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Contents

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20-21 22 23 24-27 28-29 30-33 34-37

From the Headmaster

Sailing at St James

Homeless Outreach Project

Sir Anthony Seldon Visit to St James

Friends of St James

Activities Week

10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19

Performing Arts at St James

Students’ Work

Design and Technology at St James

St James Cadets

STEM Faculty at its best

Art and Photography

Sports Round-Up

Marathon des Sables

The Journey of Wellbeing

Editorial Team Editor: Sarah Harris Principal Photography: Gail Fogarty Additional Photography: Sarah Harris, James Johnson, Ben Wassell, Stuart Bridge, Adam Hooper, David Hipshon, Michaela Weiserova, Frank Byrne, Nic Lempriere, Peter Reddell, UKSA, Kim Brown, Mark Saunders, Jeremy Clarke

St James Senior Boys’ School Church Road, Ashford, Surrey TW15 3DZ Telephone: 01784 266 930

Email: [email protected] Website: www.stjamesschools.co.uk/seniorboys

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From the Headmaster

St James is a place of ‘Total Education’.

Every experience, every interaction and every conversation is a golden moment to refine attention, expand one’s being and open one’s heart. A true educative experience lights fire in the imagination and connects each pupil to the unity of this beautiful, magical and mysterious cosmos in which we find ourselves.

Mindfulness and meditation are completely embedded in all we do at St James; those moments of ‘pausing’ that start and end lessons are moments of connection and unity that calm the being and provide a necessary perspective. The fruits of contemplative practice are listening, loving attention and a deep sense of care for the worth of things and of other beings. These are qualities essential to bring to 21st century students; there needs to be an encounter, an attentive ‘dialogue’ between teachers and students: to find out what they think, how they think, what they feel and see, what their world is like – rather than just tell them what to think. If young people finish school speaking well, writing well, and can conduct themselves with grace, they are already well on the way to living good

lives. It is an old truth that the ‘Good’ protects itself and those who follow it and now, more than anything else, we need future generations who can bring a fresh vision to the world, who can see anew.

Such an education is called ‘holistic’ which means it is whole, that it addresses and enables all aspects of a human being’s potential. This leads to a natural ease of being (the opposite of disease) and such an approach allows young men to really achieve.

Education in this sense is a leading out, an energetic confluence of becoming who

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A true educative experience lights fire in the imagination

we really are. There is nothing ‘dead’ or concluded in such an education, nothing cold or limited. All ideas and theories are questioned in the light of reason and explored. Such an education must also be practical and the young men it produces useful to others and wider society. They will help society itself to reflect and understand. The vision for St James’ pupils is a large one; it encourages a moving beyond a limited frame of reference to an open encounter with life itself. At St James, the spiritual aims and the academic aims of the school work hand-in-hand. Our philosophical approach nourishes the spiritual needs of the boys, deepens the heart of their contemplative life, and helps them along the path to a life of grace, virtue and creative excellence.

Mr Brazier

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Sir Anthony Seldon Visit to St James

Being still and aware made you a more generous, intuitive and caring person. Those around you received the benefit, although the spin-off was that you became more attractive and popular. Was it useful? It was essential. He spoke to an audience of 180 people, including 30 Sixth-Formers, describing his own journey from confused and depressed student to happy and successful man. It was personal, honest, moving and inspiring. He told us that at Wellington College he had begun every day with five minutes of silent mindfulness for his 200 staff and that he was now in charge of the first ‘mindfulness university’.

Mindfulness Beyond School

In November, Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, Director of the Centre for Contemporary British History, author of more than thirty-five books and former Master of Wellington College, came to St James to give a talk to parents and Sixth Formers on Mindfulness Beyond School. The subtitle of his talk was ‘Does this mindfulness thing really work in the real world?’ His answer was an emphatic “Yes”.

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It was our great duty and responsibility to wake up to the reality beyond the mind and body. Having written the biographies of the last five Prime Ministers and having been given the role of ‘official historian to No. 10 Downing Street’, his observations on the workings of that place and the personalities within it were fascinating. The country needs to be run by people who are conscious, awake and in control of themselves, he observed. Meditation and mindfulness allowed one to decide what to do, when to do it and how it should be done. It made one ‘colossally efficient’. He happened to mention, in passing, that he was meeting the Secretary of State for Education in the morning. No doubt he will have a positive influence.

In the past, St James had seemed weird in comparison to other schools. They were going in a different direction. Now, he said, the majority of schools were moving towards the St James approach and we should be proud of the example we have set. Mindfulness, meditation, pausing and stillness are part of the ‘journey to wholeness’ and an essential part of a real education. Sir Anthony’s message was affirming and assuring, but it was more the way in which he spoke, rather than the words themselves, which had the greatest impact. He was fully present, calm, confident in himself, curious and alert. Although his message to the Sixth Form was cogent and comprehensive, it was the quiet voice of real experience which allowed it to be heard and received. Anthony Seldon’s book, Beyond Happiness (2016) is available and I whole-heartedly recommend it. It traces his own difficult journey and the peace and joy he discovered through philosophy and meditation. All the proceeds from the sale of his books and from the lectures he gives go to charity.

