The Alleynian 703 2015

The Alleynian 703 2015

W elcome to this year’s edition of The Alleynian . We hope you enjoy the diverse range of news, features and reports detailing the thoughts and actions of Dulwich College. This year has seen some important moments, with the opening of Phase One of the new Laboratory, the enormous success of the first Dulwich Creative Week and the fifth appearance of the fabulous Upper School Symposium all proving to be particular highlights, and all featured in these pages. The second of these, Dulwich Creative, gave rise to the leading focus of this issue – creativity. The creative instincts and abilities of boys at Dulwich permeate throughout, from collaborations with the sculptor Conrad Shawcross to thoughts on the landscape of Iceland to an account of our first Music Composition Competition. Other features reflect on what Dulwich’s pupils are thinking about or have been up to – School Captain Anamay Viswanathan considers what leadership at Dulwich looks like; Marko Marsenic – and me – think about the impact the internet and mobile devices are having on our lives. Dramatic, musical and sporting achievements have been typically outstanding this year, with the success of the Dulwich Olympiad, another unbelievable cup run from the 1st XV, productions of The Caucasian Chalk Circle , The Wonderful World of Dissocia and Hiawatha , and concerts at Dulwich and further afield all exemplifying the exciting successes of students outside the classroom. This edition of The Alleynian is also the first since the re-establishment of a student editorial committee, a group we have created with the intention of handing ownership and responsibility of this vital school institution back to those who started it more than a hundred years ago: the students. We wanted to involve those who were interested in more of the commissioning, editing and writing of articles, and in this debut year we hope you will enjoy what we have produced. Only in our infancy, we are constantly on the lookout for new members of the team and, as I hand over to next year’s Senior Prefects for the Creative Arts, I hope many of you will take an interest in joining this body and getting involved with another exciting and thought-provoking edition.

Student Editor Ollie Norton-Smith

Staff Editor Mr Rory Fisher

Editorial Committee Ollie Norton-Smith

Keesje ’t Hooft Shehzore Adil Miles Dee (Art) Theo Forbes Ben Higlett (Sport) Hamish Lloyd Barnes (Drama) Marcus Kottering Edward Reid Edmund Stutter Staff Section Editors Art : Mrs Mary Jo Doherty Drama : Mrs Kathryn Norton-Smith

Music : Miss Jemima Lofts Sport : Mr Phil Greenaway

Photography Miss Maggie Jarman (Drama, Valete, Iceland, Symposium and many others) Ms Deborah Field (Symposium, Music and others) Mr Nobby Clark, Ed Reid, Marko Marsenic, Will Reid (Drama) Mr Andrew Waugh, Mr David Lee (Sport) Mr Daniel Shearing (The Laboratory)

Design and Layout Mr Nicholas Wood

Proofreader Miss Rebecca Smith

Printing Cantate

With thanks to: Mr Simon Northcote-Green, Miss Maggie Jarman, Ms Deborah Field, Ms Emily Hughes, Mrs Sally Gatley, Mrs Victoria Joseph, and all our contributors. The front and rear cover show images from the notebook of Oscar Maguire (Year 13), which depict creativity in action. The inside covers show drawings produced as part of Dulwich Creative.

Ollie Norton-Smith Student Editor

Contents

Contents

Essays

News

70-71 72-74

6-11 12-15 16-18 19-23 24-27 28-30

Life-extending drugs The tale of two autocrats

The first Dulwich Olympiad ‘The Lab’ – Phase One Nepal – an inspirational country struck by tragedy Charity through the year The 2014 Symposium: Power The Union – New Societies

Creative Writing

75-80 81-83

Three Upper School short stories What we do at Wordsmiths

Features

Art

31-39

Creativity

84-86 87-99

New York, modern art Art review 2015

• Dulwich Creative • Work in progress – the Conrad Shawcross sculpture project Technology • Are we driven to digital distraction? – mobile devices and education • The deep, dark web – snooping and secrecy on the internet • Duke of Edinburgh – are phones allowed?

