the porta winter 12-13 online

7/29/2019 The Porta Winter 12-13 Online

1/16

The PortaWintr 2012-13


2/16

Welcome from the HeadWelcome t th Wintr

2012-13 ditin fThePorta, whih prvids urst vaud stakhdrswith an pprtunityt rad a abut thxiting advnturs andahivnts that havtakn pa thrughutth Kings ey unitysin th start f thaadi yar.

We begin this edition by reflecting upon someoutstanding teaching achievements before handing thelimelight back over to our students. We also catch upwith two Old Eleans who have been making headlinesacross the world, followed by our regular update ofnews and achievements from all sections of the school.We hope you enjoy this publication and, as always, wewelcome your feedback. Please email any commentsor suggestions for future features to the media andmarketing department at [email protected]

Su FrstnHead

Frnt vr iag: The Old Palace in winter, by former Year 13student, Tristan Davis

Nd inspirs studnts at

cabridg Univrsity

PHYSIcS tahr Nd Kitt, whinspirs yung pp t takan intrst in sin, has bnnuraging cabridg Univrsitystudnts t nsidr a arr in thprfssin.The Institute of Physics asked Ned to give a talk onthe life of a physics teacher to around 80 studentsin the Cavendish Laboratory at the CambridgeUniversity Physics department as part of a nationalcampaign to recruit more physics teachers.

Not the average physics teacher, Ned began histeaching career as a rowing coach after a successfulcareer rowing for Great Britain. Until that pointhe was never really sure what he wanted to do, andempathises with students and graduates who sufferfrom the same predicament. But the engineeringgraduate enjoyed teaching so much that he decidedto put his knowledge and passion for science to gooduse and eagerly enrolled on a PGCE teacher trainingcourse. Since that fateful day, he has never looked

back and he is now Head of Physics.

Like all teachers at Kings Ely, Ned is an advocate ofadventurous learning and firmly believes that theresno excuse for a boring physics lesson.A physics teacher is an interface between afascinating subject and a keen learner; it is one ofthe most challenging and fulfilling careers that agraduate could consider, Ned told the CambridgeUniversity students.Its an immensely rewarding career and, as physics isa combination of logic and application, every lessoncan be exciting and relevant.


3/16

KINGS ey has bn awardd

th British cunis prstigius

Intrnatina Sh Award

(ISA) in rgnitin f its wrk

t bring th wrd int th

assr.The ISA is a badge of honour for schoolsthat do outstanding work to foster aninternational dimension within many areasof the curriculum to provide young peoplewith the cultural understanding and skills

they need to live and work as globalcitizens.Since September 2011, students from allsections of the school have been involvedin international competitions, celebrationsand online projects through links withoverseas schools. Highlights includethe celebration of Chinese New Year inReception, International Day in Acremont,where parents were invited to share theirculture and language with the children at

school, and the Elympics, where Juniorand Senior students took part in a varietyof Olympic and Paralympic sports andinternational cultural activities.Connecting with overseas schools has also

been an integral part of the programme.Children as young as seven have enjoyeda taster of Mandarin while exchanginginformation with a primary school inChina, learning first-hand about daily lifeand comparing traditions, and in Year Five,pupils are able to choose two languages

from French, German and Spanish andenjoy regular correspondence with peersin the relative country.Last year, pupils linked up with schoolsin Kuwait and Japan as well as meeting agroup of Japanese students who visited theschool while studying in Cambridge.Teacher Lorraine Oldham said: Duringthis visit, it was wonderful to see thechildren conversing, practising their newlyfound language skills and finding other

ways to communicate through smiles andgestures. This year we are embarking ona new project, collaborating with nineschools from as far north as Norway and asfar south as Turkey.The school has really embraced thisopportunity. By forging friendships

between pupils of different countries, wecan help build international understanding,which in turn will help motivate globalcitizens to act for peace and justice in theworld.

Kings Ely Seniors InternationalCoordinator, Esmeralda Salgado added:Lots of work and much adventurousteaching has taken place throughoutthe year, and everyone involved isdelighted that the school has received theaccreditation. This fantastic work is notonly giving the young people a betterunderstanding of the world around them;its also making a real difference to theirfuture prospects.

