13 March the Choral Concert, comprising works by Vaughan Williams, Blatchly and Poulenc, was outstanding. The choir sang with great passion and accuracy, and the soloists were particularly impressive: in the Vaughan Williams, Joe Deery, Frederick Hervey-Bathurst, Bella Hill, Rebecca Morrish, Ben Munden, Ruby O’Kane, Christian Pethick, and Yolande Rowson made a quite beautiful sound amid the sumptuous orchestration. In the Poulenc Gloria, Aimee de Havas was a complete revelation. Stephanie Tso’s violin accompaniment was more than equal to the challenges set by Vaughan Williams. The orchestral version of Mr Blatchly’s piece For the Dead was again a revelatory performance, conducted by the composer himself. My thanks to Mr Shepherd and his team for all their hard work at the culmination of the Quarter’s musical activities.     

Drama

Last week there was an excellent production of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy A Chorus of Disapproval, in which no fewer than seven pupils made their theatre debuts. Comedy, as they say, is a serious business and the play demanded a great deal of technique and expertise from the cast and crew. Without exception, everyone rose to the challenge and produced well-crafted and accomplished performances which did justice to the text.  It is also a difficult play to stage technically, with multiple scene changes all of which need to be executed swiftly and smoothly.  The excellent crew, backstage and in the control room, were faultless in this regard and contributed enormously to the production’s success. 

Week 9 - 7 to 13 March

Basketball

Hodgsonites are the 2016 House Basketball Champions, beating Bodeites in the final 13-9. Fletcherites placed third with Pageites coming fourth. In the Plate competition Robinites beat Lockites in the final. 

Golf

On Tuesday 8 March the golf team enjoyed a 4 - 1 win over Harrow in the the Gerald Micklem Trophy but succumbed to a powerful Wellington team in their semi-final despite a strong showing from the entire squad.

Hockey

In Hockey there were wins against Bradfield for the boys’ 1st XI, U16As, U16Bs and U14As and U14Bs along with a draw for the U16Cs on Tuesday 8 March. 

On Saturday 12 March against Radley, there were 4 wins including an impressive 7 - 0 score line for the U16Bs and hard fought 3 - 2 away win for the 2nd XI. There were a six further draws including the 1st XI and a tantalising 4 - 4 draw for the U15Bs. 

Squash

Charlie Lee finished third at the English National Under 19 Championships on Sunday 13 March. Charlie lost to the eventual winner and European number 1 Patrick Rooney 3-1 in the semi-finals. In the play off for third place Charlie beat second seed James Peach 3-0.  With a year still to go in this age group, Charlie remains one of the dominant forces in U19 squash.

Swimming

On Friday 11 March the top male and female swimming teams took part in the Bath Cup National Relays in the Olympic Pool at the Queen Elizabeth Park, arguably the best pool in the world.  Daisy Tremlett (g), Raemen Sahney (F), Rebecca Maruzzi (D), led by captain Antonia Menke (g) finished in the top half of their heat and well up the leader board.  Captain Alex McIntyre (R), Kieran Nash (F), Piers Bowden (S) and James Cole (G) all competed very well, coming a couple of seconds within their target time. 

As part of Activities Weekend, a group of 20 Fifth Form Pioneers accompanied by four members of teaching staff went down to Broadwater Park on Sunday 6 March. They assisted Waverley Borough Council in clearing the ha-ha and the nearby woodland. The ha-ha is a ditch, the inner side is below ground level, forming a boundary and uninterrupting view of the park. These works helped to maintain the historical features within the park, and the Pioneers were thanked for making a “big improvement” during a “very productive day.” We hope to be of further similar assistance to Waverley Borough Council in the future.

The Charterhouse Pioneer programme aims to develop self-reliance, leadership and teamwork skills through participation in a range of outdoor-orientated activities.

On Saturday 12 March, a charity dinner for the Second Year Specialists (Year 13) was held in aid of the School charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The evening raised in excess of £1,000. Congratulations to Adam Hockley, Jessica Turner and Hugo Tucker for organising such an enjoyable and successful event.

MSF helps people worldwide wherever the need is greatest, delivering emergency medical aid to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare.

Matthew Bagley’s score in the Biology Olympiad put him in the top 150 in the country (out of 7,200 participants), qualifying him for the UK finals selection.  He completing an online scientific paper in school during Week 9 and has just been told that he has made the top 16 in the UK.  Matthew will attend the UK finals at Warwick University during the Easter break. Four students will be selected from this group to represent the UK in Hanoi, Vietnam, this summer.