Dr Hipshon

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Activities Week

The activity week programme this year was our best yet with an amazing array of trips and activities all closely aligned within the spirit of St James. Year 7 travelled to the Lake District for a week of outdoor adventure and Year 8 enjoyed the ancient civilisations of Greece. For Year 9 it was an inspirational journey along the Camino trail to Santiago and Year 10, as always, enjoyed the incredible cultural saturation of Florence and Lucca!

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Performing Arts at St James

Our Music department have had a very busy year. Under the direction of Sam Jackson, they have gone from strength to strength, with some amazing performances and concerts throughout the year. At Christmas, the school gathered for the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in St Hilda’s Church: a magical occasion at which our 50-strong Choir took centre stage. They performed a challenging set of carols and led the congregational singing; Jay Guru-Murthy, Krishna Mukhi, Peter Saunders, Piers Kimberley and Luke Saunders all sang solos. The brass ensemble added festive sparkle to the proceedings, as did the accomplished work of our string ensemble before and after the service. The main event of the spring term was the annual Instrumental Competition. Pupils and staff enjoyed a week of recitals which doubled as the ‘heats’ for the main competition; it was good to see so many Year 7 pupils in particular perform in public for the first time. The final itself was held in front of the whole school, judged by Ben Cahill-Nicholls, founder of the musical theatre charity RicNic. The Year 7 Band kicked us off with a rousing rendition of ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, and the Piano Trio (Justin Grant, Karol Yusuf, Milan Nathwani) gave a sensitive and well-prepared performance of Christine Brown’s ‘Chandos Suite’. From the Junior Competition, Thomas Claeys (voice/piano) and Bart Newsom-Davis (alto saxophone) were particularly commended, but the overall winner was George Fletcher (drums) for his stylishly authentic work on Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’. From the Senior Competition Hari Goswami (guitar/voice) and Justin Grant (violin) were commended, along with Elijah Olukoya for his infectiously jazzy,

nuanced and virtuosic saxophone playing. The overall winner, though, was Luke Saunders, who played Grieg’s ‘Notturno’ with great poise and maturity. The winners of the competition reconvened at the Girls’ School in April for the joint Performing Arts Gala: a wonderful evening that showcased some of the best creative talent at St James. We also took a trip to the Royal Festival Hall, where some of our keenest musicians heard the RPO perform Dvoráck’s ‘Cello Concerto’ and Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’. Our aspiring pianists attended a workshop at the Girls’ School given by concert pianist Luis Parés, whose advice and technical wizardry the boys found completely inspirational. Towards the end of term, the whole of Year 7 travelled to the Royal Albert Hall to experience the Classical Spectacular show. Our musical year ended with the Summer Concert, held jointly with the Girls’ School in St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith. The highlight of the evening was the performance of Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’, featuring solos by Jack Rathbone (treble) and Justin Grant (alto). The Orchestra performed Bernstein’s ‘America’ from West Side Story , as well as performances from our new 15-strong Jazz Band.

Mr Jackson Director of Music

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St James Drama department continues to deliver high-quality drama around the school. This year we saw a very wide range of performances across all years with some fantastic work by our senior A Level and GCSE drama students and our Year 7’s with their brilliant production of Canterbury Tales . Just before Christmas, Year 7 transported the audience back to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales . The Moot Hall was filled with eager anticipation as the whole of the year proudly entered the hall to recite a prologue. 7TR opened the evening’s performance with The Knight’s Tale , thrilling the audience with their battle scenes and acting. Next came 7VQ with their clever interpretations of The Reeve’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale . All boys spoke beautifully and created some interesting physical scenes. And finally 7AH brilliantly performed The Miller’s Tale and The Nun’s Priest’s Tale after this. The whole of Year 7 participated in this adaptation and gained confidence in their ability to act and speak aloud in front of a crowded audience. Teaching staff from the Drama department and the Year 7 English teachers worked extremely hard with the novice thespians. We hope that some of the boys will be inspired to continue with their performance skills. We have seen some amazing performances from our GCSE and A Level Drama groups. Year 13 performed a moving rendition of The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh and Year 11 were split into various cast

in designing the costumes, set and lighting for these productions. In February, the school held its annual Speech Competition. We were honoured to have guest judge theatre director Amber Elliot adjudicating the event. She was very impressed - commenting on their choice of speeches and their ability to speak naturally in front of an audience. This year’s winner for Speech was Zane Jawad from Year 10 who performed a monologue by Basheba Baptiste’s Memories . The runner-up was Kian Khan who impressed with his strong recital of The Fate of Priam . In the Shakespeare category, Stanley Jarvis in Year 9 took the winning place with his natural and meaningful rendition

of a soliloquy from The Merchant of Venice , and Thomas Nicholas in Year 8 received runner-up with a strong performance of ‘Antony’ from Julius Caesar . We also awarded a special commendation for Chen Gao in Year 7 for his excellent, confident and passionate delivery of The Great Dictator by Charlie Chaplin.

sizes performing extracts from The Exam, Macbeth, Chatroom, Of Mice and Men and Missing Dan Nolan . Boys also had the opportunity to get involved

I would like to thank all of the boys who entered the competition and

performed on the day. In particular, it was pleasing to see how many Year 7 boys were keen to get involved with this school tradition.