Bringing the world into the classroom


4/16

WITH sany xitingpprtunitisprvidd byth shs-urriuardpartnts, nt tntin th hst f

ativitis and if-hanging hangsn ffr thrughey Sh, if atKings ey is abuts uh r thanpassing xas.Yet we also take greatpride in our commitmentto meeting theeducational needs of allour students by providingan inspiring environmentwhich encourages them tomaximise their potentialand develop their talentsand abilities to the full.We challenge and supportall of our pupils, placingthe responsibility forlearning squarely with thestudent.Since the start of theacademic year, studentsof all age groups havecontinued to exceed ourexpectations academically.The following examplesare just a taster.

Kings ey tri wins dbating

ptitin at Th Prs (again!)FoR th snd yar running, a ta f studnts fr Kings ey haswn th Rtary cub f cabridg Ruthrfrds Yuth Spaks pubispaking ptitin.Maddie Pinto (Year 11), George Ryan (Year 12) and Leo Banahan (Year 13) competed

against teams from six other schools in Cambridgeshire at the Perse School in Cambridge.The main speaker, George, argued that Being offended is a natural consequence of leavingthe house. He criticised recent attempts to restrict by law peoples right to insult andoffend others, arguing that offence is an entirely subjective term that cannot be defined bypoliticians or the police. George was introduced by Leo, then thanked and insulted in jest

by Maddie, proving the point of his argument!One of the judges of the competition, David Harvey, who is the Managing Editor of BBCRadio Cambridgeshire, has offered the Kings Ely trio the opportunity to take part in a newsmeeting at Broadcasting House in Cambridge, along with a tour of the studios.The team will progress to the next round of the competition in the Lent Term, when theywill compete against schools from throughout East Anglia.

exding expectations


5/16

Georgia excels inprestigious SpanishEmbassy competitionUP AGAINST 20xptina anguagstudnts fr tpshs arss thuntry, SixthFrs Grgia

Bayns wn sndpa at a natinaptitin trprsnt th UK nth Suth Arianxpditin, RutaQutza 2013.Run by the Spanish Embassyand Spanish Bank BBVA,Ruta Quetzal is a prestigiousexpedition programme where children from different European

countries spend a month in South America taking part in sportactivities and helping out native villages in Panama, while attendinga Spanish course, all free of charge.Georgia made it to the final stage of the competition at theInstituto Cervantes in London in December where she completeda range of linguistic, cultural and talent tests, including anoral exam in front of an audience of around fifty people. Afterimpressing the judges with an exceptionally high standard ofSpanish, Georgia then made it to the shortlist for the final ten,narrowly missing out on the top prize by finishing in second placeoverall.

Spanish teacher Esmeralda Salgado commented: For Georgia tohave come second in the national finals for Ruta Quetzal 2013is just remarkable; even making it to the national final was anamazing achievement in itself. The level of Spanish was extremelyhigh and she was so close to winning the overall competition.Georgia, who won a holiday to Spain for her achievement, said:The competition was incredibly nerve-racking and exhausting;they made me speak in Spanish for the duration of the day, even inthe lunch break. Although I narrowly missed out on attending theexpedition, I am really pleased to have done so well and would liketo thank everyone at Kings Ely for giving me this opportunity.

Bright sparks havethe winning solutionBRIGHT sparks fr Kings ey SixthFr hav bn awardd Gd, Sivr andcppr rtifiats in th cabridgchistry chang.The competition is designed to challenge students aboveand beyond the AS Level syllabus and encourage them tothink about science in the way they would at university.The challenge takes place under exam conditions and thepaper includes complex calculations, advanced theoryand questions that require unconventional thinking,as well as a bit of luck. As the paper progresses, thequestions become more difficult, culminating in the finalquestion that is only accessible to those with a real talentfor chemistry.This year there were more than 4,000 participants and,despite it being the first time that the school has entered,Kings Elys students came home with eight top awards.Five copper awards (top 61% of all entrants) went toTony Lesmeister, Sam Huguet, Axel Rois, Tommy Chienand Ji Sung Lee; two silver certificates (top 23%) wereawarded to Luke Cave and James Wege; and the goldaward (top 8%) went to Charles Lin.Student James Wege said: The paper was anexceptionally challenging but fulfilling test of ourchemistry knowledge applied in totally differentsituations. It was interesting to have tried somethingnew that stretched my mind and I was thrilled to achievea silver award.Tony Lesmeister added: I would recommend thechallenge as it is a unique and rewarding opportunitythat should be embraced by everyone who studies orlikes chemistry.