40-46

Drama

100-109 110-119

Production reviews House drama

47-49

What leadership means at Dulwich – the work of the Senior Prefects Iceland and thoughts on the view at Storhofdi After Shackleton • An OA in Antarctica

Music

50-51 52-56

120-122 123

Concert reviews Composition competition

• Persistence and Endurance – Shackleton and Maths Not The Alleynian – Dulwich magazines from the Archives An exchange with a difference – an Anglo-German journalism project Food, football, friendship – experiences of Pamplona Engineering legends – automotive excitement in Bologna Threatened wonders of the wild – an expedition to Madagascar

57-59 60-61 62 63 64-65 66-67 68-69

124-135 Sport

136-139 CCF

140 Chaplaincy

141-142 International Dulwich – looking backwards and forwards

The Weizmann Competition 2015 Pueri Alleynienses: Leavers’ addresses

143-146 OA News

147-170 Valete

D ulwich The First Olympiad

More than 400 students, both boys and girls, from eight Dulwich Schools – 102 from Dulwich College in London – competed in athletics, table tennis, swimming, basketball and football. Miss Sarah Wood introduces the first inaugural Dulwich Olympiad, held in Beijing in April

B oth in terms of competitive spirit and the success. In the boys’ competitions, DC London was highly successful in many fields, gaining 26 gold medals in 36 athletic events, eight gold medals in 21 swimming races, one possible gold in table tennis and one team gold medal out of the three on offer in football. Although there were no gold medals in the three basketball competitions, two closely fought finals with DC Beijing provided some of the most tense and exciting drama of all the events. The National Olympic Sports Centre in Beijing had an athletics stadium, basketball venue and swimming pool that the boys could only have dreamt of competing in, a set-up for many personal bests and feats of personal triumph. It is impossible to name them all here, but Ed Olsen was honoured in the final awards ceremony for his 2.01mins in the 800m and Jack Ramsay for his ability to get medals in such a number of disciplines. The real triumph of the Olympiad, though, was the strength of the friendships and alliances that were forged both individually and collectively between the Colleges. This was most aptly demonstrated at the final Awards ceremony, where the musicians were able to demonstrate the talent that abounds not only friendships formed between the schools, the first Dulwich Olympiad has been an undeniable

‘The real triumph of the Olympiad was the strength of the friendships and alliances forged both individually and collectively between the Colleges’

at DC London but also in the International Schools. Again, it would be impossible to name all the amazing boys who performed, but Charlie Godsiff and Will Horseman surely ranked alongside Ben Schlossman as outstanding contributors to the tour, although Ben got the recognition on the night for his contributions in Beijing. The College students demonstrated the all-embracing Dulwich spirit with their good conduct, good company and multitude of talents. They were fantastic ambassadors for the school and we look forward both individually and collectively to hosting the next Olympiad in 2019. With an even greater number of schools and students involved, it really will be a hugely exciting event to look forward to.

Pictured : Ed Olsen (Year 12) was honoured in the final awards ceremony for his 2.01mins in the 800m.

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‘We all knew that we were here not just to do well for our own pride, but also for our teammates and, even more importantly, to congratulate our opponents’

‘Nothing could have preparedme for China’

Among the sportsmen and musicians who represented DC London were three student journalists with instructions to report on the Olympiad. One of them, Darrius Kudiabor Thompson (Year 11), shares his highlights of an unforgettable cultural event D escribing an amazing experience to someone is always hard, especially when that person can never feel what you felt or see what you saw. What

Below : Ben Osuntokun (Year 12) with other DC London musicians.