Mrs Pugh

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St James Cadets

St James Senior Boys’ School Combined Cadet Force (CCF) is a very popular extracurricular activity for boys from Year 9 and above. Cadets receive training in drill, skill at arms, shooting (air rifle and range), marksmanship, fieldcraft, navigation and first aid. They also participate in fitness training and activities such as obstacle course training, orienteering and archery (we have our own Archery GB instructor). Senior cadets receive leadership training and instruction in delivering training lessons. We have had a very busy year with a wide range of events, activities, residential trips and training camps. Here is a round-up of the year… Each year, a number of cadets take part in Duke of Edinburgh awards, mainly at Bronze and Silver award levels. Last spring, five of our senior cadets completed a canoe expedition on the River Wye as part of their Gold award. Although Duke of Edinburgh participation is organised as a separate activity run by Mr Bridge, participation in CCF activities provides excellent preparation for the Expedition section of the DofE award scheme. In June the Contingent had its Biennial Review. This was an Inspection and Review by a senior Army officer, Lt Colonel Simon McMenemy, along with staff from the London District Cadet Training Team who ensured that the Contingent was operating correctly and who reviewed their performance in terms of the Contingent in terms of how the training syllabus was being delivered. We were able to showcase the Contingent and its activities and are happy to say that the Contingent successfully passed the Inspection and Review with flying colours.

Also in June, 12 of our Year 10 cadets attended and successfully completed a Young Leaders course run by the Institute of Leadership and Management. At the start of the summer holidays in July, 55 cadets and staff travelled to Cumbria for the annual Summer Camp. In addition to a busy schedule of cadet training activities, they also enjoyed a day of adventurous training in the Lake District. The beginning of the school year brought an increase in the number of St James Senior Boys’ School pupils who were taking part in CCF activities. The number of pupils in the CCF rose to over 70. Our senior cadets are now actively involved in supporting adult staff in delivering the various training activities. In mid-September, a group of senior cadets and staff travelled to Normandy for a tour of the landing beaches and other locations relevant to the D-Day landings in June 1944. In October and November, teams of selected cadets participated in two competitions – the annual CADSAAM shooting competition in Kent and the annual Guthrie Cup cadet skills competition at Harrow School. During the October half-term, two of our senior cadets travelled to Kent to take part in a week-long national cadet leadership course. Both cadets performed extremely well and successfully completed the course. On November 11th, the Contingent led the parade in the annual Remembrance Sunday commemoration at Sloane Square on what was the 100-year anniversary of the end of the First World War. Our annual 3-day Christmas Camp was on the first weekend in December. It was a busy mix of activities which included an introduction to fieldcraft and navigation for Year 9 cadets, a chance to demonstrate leadership potential for our Year 10 cadets, a strenuous physical challenge (known as the Para Challenge) for our Sixth Form cadets, an afternoon of tenpin bowling at Guildford leisure centre and a

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beneficial for later in life. Being part of such a unit has also bonded me closer with the guys around me and allowed us to forge new friendships, not

traditional formal Christmas Dinner on the second evening. In the spring term on a chilly Sunday in January, we travelled to Brunswick Camp in Surrey where our junior cadets ‘enjoyed’ training

just in my own year group but with a number of people throughout the school I would not have met otherwise. Being in the Cadets has pushed me in many ways, both mentally and physically, and has shown me and others that you will be surprised at what you can achieve if you put absolutely everything you can into it.”

on a military obstacle course under the supervision of two Physical Training Instructors from the Parachute Regiment, while senior cadets took part in live firing practice on a military firing range. Then, in February, 20 of our senior cadets travelled to Hampshire for a day of clay target shooting with specialist instructors from the Army Shooting Club. Then in early March, a large group of Year 9 cadets took part in a ‘Living In The Field’ weekend camp, staying outdoors overnight and putting their fieldcraft training into practice. The beginning of the summer term saw a group of our senior cadets travel to the Urban Training Centre at Longmoor Camp in Hampshire for a TIBUA (Training In a Built Up Area) weekend where military training scenarios were used as a basis to develop leadership, teamwork and communication along with planning and preparation skills. In the middle weekend of May, a large group of Year 9 and 10 cadets, supported by Year 12 cadets, spent two nights living outdoors and conducting training exercises to put into practice the training that they had been receiving throughout the year. And what next? Our annual Summer Camp is in early July and plans are already in place for the autumn term with a number of activities being planned and dates having been pencilled in for weekend activities.