6/16

olD eans ar

highy vaud

stakhdrs

within th

shs s

unity and

pay a ky r

in th shs

dvpnt,as bnfatrs,

ntributrs

and r ds.

Generations ofalumni boasta wealth ofacademic, creativeand industrial

successes tomotivate andinspire currentpupils and raiseKings Elys profileas a centre ofopportunity andexcellence acrossthe board.

FoRmeR Kings ey pupi GusUngr-Haitn and his band,At-J wn th prstigiusBarayard mrury Priz inNvbr fr thir dbut abu,An Awesome Wave.Named after the Apple keyboard shortcut forthe triangular delta symbol, Alt-J beat othershortlisted acts including Plan B, RichardHawley, the Maccabees, Ben Howard, Django

Django, Lianne La Havas and Jessie Ware. Theycollected their award, which recognises the

best British album of the year, during a star-studded event at the Roundhouse in NorthLondon, which was hosted by Lauren Laverneand Nick Grimshaw.A classically trained pianist, Gus plays thekeyboard and sings harmonies in the criticallyacclaimed band, whose innovative music andsongwriting has earned them the title of themost talked-about band in Britain (NME).

Gus singer teacher, Peter North said: Gus wasa pupil at Kings Ely from 1997 until 2005. Hewas a chorister at Ely Cathedral during his timeat the Junior school before moving up to KingsEly Senior, where he became a music scholarand joined The Kings Ely Barbers.From an early age, Gus showed a keen interestin text and the use of words, something whichwe can see in Alt-Js lyrics, and seemed alwaysto be destined to do something unusual andinteresting.

Gus went on to study English Literature atLeeds University in 2007, where he met fellowAlt-J band members Joe Newman (vocals/guitar), Gwil Sainsbury (bass/guitar) and ThomGreen (drums), who all studied Fine Art. Thismay explain the bands artistic influences; thevideo for the single Tessellate was filmed ina triangle motion and is a rework of RaphaelsThe School of Athens, which depicts manygreat philosophers and scholars includingPythagoras. Their music was also recently usedduring an art installation at the Louvre.The week the prize was announced, the bandgained their highest chart position to date sincethe albums release in May 2012, with thealbum jumping 13 places in the Official AlbumsChart from Number 27 to 14. At the time ofpublication, the record has sold over 86,000copies.

Forer pupilsband, Alt-J, winsmerury Prize


7/16

Abv: Old Elean Gus Unger-Hamilton (third fromleft) proudly displays the Barclaycard Mercury Prize

for the best album of the year with fellow Alt-Jbandmates

lft: Gus (top row, centre) at Zurich Airport in 2003during the Kings Ely Barbers trip to Thailand

oppsit pag: The cover of Alt-Js debut album,An Awesome Wave, which features a satellite image ofthe Ganges delta, courtesy of the European SpaceAgency


8/16


9/16

RAcING drivr and od ean,oivr Jarvis ad a pit-stpat Kings ey this tr t takt pupis at his frr shabut his xiting arr as a

fatry drivr fr Audi.Oliver (28), who was a pupil at bothKings Ely Junior and Senior until 2000,recently secured a podium finish at LeMans 24 and currently competes in theFIA GT1 World Championship.After talking about his career in the fastlane, Oliver was given a tour of the wholeschool, and it wasnt long before he waspicking up his fountain pen once again tosign autographs for his newfound fans. He

also returned to the Monastic Barn to joinpupils and staff for lunch; only this time,he didnt have to queue.Oliver said: The school has changed somuch over the last 12 years, with thedevelopment of so many new buildingsand facilities, but I am pleased to say thatthe spirit of Kings Ely is as strong as ever.As well as advising pupils on thededication and commitment neededto make it to the top, Oliver also has adegree in Business Studies and stressedthe importance of a good education inwhatever career path they choose.My racing career wont last forever,said Oliver, and having a good educationhas given me the confidence and aptituderequired to handle all kinds of situations,such as negotiating business deals and

being interviewed live on television,helping me stand out from other drivers.Head Sue Freestone said: It was great towelcome Ollie back to Kings Ely and to

hear him speak with such enthusiasm andreal humility. He was a great inspiration tothe students of today.The marketing team interviewed Oliverduring his visit to find out why he talks sohighly of Kings Ely.D yu hav fnd ris f yur

ti at Kings ey?