done!’ for being a great sportsman. There are photos to prove it! And this friendship didn’t just stop in Shanghai: it followed us to Suzhou, where we were welcomed in style by a chorus of Taiko drummers and played a well- fought match against The Scots College in front of a cheering crowd of Dulwich College Suzhou students. After a well-watched and appreciated lunchtime concert, our musicians again had a full audience after the rugby, with the combined talents of the schools were on full display. From Shanghai and Suzhou we travelled to the main event in Beijing and here the competition heated up. Our two days were filled with many competitions, including a second round against The Scots College and the dynamics were those of collaboration and competitiveness. Everyone wanted to get a gold medal in the Athletics or win the basketball tournament for his age group. But even with that natural competitive spirit, we all knew that we were here not just to do well for our own pride, but also for our teammates and, even more importantly, to congratulate our opponents. During the opening ceremony we flew our respective Dulwich flags proudly and during the athletics, runners would encourage one another in a team huddle before racing. We cheered on our school teams with chants while watching nail-biting basketball matches for three different age groups. All Dulwich schools cheered on Dulwich London in the second leg against The Scots College, which was fought hard but ended in defeat. In every sport we had worthy opponents; some we won and some we lost. But we knew we were all there to witness and congratulate each other’s skill. Even Dr Spence showed his football finesse in a game of 66 – I mean, who knew?

makes describing our first Olympiad harder is that there is nothing to compare it with. I have seen some breath-taking sites: the foothills of the Himalayas, the entrancing lights of Las Vegas, the maze-like streets of Venice, and so much more. When I have come home, my mother has asked me, ‘how was your trip?’, ‘what did you do?’, ‘what was it like?’, ‘tell me all about it?’ And I say, ‘it was a great trip, Mum!’ and that’s as far as I go in terms of adjectives. Indeed, I have had my fair share of adventure and I consider myself lucky. But nothing could have prepared me for China. When I was asked to report on the first Dulwich Olympiad, I felt honoured and buzzing with excitement at the thought of standing in the midst of it and explaining it to all the people back home. Soon enough, I was standing in a very urbanised Shanghai, the first stop on our tour, feeling more daunted about what might be thrown at me. But after a warm welcome from all the staff at Dulwich College Shanghai (including some familiar faces), I settled in. Even before I started writing about our stunning swimming performance and our even greater struggle in the U17 football match, I could sense the beginnings of a unique Olympiad atmosphere, which would only build over the coming days. Despite the eight-year age range between Dulwich’s competitors, we quickly became close. But something else happened during our three-day stay in Shanghai. Over the course of the different events, from ten-aside rugby matches to combined Big Band performances at a specially arranged food fair, there was a growing bond between the two schools – Dulwich College London and Dulwich College Shanghai. Yes, we knew we shared the same foundation, but now we were talking with them, walking with them, playing music and competing against each other in amicable matches, shaking hands at the end to say ‘Well

I make it sound like this tour was just about sportsmen: it wasn’t. The musicians were working hard to prepare a performance at the closing gala concert, where we sat mixed in with people from the Dulwich College International schools and ate a traditional meal. While we listened to the melodious sounds of the combined band and choir, we got to know each other on our tables, exchanging hopes and dreams as well as email addresses. After the big events came a few days of relaxation and exploration of the wonders of China. During a much- needed lie-in, I began to think about the past few days and how amazing it was that I could now say that ‘I was there during the first Olympiad’. We have seven Dulwich schools abroad and we often say we want to build a bridge between us. Well, we have now done more than that: we have walked over and shaken hands. Finally, I came upon the right word to describe this trip: ‘unforgettable’.

9

8

‘Music rehearsals are still interrupted by apologetic athletes who have rushed from the fields’

‘The daily lives of the pupils in China are just as hectic as anything seen in London’

During the Olympiad, student reporter Matthew Verri (Year 12) found time to observe some of cultural differences as well as to reflect on sport in China ‘Green men at traffic lights are more of a recommendation’, we were warned as we arrived at Dulwich College Shanghai

Below : The Dulwich College Olympians, led by Thomas Boutelle (Year 12).