Alarik Hogsander

“Cadets is an opportunity to grow, not just physically but also mentally, as it offers challenges to all its members whether new or old. For me, Cadets has been an essential part in finding what I love to do, being able to bond and make friends, all while overcoming obstacles I never thought I would have been able to do before. Finally, the CCF is a way of improving the discipline, endurance and character of all those who take part, and I take great pride parading on Remembrance Day for the fallen; being able to pay my respects and continue their legacy is an honour.”

Richard Fletcher (Captain) Contingent Commander St James Senior Boys’ School CCF

Joseph Munden

“I have been part of the CCF at St James for four years and in that time I have learnt valuable skills such as teamwork, leadership and countless others that are

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STEM Faculty at its best

Biology, Physics, Computer Science and Design and Technology

Our STEM Faculty joins together several departments across St James including Maths, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Computing and PE. This year we participated in a significant number of competitions and workshops, as well as attending trips and events across all the STEM disciplines. This year over 130 of our students took part in the Maths Challenges organised by the UK Maths Trust across different age categories. This year was our most successful in recent history at St James, with a haul of 10 golds, 15 silver and 29 bronze awards and seven boys qualifying for the next round. Henry Shard from Year 9 achieved great success in the UK Mathematics Olympiad in his age category - winning a medal, was awarded a distinction and was placed in the top 100 in the country.

competition in the future. Pupils from Year 10 also took part in the RSC Chemistry team challenge. We recognise that our students benefit from regular contact with professionals in different fields. Many of the trips and workshops are designed to broaden their access to different views and knowledge in and outside of the curriculum. This provides them with a wide experience and helps them to make the right choices for their A Level and university courses. This year, each of the STEM departments arranged a wide variety of exciting trips and workshops to enhance their learning experience. These have included an A Level Physics visit to CERN in Geneva and a ‘Particle Masterclass’ at Royal Holloway in London. Our A Level Chemists participated in the workshop ‘Spectroscopy in a suitcase’ as well as a conference on ‘Chemistry in Action’ at the Emanuel Centre in London.The A Level Computer Science students gained valuable knowledge during the workshop led by ‘School of Coding’ and joined forces with Maths and Physics pupils to learn all about the importance of Bletchley Park during WW2. A workshop ‘Computer Science in Action’ introduced our A Level students to the wider world of computing with sessions in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Forensics, and our A Level Mathematicians attended the ‘Exploring Maths’ conference also at Royal Holloway.

The annual Chemistry Cambridge Challenge has been another great

success and, for the past three years, St James students have achieved the Roentgenium Award. This year a group of senior boys also took a part in

the UK Biology Challenge for the first time and we hope to expand this

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In October half term, the GCSE Computer Science pupils travelled to Germany to visit the Computer Games Museum, German Technology Museum and the Game Science Center. A group of boys from Years 9 and 10 travelled to London to attend the ‘GCSE science Live!’ conference and learn about different fields of science such as medicine, anatomy, chemistry, physics and astronomy. During STEM week, all Year 9 pupils took part in an innovative workshop led by the Smallpeice Trust. Looking at smart buildings, the boys were tasked to design, plan and build their own smart irrigation system. A small group from Year 10 participated in the NRICH roadshow workshop to learn more about the Maths behind game strategies and problem-solving. We recognise that Maths is the foundation stone for all sciences and technology subjects, and in the Lower School we concentrate our efforts in this direction. During STEM week, all students in the Lower School participated in the NRICH roadshow workshop and honed their skills in solving problems or puzzles as well as trying to find winning strategies in simple maths-based games. On top of all these events, we used time outside of the lessons to expand students’ knowledge beyond the curriculum, introducing them to the beauty of different subjects and their histories. Overall, the STEM Faculty goes from strength to strength, for the benefit of our students and their future.

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Mr Lempriere recounts his epic journey to the Marathon des Sables in North Africa and the challenges along the way. Marathon des Sables

These two paragraphs may seem incongruous but they’re not really. Hundreds upon hundreds of hours went into preparing myself to even reach the start line of the race, not to mention the physical effects on the body, the psychological impact, the impact on my friends, colleagues and family, and, frankly, my bank balance. Part of every heroic narrative involves some sort of suffering, loss or trauma that informs the rest of the story. Whilst I would not dare to equate myself with the heroes of my youth and adulthood, one is forced to draw parallels. Early in the decade, I went through some extremely challenging moments, both in my career and personal life, which took a devastating toll on my mental health. With the care and support of close friends and the superb care of professionals in the NHS, I would go so far as to say my life was turned around. Those

I was brought up on a steady diet of pop culture. My childhood Saturday mornings would typically involve sneaking downstairs before 6am to watch 1980s cartoons, which would often include some sort of PSA or moral. As simplistic as some of these were, I can’t help but feel that these messages of resilience, tolerance and care - along with those found in the pages of Marvel comics - informed the person I came to be. I spent the Easter holidays running for Mind, the mental health charity. The location was a bit more demanding than running along the A308 in the morning. The Marathon Des Sables is an event for those who truly want to be pushed; a multi-stage, 250km run across the Sahara and its huge variety of terrains, from the photogenic dunes to dried lakes and everything in between, whilst carrying my own food, water and kit.