I have great memories; I remember myfirst day and thinking how large the schoolwas compared to my previous school.However, I quickly settled in and madesome very good friends, some of whom Iam still in contact with today, even thosefrom my time at Kings Ely Junior.During yur st rnt visit, yu

ntd that yu wr pasd

t s that th spirit f Kings ey

sti raind. Hw wud yu

dsrib this spirit?

Its difficult to explain, but any formerstudents can testify to the fact that it doesindeed exist. There is such a friendlyatmosphere throughout the school andyou can feel the buzz when students arewalking between classes. One thing I loveabout Kings Ely is that the classrooms arenot all situated in one building and that

the school is spread out and intertwinedwith the cathedral.Wr yu aadi at sh?

I would say I was reasonably academic.My main focus was sports, although I tookmy studies seriously and realised that mygrades were important. I probably had theability to be even more academic than Iwas, but I wanted a good balance betweenmy studies and my sporting life, and I feelthat this was achieved.

What GcSe grads did yu gt?

I got six As, two Bs and three Cs.D yu think that th sh hpd

yu t fufi yur ptntia?

Kings Ely was extremely important inhelping me fulfil my potential. It gave methe confidence in life necessary to achieve,and the drive and determination required.

I dont think it is a coincidence that manyof the pupils I was at school with havegone on to get extremely good jobs intheir respected fields.Yu say that yu aways wantd t

b a raing drivr, yt yu wnt n

t tak a dgr in Businss Studis.

Why, and d yu f that yu hav

bnfitd fr dvping yur

duatin?

There were no guarantees that Iwould be able to fulfil my dream so it

was important to me to have a goodeducation to fall back on. I also feel ithas been a huge benefit along the way,giving me the confidence and abilitiesto deal with a wide range of situations.Nowadays, driving the car only forms asmall part of a racing drivers job as pressand marketing activities have becomeincreasingly important, and my educationand degree have helped me no end inthese areas.

Kingof the roadreturns


10/16

ART and dsign dispays bys f th shs stgiftd and tantd studntswr xhibitd at th Suth

Hi Park Arts cntr inBrakn this tr.The exhibition featured a collectionof Fine Art, Fashion and Photographydisplays from current Kings Elystudents and Sixth Form graduates.Many of the students achieved A andA* in their exams, and Kate Martinmanaged to gain a spectacular 100 percent for her A2 Textile project.Around 20 other British schools also

contributed towards the exhibition,which was organised by Kings ElysDirector of Art, Alison Rhodes as partof The Society of Heads, which helps

independent schools to share ideas andexperiences.Alison commented: The collaborativeexhibitions are held annually, with theprevious exhibition being held at theRoyal Ballet in Covent Garden. Theevents provide the young artists with theopportunity to showcase their work, to

build their portfolios and to raise theirprofile nationally.Our students will now get a taste

of professional exposure, and it is afabulous way to celebrate their superbresults.Former pupils of Kings Ely who have

gone on to achieve success includedesigner and Vogue writer RupertSanderson, whose shoes are worn byfilm stars and celebrities includingGwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss, CherylCole and Samantha Cameron; sculptorStephen Vince, who has createdSculpture Safaris throughout theworld; and artist Aubrey Powell, whodesigned the artwork on Led Zeppelinsalbum, Houses of the Holy.