1988 in Seoul, China won five gold medals and took 244 athletes to the Olympics. Fast forward 24 years to London in 2012 and China took 396 athletes and won 38 gold medals, coming second in the overall medal table. The Youth Olympic Games were set up in 2010 and in those two Games, China has won more medals than any other country, demonstrating the huge surge in sporting activity. China has traditionally achieved success at table tennis, badminton, and diving, yet on the back of the 2008 Olympics, the country has seen more success in Swimming and in Athletics than ever before. This was clear for all to see at the Dulwich Olympiad, where Dulwich Beijing and Dulwich Shanghai in particular impressed. Away from the sporting aspect of our trip and China as a whole, the pupils at the China schools are very similar to their London counterparts. Music rehearsals are still interrupted by apologetic athletes who have rushed from the fields, with the daily lives of the pupils in China just as hectic as anything seen in London. The students from the International Schools were so helpful towards us; often a pupil would follow you from a distance, almost willing you to ask where the lunch hall was so that they could take you there. One striking difference was the lack of pat-ball courts, though perhaps after the 2019 Olympiad in London that sporting discipline can crack the Chinese market. The 2015 Beijing Olympiad was a truly spectacular occasion and those boys in Year 9 and below will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to compete in a home Olympiad in four years’ time. It is now apparent we share so much more than the ‘Dulwich College’ name with the International schools and these bonds will only grow in strength in the future. One thing is for sure: the bar has been set very high ahead of 2019.

“ Right, OK. I’m sure I can cross a road easily enough.” Wrong: it is common in China for cars to ignore red lights if there is no oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, pedestrians do not count as traffic. The task is made easier by the barrage of horns that will greet you should you be brave enough to venture a foot onto the road. Once you see that green man, you go. And do not stop. China was not all stress – not in the slightest. In a country still feeling the legacy of the Olympic Games in 2008, sport is quite clearly on the rise. This dramatic increase in sporting participation is no more obvious than in the medal tables from recent Olympics. In

10

Few recent visitors to Dulwich College can have failed to notice the construction process that has been underway to create the first half of The Laboratory, the College’s new Science facility. Marcus Kottering (Year 12) was one of the first students to see inside, on a guided tour for The Alleynian a few days before opening

M y tour begins with the weekly meeting of the project’s construction committee. After an hour, I am still struggling to understand much of the technical jargon that is clearly a hugely significant part of this building process. With precise efficiency, the team go through a booklet containing a long list of details outlining major concerns, checking that each party is in-sync to allow for smooth operation. I ask Simon Yiend, the College’s Chief Operating Officer and my tour guide, what ‘FF&E’ stands for. He simplifies things for me by explaining: ‘If you took the building upside down and shook it, that’s what would fall out’. It seems a reasonable concern. One gets the impression that this team has been working together for a long time, which, as it turns out, is in fact the case. In November 2011, Dulwich contracted McLaren to begin the planning of the build and estimating the overall cost. The attention to detail they gave to the project was impressive – even small, but nonetheless important, aspects were considered: the shade of the Burette racks in the Chemistry labs (grey or white?); design for signage; the logistics of liquid nitrogen storage. With the meeting concluded, Mr Yiend and I arm ourselves with high-vis jackets and helmets before entering the building through the boys’ ground floor toilets, which serves as the main entrance until the proper version is completed. We soon find ourselves on the Physics floor, into which light floods from the rooftop. Two voids run from the top to the bottom of the building: one is to display a work of art made by the celebrated sculptor Conrad Shawcross, the other is for the James Caird, Shackleton’s boat that has until now resided in the North Cloister. The surroundings of this College treasure have been cleverly designed to fill the zig-zagged floor with glass gravel, so when an LED light is passed through, it looks like it’s cutting through the ice. With scientists today pushing the boundaries of technology, from discovering the minutest particles to exploring entire galaxies, the Laboratory is clearly designed to foster similar ambition in the work that goes on in its 18 classrooms. Less obvious, however, is the way the new building also has examples of highly advanced technology

Left : Shackleton’s James Caird in its new home inside The Laboratory.

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Below : Boys enter The Laboratory for the first time (left), the ‘Dragon’s Curve’ terracotta pattern (right) and one of the new bright, open classrooms (opposite page).

The 24 visors attached to the outside of the building, each comprising 112 terracotta ‘baguettes’, help to reduce over-heating and glare in the laboratories Up to four per cent of the electrical power is supplied by 50 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof; the maximum available space on the roof has been used for solar panels The thermal properties of the building are such that less than 15 per cent of the heating supplied by the new boilers is required for the new building; the remaining