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who helped certainly carried a great power and saw it as a great responsibility. Whilst I do not personally subscribe to an idea of karma, I do to that of duty. My life is all the better for those who demonstrated care when I needed it. It’s been important to me to make sure that this is paid back in kind, and I can think of no better charity to support this year. I hope that the funds raised by the St James body and my wider circle of friends goes to somebody who needs it and that they too take the opportunity to do something similar, even if they start at a point where it seems like they fail but work as hard as they can to help somebody else. After all, anyone can wear the mask. I am not the most physically gifted, the smartest or fastest. Probably not the most modest either. However, all of those years spent reading X-Men comics, or watching many hours of cartoons, certainly informed my moral core. I can’t swing between buildings, or regenerate, or leap buildings. But I don’t quit- and I have every intention of carrying on raising money for charity by taking on the toughest races I can.

Mr Lempriere

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The Journey of Wellbeing

May all be happy. May all be without disease.

May all creatures have wellbeing. And none be in misery of any sort. May peace be everywhere. - Ancient Vedic Prayer

regarding this very thing – a boy cannot learn unless his wellbeing is cared for as much as is possible, nor can he attempt to work if his learning attitude is not positively in place: content comes last. Pastoral Care is a great source of passion for me and I would like to share with you some of the wonderful things we are undertaking in support of your sons here at St James. At the beginning of the academic year, our Year 9 cohort began a programme in partnership with the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families and the University of Manchester, whose aim it was to explore the most effective methods for engaging young people with the issue of mental health. The boys had several sessions with external facilitators and their opinions were measured via a survey before and after. Many expressed how interesting the topics were and how freeing it felt to be able to discuss some of the issues presented in an open forum – some of this was followed up in form time and assemblies. Others were given the opportunity to feedback directly to the research team. I am proud that our Year 9s have been able to make a positive contribution to the ongoing research. Another initiative is the recently formed ‘Wellbeing Award in Schools Change Team’. We are in the process of achieving the ‘Wellbeing Award in Schools’. The hallmark itself is merely an end point; in order to get there we have established a number of exciting

At St James, the above prayer can be heard repeated in our assemblies with assured regularity – surely there can be no greater offering to the universe than simply wishing an end to suffering and that a sense of wellbeing permeates the lives of every living thing. It is our hope that every young man stepping through our doors is able to operate within these fundamental tenets of life and become part of a community that values all paths, all contributions and all journeys. It is widely recognised that wellbeing, and ‘happiness’, to bundle it together with another, rather simplistic noun, appear on a spectrum. A moment of happiness, sadness, perhaps even anger or despair when in isolation, has very little impact on our overall wellbeing. Knowledge that the present moment will pass and become another present moment is extremely powerful. Our ability to step back from the moment, acknowledge its impact, adjust our process where possible and move on to the next opportunity to learn about ourselves is key on the journey of wellbeing. Indeed, I’ve neglected to use the phrase ‘to wellbeing’ as that suggests a single point of destination, which there is not. I am extremely fortunate to find employ in a place such as St James, where colleagues place the wellbeing of the pupils in our care at the top of our list of priorities. I was delighted to have a conversation with Mr Johnson

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excited to look at how we can broaden the offering to our young men. It is my vision that any aspect of life not covered by the other academic subjects be appropriately broached via the PSHE curriculum and I welcome views from across the school community in my efforts to improve the offering, widen the scope, but apply greater structure and oversight. Please feel free to make contact if you have any thoughts. Any parent at St James should be clear within their mind of how much emphasis we place on their child’s wellbeing. Academic performance is important, but it is one aspect only. Our Form Teacher system ensures regular contact with the boys and facilitates deeper relationships and conversations than are possible at other schools. The hierarchy of Pastoral Leadership further supports this and the message is clear to the boys – we are on their side, and much like their parents, want only the best and finest for them. Our focus on service and doing good, applying gratitude to our daily lives, is especially poignant – all have been proven to contribute highly to overall wellbeing. With the best will and intent, your sons should graduate from St James with the tools needed for life. I firmly believe that we at St James are on the right path, and I’m glad to have you with us on the journey.