eXhIBItIonIstsKings Ely students showcase outstanding artwork


11/16

Edward stars in EnglishNational Operas TheMagic Fluteat ColiseumA TAleNTeD yungprfrr ad hisfirst apparansn th stag f thlndn cisuthis tr aftr binghsn t pay thr f lad By inengish Natinaopras (eNo)atst rnditin fmzarts The MagicFlute.Year 9 pupil and ex-head chorister, EdwardBirchinall (13) was one of hundreds of hopefuls from across theUK who auditioned for the role in what has been acclaimed as

one of ENOs most magical productions (The Times).And as if that wasnt enough excitement for one week, within 24hours of making his ENO debut, Edward also learnt that he hadpassed his Associated Board Recital Diploma, allowing him toplace the letters DipABRSM after his name.Vanessa Scott, Edwards singing teacher, said: Edward has avery beautiful voice and sings with musicianship and artistry wayabove his years. He is a thoroughly nice young man and workedwith tremendous focus during the summer holidays to preparefor these two challenges.Passing the Recital Diploma is a notable achievement at any age,

but to have managed both of these at 13 is exceptional, and hedeserves every bit of his success.Edward has already enjoyed a busy year with Ely CathedralChoir and passed his Grade 8 singing with a high Distinction inthe spring. He also sang for the Queen at the Diamond Jubileecelebrations in London in June 2012 and recently appeared inthe West End production ofOliveralongside Rowan Atkinson.Head of Kings Ely, Sue Freestone said: Edward is a giftedindividual with an innate sense of performance and well-rounded musicality.

Anna sings solo for

VIPs at the NSPCCLondon carol serviceYeAR 10 hristr Anna Wiis (in red andwhite) sang t a star-studdd audinat NSPcc lndns annua cars bycandight srvi in Dbr, hpingt rais vr 17,500 fr chidlin.

In addition to traditional carols and musicalperformances, the service featured readings by specialguests including HRH The Countess of Wessex, SirMichael Caine and Sir David Frost.Representing Kings Ely and Ely Cathedral GirlsChoir (ECGC) at the high profile event, held at ChristChurch Spitalfields, Anna opened the concert witha solo performance of the first verse of Once inRoyal for the Choir of Selwyn College, University ofCambridge.Sarah MacDonald, who is Director of both Selwyn

Choir and ECGC, said: Selwyn Choir has performedat NSPCC Londons annual Carols by Candlelightservice for the last four years. When I was asked toprovide a soloist for the opening, I was delighted to beable to offer the opportunity to one of the girls fromECGC. Not only does this give ECGC more nationalexposure, it also helps Kings Ely and Ely Cathedralto support such an inspirational childrens charity ata time of year when remembering those who are lessfortunate than ourselves is so very important.

Avery-Green Photography 2012


12/16


13/16

Back to naturecHIlDReN fr Kings eyArnt hav bn arningabut a histry and widifwhi wrking in tand with theduatin Dpartnt at WiknFn.The Year 1 pupils enjoyed three visits toWicken Fen, one of the UKs oldest naturereserves, where they learnt about habitats, madecamouflaged dens for observing wildlife, enjoyedpond dipping and constructed tree and mudsculptures. One of the Education Officers madethree visits to the Acremont grounds, where thechildren learnt about combustion and fire safetyas part of their science project. Everyone helpedto create a large bonfire and cooked hot dogsand marshmallows, providing the children witha tasty home-cooked snack. They also dissectedowl pellets, discovering tiny skulls, teeth and

bones from animals eaten by owls at Wicken Fen.Head of Acremont, Lynda Brereton said: Thisproject was a super springboard for learningand greatly enhanced our creative curriculum.The children had so much fun in their roles asAcremont Foresters and have benefited from avariety of wonderful experiences.


14/16

Kings wins the Teso cup!eXcITemeNT hit fvr pith this tr whn Kings eyJunir wn th Is f ey Distrit ftba turnant,th Ts cup.The boys played well from the start, finishing top of the group by beatingKingsfield 2-0 and Isleham 2-1. Tommy Hutchinson and Ben Marshallscored in the first game and Tommy netted again in match two, with BillyPinto grabbing the winner and continuing his fine form.The semi-final saw the best two footballing teams on the day clash for aplace in the final as Kings Ely went head to head with Robert Arkenstall.The game was very even, with chances for both teams, but neither teamconverted and the dreaded penalty shoot-out loomed.Everyones minds turned to last years disappointment, where the sametwo teams had been involved in a mammoth 23-24 shoot-out! However,this time Kings Ely came out on top with two fine saves from goalkeeper

Jamie Cooper and solid penalties from Jacob Berraondo, Arthur Plews,Tommy Hutchinson and Max Allen, making it 4-2 on penalties.