initiatives. We have formed a team of interested parties, students and parents whose aim it is to identify positives in our current wellbeing programme, but also identify potential risk factors and areas for improvement that puts wellbeing at the heart of all we do. We will have a blog on Firefly for all to keep apprised of our journey. Our curriculum at St James is certainly a broad offering, but in our efforts to educate the whole individual we must not forget that every single additional opportunity is an extremely important part of the package. Every CCF engagement, every DofE hour spent volunteering, upskilling, working on an aspect of fitness or on an expedition, every sporting session and team match outside of core PE, every trip, every academic club, every charitable endeavour, every act of service – all of these, and so much more, contribute to our overall state of happiness, involvement and feeling that we are important individuals, that we matter, and that we make a difference to the world. Each element plays a vital role in our journey of wellbeing. The PSHE curriculum, taught across the school in assemblies, form time, break-out sessions with speakers, is just as important as any other subject. Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education, including also Citizenship and Sex and Relationships, becomes part of my remit in September and I am

Mr Bridge Head of PSHE

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Sailing at St James

Sailing has always been a key part of the extracurricular provision at St James for many years. Under the stewardship of Peter Reddell and Peter Holland and supported by Mr Lovell, it has gone from strength to strength. Currently, the boys have the opportunity to learn to sail as part of the Friday option from Year 9 onwards at Littleton Sailing Club in nearby Chertsey and various trips are also arranged to expand their knowledge and experience by sailing in the Solent from the Isle of Wight. Over the last year the sailing team have been very active, taking a group of boys to the UKSA in Cowes, Isle of Wight, for a five-day dinghy course over the June half term. The boys had the opportunity to improve their boat handling skills in a variety of different sailing areas, in the sheltered waters of the River Medina. Once they could handle the boats with confidence, they were given the opportunity to sail out into the Solent, sailing triangular courses in the Shrape at the entrance to Cowes Harbour. The weather conditions this year provided the boys with further challenges as they had to cope with rougher

seas, strong tides as well as reefed sails. More than a few capsized but given the low water conditions were able to easily stand up and get the boats moving again. Some of our more experienced sailors were also able to practise their skills at sailing with spinnakers. The UKSA is an excellent base as they have a wide variety of dinghies and keel boats to give the boys the opportunity to sail. On the last day they had the opportunity to sail out into the main channel past the Prince Consort buoy in the five-man keel boats, using spinnakers and learning to tack and gybe the boats. The instructors at the centre are always excellent and enjoy the week with the boys from St James. In addition to the dinghy week, in August there are a number of summer yachting trips where the boys have the opportunity to live aboard a 33-feet yacht, sailing around the Solent and going into different harbours each night. These are very popular and provide an excellent opportunity to test out their seamanship skills learnt in

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the dinghies on a bigger boat and experience a different type of sailing. They have the experience of living on- board, cooking, navigation and helping to crew the boat under the eyes of an experienced skipper. This year the team had an excellent trip, in stronger winds than usually expected in August, sailing up to Yarmouth past Beaulieu and then returning back in Cowes, before taking the yacht back to its berth in Hamble. To round up an extremely successful programme, a group of our experienced sailors entered the ISA National Sailing Regatta at Datchet. They had some difficult conditions to

cope with in strong and gusty winds, especially in the morning, with many boats capsizing. However, the winds dropped in the afternoon and the racing recommenced and the success rate at St James started to improve. Tom Harrison came first in the Pico fleet and we had some good performances from Tom Bufton, Josh Ingelton and Aryan Varma.

Mr Lovell

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Homeless Outreach Project

Our fundraising events held at school are designed provide the boys with activities they can enjoy whilst also raising money for the charities and helping others. Events such as World Book Day where the pupils could dress as their favourite characters and the Comic Relief cake sale, which raised over £190. We have many more events coming up with cake sales, mufti days and even a gaming tournament. Thanks to all those who have donated, especially those who donated cakes, because of you more people can be helped. The future is looking bright for the Sixth Form charity team, with a number of charities receiving donations and a new group dedicated to helping the homelessness. Next year we will see the current Sixth Formers move on from the school, and it is up to a new team of Year 12s, to take up our mantle and continue onwards. Thank you to Ms Gill our Charity Supervisor, Chanon Yauvan, Michael Kay, Joseph Munden, Nirmit Chanana, Yasin Biswas and Ramneek Singh, who have contributed greatly and have proved valuable to the team.

Sixth Form charity team

Our aim for the charity team and the Homeless Outreach Project this year has always been to help those in need, to give something back to the local community and to give a helping hand when many others would just turn away, providing a level of care which St James can be proud of. The Homeless Outreach Project initially started with just a few Sixth Formers and with some help from the Years 9 and 10, we began to create packs for the homeless. These packs contained food, water and other toiletries all designed to improve the life of those who are currently homeless. Moving forward, we also hope to reintroduce freedom back into their lives, starting by helping them to choose their own clothes or getting their hair cut at a barber. In May we met with the Community Chaplin at Bronzefield Prison, where we discussed how we could lend our services to their inmate release programme.

Chanon Yauvan Head of Charity

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Friends of St James

The development office and the Friends of St James have organised a wide range of events this year across the three schools and we would like to say a huge thank you to all of the parents who have so generously given their time to help organise and run these events. Money raised from the most recent fundraising was spent this year on two outside table tennis tables, which are being well used by the boys at both Friday options and during lunchtimes.

annual Alumni Sports Day involved current pupils and old boys and girls playing in rugby, lacrosse, hockey and netball matches, followed by lunch, enabling current pupils to network with the alumni. This year also saw the inaugural Teachers v Alumni Football match which was extremely close with a final victory for the alumni, whilst in the annual Ray Cook Cricket Cup the old boys played against a very talented school team. We launched our new alumni platform at the annual Christmas Drinks. It has been set up so that as soon as the boys leave school, they have a network of alumni who they can contact for support and advice as well as being part of the St James community. This year, for the first time, we put together a St James team to take part in the London MoonWalk, raising money for Walk the Walk, a breast cancer research charity. The team of parents and staff raised an amazing £4,000 at the last count. We will definitely be entering next year with an even bigger team so do let the Development Office know if you would like to join us. We love hearing from our Senior Boys’ parents and alumni so please do keep in touch and send us your stories.

It was fantastic to see so many people from all three schools taking part in the Fun Run in September. Mr Lempriere did an excellent warm-up, whilst Mr Brazier also joined in the fun. A huge number of parents popped on their running shoes and joined the boys, which was wonderful. Well done to George Fletcher who ran brilliantly and won first prize. Luckily the weather was glorious and both supporters and athletes celebrated crossing the finish line with a BBQ. All the entry money was split between the three schools’ chosen charities, and £238 was raised for Young Minds, our Senior Boys’ charity. The Seventh Form (alumni and alumni parents) have had a very active year. The

Kim Brown, Development Manager [email protected] Ellie Mello, Development Officer [email protected]

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THE STRANGE BOX Guy Grose (Year 8)

The strange box lay in his hand. It was shiny and black, with a smooth, polished surface and yet for its size it was surprisingly heavy. Like a meteorite he had once held. His radio crackled to life and he heard the lookout’s warning. “Two guards are approaching from the back entrance. They are heading for your location. Get out of there – now – but keep a low profile!” He stuffed the box into his pocket and reached for his Luger pistol. He hadn’t had to use it yet. The room showed no signs he had been there apart from the open metal safe. He had tried to close it – to buy himself more time to escape – but it had swung back open. He quickly navigated his way round the tables in the laboratory, past the glowing tanks of luminescent liquid. He had no idea which substance the tanks contained but he knew it would be deadly. He made his way over to the heavy metal doors, placed his hand on the handle then paused with his ear to the door. He heard footsteps coming towards him and saw a light in the distance. He retraced his steps and crouched on the floor behind one of the tanks. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted a fire exit sign giving off a dim green light. Keeping low, he slowly made his way towards it. He could hear the guards checking each door on the corridor for signs of an intruder and by the sound of it this laboratory would be next. He moved more quickly. He heard the footsteps stop. He listened intently. “Why had they stopped?” he asked himself. Was he about to be discovered? A jingle of keys in the lock announced the guards were at the door. He threw himself to the floor with an almost silent thud, and frantically pulled himself forward towards the fire exit. He froze as the door opened and he heard two voices… “I can’t see a thing in here” said one voice. “The lights must have blown again. This must be the third time this week…we’ll have to check the main fuse box”.

He couldn’t believe his luck as the door shut and the footsteps and voices became distant. Trying to contain his noisy breathing, he crawled to the fire exit. He pulled on the handle and the door swung open to reveal a darkened concrete staircase. He raced up the stairs, desperate to get back to ground level and out of this underground labyrinth. After about five flights he spotted a ventilation shaft. He knew it would lead to the outside. He tore off the hatch and crawled into the cramped tunnel. He could see a faint light ahead of him. He crawled towards it. It was nightfall but the darkness outside was lighter than the darkness in the tunnel and led him out. Hidden by the darkness, he trudged through the deep snow back towards the hole in the perimeter fence that he had cut only hours before. His mission had been well timed and fresh snow had covered his tracks. The wire scratched at

where the escape vehicle was waiting. Someone bundled him inside and the engine roared into life. The car bounced along the empty track for several miles, till they reached a crossroads where another car was waiting. He was hurried out of the first car and into the second which drove off into the night. The guards following them, on foot and in vehicles, were too far behind to catch them. By daybreak, they had crossed the border at a remote checkpoint. Their papers had been expertly forged - and the sleepy border guard had no idea he was waving through two enemies who had stolen a strange box which could be used for evil doings against his country.

his face and clothes as he pulled himself through the small gap in the fence. Looking behind often, he made his way up the slope to the cover of the treeline.

He threw himself to the floor with an almost silent thud, and frantically pulled himself forward towards the fire exit.