Saving our best performance for the final against Little Thetford, theresult never looked in doubt when two quick goals came in as manyminutes. The first was an own goal after good passing in midfield and thesecond was an easy tap in from Tommy Hutchinson, following great workfrom Arthur Plews. Harry Black completed the scoring with an excellentteam goal, securing victory and the trophy with a 3-0 lead.Teacher Dan Parratt commented: It was a great competition with somegood football being played, despite the wet and windy conditions. The

boys thoroughly deserved the win as they grew stronger throughout thetournament.

Footballer picked

for national squad

YeAR 10 studnt oi Pasants isfwing in th ftstps f prftbars Frank lapard, Vitr

mss and Wi Kan by bing pikdt pay fr th Indpndnt ShsFtba Assiatins (ISFA) natinasquad.Following the national trials in summer 2012, Ollie who plays centre back has once again been selectedto represent the Under 15s team after a successfulseason with the squad last year, when they won everymatch against tough competition from rival teamsacross the country.The ISFA is affiliated to the Football Association

(FA) and provides the most talented players fromindependent schools in England with an opportunityto play at a standard higher than normal inter-schoolfootball, in order to help them develop their skills.Ben Edmondson, Head of Sport at Kings Ely Seniorsaid: We are really proud of Ollies achievement. Wehave heard that the ISFA has reduced the number ofplayers selected this year so we are very pleased thatOllie made it through to the new U15 squad.On behalf of the school, I wish him all the best forthe year ahead.


15/16

TeAm GB hky payr,Hannah mald visitd thgirs hky tas at Kings

ey this tr t nurag thyung payrs t up thir ga.Hannah (in Team GB kit), who helped theBritish hockey team secure a Bronzemedal at the London 2012 Olympics thissummer, provided a motivational speechto the 1st and 2nd team before coachingvarious teams from both Kings Ely Junior

and Senior.

The fervent forward, who has a PhD inExercise Physiology, has enjoyed furtherinternational success with England andGreat Britain, winning medals at theWorld Cup, Champions Trophy, EuropeanChampionships and CommonwealthGames.Head of Girls Games, Chanre Bondsaid: As well as having an impressiveeducational background, Hannah isextremely passionate about hockey andother sports, and her enthusiasm reallyshone through. She talked of how she wasinspired by the performances of LinfordChristie and Sally Gunnell at the 1992Olympic Games when she was about theirage, and that they too could be standingon stage with an Olympic medal if thatswhat they set out to achieve.Earlier on in the term, two hot-shothockey coaches tackled the Senior girlshockey teams to get them into shape forthe new season.

Jon Belby (below, left), who boasts an

impressive 95 caps for Great Britain

during events such as the BeijingOlympics, Commonwealth Games andthe World Cup, and Chris Marriott (below,centre),Director of Hockey at CambridgeUniversity and head coach for twonational teams in Wales, have been helpingthe first and second teams raise their game

before the start of the new term.The intensive training drills, which tookplace on the schools astro field, includedpassing and receiving skills; lead runsand movement off the ball; tackling andinterceptions; goal shooting and generalfitness. They also helped with teamselection.Chanre said: Although the school hasused other international coaches before,it is the first time that Jon and Chris have

been in to coach for us, and we werereally impressed. Despite some torrentialrain during day one, they managed tokeep the girls engaged and motivatedthroughout the training and helped themto make the most of the experience,

pushing them harder than ever before.

Hockey teams get ahead of the game


16/16

THANK yu

fr rading thWintr 2012-13ditin fThe Porta.We will be back laterin the year with newsand developmentsfrom all sections ofthe school.In next terms edition,we will also be askingpupils from all agesand backgrounds, witha myriad of individualskills and ambitions,why they feel thatKings Ely is the rightchoice for them.In the meantime,please do not hesitateto get in touch [email protected]

the porta winter 12-13 online

Documents