By evening, the car had arrived at the Leader’s mountain fortress. Soldiers had saluted along the heavily guarded final ascent. The bearer of the strange box was led up stone staircases, draped with the colourful

“What a bleak place this is,” he thought, as he strained his ears for the sound of the engine that would pick him up. Suddenly he heard a loud siren from the facility. They must have discovered that the box had been stolen. He started to run through the thick snow, branches tearing at his face and body and stumbling on the hidden undergrowth. He heard the barking of dogs. They were getting nearer.

flag of the party. Finally, he was led to a huge room with a window which looked over soaring snow covered peaks. The Leader sat at a long table, waiting for him. He saluted, then approached and handed him the box. The strange box lay in the Leader’s hand. It was shiny and black, with a smooth, polished surface and yet for its size, it was surprisingly heavy.

With relief he saw the unmistakeable flashing of a torch. He headed

towards it and came

to an open space

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THE STRANGE BOX Joseph Tate (Year 8)

exhibited a flourish of jade nettles as they shot at the struggling stranger. He wearily stumbled to the opal, engraved doorway. He had heard the alluring murmur of lustrous dragonflies that were a compound of azure sprays along with lavender indications of a healthy life. Fluttering flawlessly, the dragonfly began a long descent to a malachite leaf, which the man caressed, running his fingers into the veins of the plant. Shockingly, a new and even

Spraying violently, the tears concealed the early autumn, with minor amounts of amber foliage cascading and meandering down the slender, cobble-stoned avenue. Circling above, the clouds developed into an ominous, obfuscous, ultra- marine hue. It seemed as if the once flourishing vegetation had decreased to nothing, but the barren cracks in the otherwise smooth pavement. Stone decreased the vibrant paths with unforgiving brutality, leaving the landscape a cement-filled terror. Dusk fell upon the desolate streets, glaring its cantaloupe eye, pursuing each and every movement. Crash! Dilapidated houses spat out their unworthy, splinter-ridden shards of wood. The beige-stained windows crumbled to razor-edged panes. Slicing sinisterly, the man’s leather- shielded brogue shoes scraped their ear-splitting, metal-hardened sole on the ragged edge paving slabs. He was sheathed in a livid, blood- curdling robe, fashioned in an eerie, heliotrope lace. Garnished with iron knee pads, the man was only slightly protected from the gruesome stare of the setting sun. Only a purple hood shielded his pupils from the dying light outside. Expressionless, the out of place man strode to a bend, cascaded with triumphant shards of penetrating glass. From the gravel, a murky, coal-coloured beetle soared skyward. Something had terrified it as the insect evaded….. panic- stricken with deadly fear. Suddenly, a miniature piece of tarmac chipped off the road and a crack followed it. Shaking. The ground startled the man, who was deep in thought, and caused him to dive to the ground. He fell. Trembling, the traveller shut his fearful eyes. However, he did not close his ears enough to hear the sound-slicing shriek, harassing his ear drums to no end. Would it stop? Time stopped. Nothing moved for what felt like a year, until the ground beneath him swelled up like it had

been bitten by a hoard of wasps. The unfamiliar boom of an implosion rang enough to knock the man unconscious. Struggling to grip onto the ludicrously descending tiles, his slippery, slimy hands capsized themselves in polls of sweat, drowning into an ocean of horror. He let go. His eyes screaming for mercy, but he was given none… Tears floated in the air before racing him to the bottom. As his legs flinged up

more vibrant creature was unleashed from the piles of emerald foliage, a bloodshot, blackberry- coloured centipede. Scurrying ,its progressive legs embarked on a hike up the stem

He had heard the alluring murmur of lustrous dragonflies that were a compound of azure sprays along with lavender indications of a healthy life.

and into the air, he began a deadly drop into the aquamarine water. Foamy masses of bubbles stampeded across the vast lake in search of its outskirts. Meanwhile, the man’s expensive brogue shoes drowned in the water before sucking the life out of his feet.

Water clogged up the wanderer’s oesophagus, disintegrating any life inside it. Only just in time, the adventurer sprung up, elevating himself to the surface. Stretching for the edge of the lake, his arms squired for victory. Only this time, his wishes had come true and he bounded onto the adamantine rock. Retching violently, the stranger dispelled all of the suffocating water brimming in his throat. Encompassed in burgeoning thorns, tipped with red

of a plant revealing a concerning, needle-pointed tail. Expeditiously, the centipede vanished, giving way to a beautiful bouquet of exultant honeysuckle. Chipping off, an insignificant piece of pollen floated into the air before racing to the stranger’s mouth. An unusual sensation of honey infected his taste buds with delicious sweetness. If only he had the paradise of his own on the barren land above him. Squirming through an archway and reluctantly abandoning his paradise, the lost soul peered into the futuristic, opal chamber. The place was spotted with concerning holes. Sharply, the gateway collapsed into a pile of rubble behind him, thinning out his chance of escape. Was this his last mistake? Cautiously the adventurer sneaked

colours, the adventurer dawdled towards the nearest opening. The serrated stone path

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